Permanent Impact

Permanent Impact December 2009

2009-12-24T16:37:00.005-05:00

. . . 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?

Sisters, sleepovers, sightseeing, and systems

Since our last newsletter, I (Karen) traveled to Russia for a brief yet full visit (November 20th - December 1st). The primary purpose of my visit was as a member of a 7-woman team from the Atlanta Vineyard. The Perm Vineyard invited us (Vicki, Nancy, Nancy, Celine, Heather, Anastasia, and me) to lead a women's retreat for women from Vineyard (and a few other) churches all over Russia, alongside a wonderful team from the Perm Vineyard, who did a superlative job in organizing every detail. Over 100 women attended the retreat, and God did more than we could have imagined, in and through each one of us. Our time there was simply unforgettable and life-changing, in so many ways.

Ephesians 3:20 (The Message) – “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”

This verse aptly summarizes our time in Russia, including the weekend women’s retreat on the theme of "Sanctification." Vicki, our wonderful leader, along with each member of our team, shared a testimony of how God has changed our lives, brought healing and restoration, personally and in our families. I had the privilege of teaching the final session of the retreat – “For what does God sanctify us?” I challenged the women to lay down their pasts, their regrets, their futures, their preferences, their sins, their pain . . . and receive restoration and God’s Kingdom-sized perspective for their lives. God wants to give each one of us generational fruitfulness that goes beyond our personal lives to the lives of those to come. I invited women to stand with hands on hearts as an outward symbol of their inward commitment to surrender everything to God. Every woman stood as we invited the Holy Spirit to come as sanctifier and beautifier. We commissioned them to go out as agents of transformation to radiate the fragrance of Jesus Christ in their spheres of influence. When God changes me, He changes my family, my work place, my school, my church, my city, my nation, the world. He heals our histories to propel us into our destinies. We closed the retreat with the women gathering in groups to pray with others from their local church.

Elsa, a talented artist from the Atlanta Vineyard, created our theme painting depicting a clay pot broken open with jewels inside – it was a powerful focal point. At the retreat, through the intertwined messages and testimonies, we talked about the process of sanctification, brokenness, and freedom from sins . . . to become transformed by the power and presence of God. We worked with wonderful translators for our messages, testimonies, and ministry times. Women received healing in the areas of abortion, broken relationships, abuse, hopelessness. We saw women open up, their outer shells were cracked open, and God released them to reflect His light and glory, just like the jewels. God continues to do more than we could ever imagine . . .

Personally, the Lord reminded me that the time is short – He impressed on me the importance of making the most of every opportunity for Him. If I will only make myself available, He will accomplish more than I could ever dream, both in and through me. Jesus is so precious – His presence sustains me in all circumstances. To God be all the glory!

God had much more in store for each of us than the weekend retreat. I had the pleasure of meeting with 40+ friends in Nizhny Novgorod, riding the train with 25 Nizhny women (17 hours each way between Nizhny Novgorod and Perm - much fun!), staying with two wonderful Russian families, worshiping God with dear friends at the Nizhny Vineyard Church and the "Healing" Church, and seeing some of my favorite places in Nizhny again. It was such a joy to bring greetings and little gifts from women of the Atlanta Vineyard to each woman at the Nizhny Vineyard, connecting hearts of my sisters on one side of the pond to those on the other. It is always thrilling to me to distribute as many dozens of Russian books as I can cram into my luggage (thanks to your generosity in providing these!) . . . this time I brought Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan), The Gift of Love (Dr. Charles Stanley), and my favorite devotional, Streams in the Desert (Mrs. Charles Cowman).

While I was there, I sent almost daily email updates to our home church, the Atlanta Vineyard . . . here's an edited excerpt from one of them, to give you a glimpse into not only my time there but some of the red-tape challenges that Russians face on a regular basis. The usual processing time for the exit visa I needed is 20 days, but since I was in Russia for less than 2 weeks (only 6 business days), I needed a miracle. Here's how the story began . . .

I want to tell you the story of my day, not to just go on and on about the way things are, but to give you a glimpse of what everyday life is like here for the Russians, and to help you to enter into what I'm experiencing so you can join me in prayer more effectively. Plus I hope it makes you smile - I am truly full of joy in the midst of the difficulties - God is so good!

Today Gyena, Galina, and I set out to obtain my exit visa. At 9am we went to the visa office way on the other side of the city, waited as is customary in all govt offices around the world, then were "assisted" by a very impatient administrator. She informed us that we first needed to obtain registration papers (it is not clear even to experienced Russians what the precise process is, nor is it easy or sometimes possible to find out). Off we went to the registration office to wait, fill out more paperwork, and be interrogated about why my husband and children weren't with me (since they all have current Russian visas). The story had to be told over and over, examined from every angle, and then we were told that we needed yet more paperwork at another location. By now it was lunchtime when all Russian government offices have their obligatory break. At 2pm we went to the 3rd location, along with the accompanying landlady in whose apartment I am being registered - this office is where all residents (including Russians) must register whenever they move to a different apartment or house. We waited for several hours before reaching the front of the "line." Thinking that reaching the front of the line means being processed isn't exactly a realistic expectation of what happens here. I guess they only check the paperwork up until the first mistake or omission, then give it back to you. There isn't a clear list or process of what is required, so you don't really know ahead of time what you need. We were sent away an incredible 7 times to fill out another form or write a letter. Each return to the tiny window requires muscling your way in through the tightly packed bodies. During our almost 4 hour experience in that 7 x 9 room crammed with about 20 people, I made a few observations:

* There were lots of minor spats mostly between older women jostling for their place in line (trust me, there was no line by any definition), trading "clever" insults with each other.

* A large uncollared dog wandered in, seemingly to no one's surprise. He received lots of attention from each person he approached.

* An adminstrator angrily reprimanded the crowd for leaving a door open into the hallway "because of the flu" - after sealing the room off, the air in the already overheated room was even stiller and hotter than before. For such a highly educated nation, it's surprising how many old wives' tales prevail. One woman, who apparently had the flu, coughed regularly into her half-tied face mask.

* The interminable waiting finally got to one young man, who began to rough up an older woman. All the women around him began shouting at him to stop, but Galina, with her sweet spirit, calmed him down by showing him some practical kindness.

But finally we received the proper stamped paperwork around 5:30pm, so we had some time to get back to the previous office. We had to talk to the same interrogation woman, who giggled on the phone with her boyfriend while marking on my paperwork (the little I understood made me blush). The moment she hung up, she became disdainful and impatient, shaking her head, tut-tutting, sighing deeply - sadly not an unusual attitude for government workers. If anything is non-standard, there is often deep resistance accompanied by many delays and redos as we experienced today. Thankfully there was a kindly older worker nearby who was very helpful. Galina was sent out several more times to fill out more paperwork, and we were down to the last minute before the 7pm closing time but praise God, we got my registration completed!

I thank God for Galina's perseverance and Gyena's cheerful disposition and encouraging attitude all day. We are so grateful for our Russian friends who give up entire days or afternoons to help us. God's peace enveloped me the entire day - not once did I feel any anxiety or even annoyance, just sadness at the brokenness I saw.

After we left the registration office, we dropped into a corner store, and as though a touch of humor from God, Bing Crosby's "Let it Snow" was playing, followed by the Beach Boys, which is ironic since the H1N1 flu that is causing the city-wide quarantine is called "the California flu" here! (Flu is the #1 topic of conversation here at the moment.)

My closing philosophic statement of the day - The iron curtain may have come down, but to deal with "the system" here, you need an iron determination (and an iron bladder)!

Thanks again for your prayers - you have no idea how much we depend on them . . . you have many dear friends here even if you never meet on this side of eternity . . .

And how did the visa saga end?

We spent another 3 hours the following day (Tuesday) submitting the proper paperwork, and then waited . . .

On Friday, when our team gathered with the Perm team to pray together before the retreat, one woman prayed something like "Lord, I ask that you would get the attention of a worker in the visa office right now, and that they would walk around the office and pick up Karen's paperwork and process it right now." This was somewhere around 5pm Perm time that we were meeting. When I got back to our friends' place in Nizhny Novgorod, Gyena said that the visa office called him at 3:15pm Friday (i.e. 5:15pm Perm time) to say that my exit visa was ready. Woohoo!

A very humorous incident occurred that following morning when we picked up my visa. Gyena accompanied me. Gyena speaks no English. The administrator speaks no English. The administrator explained some things to me, including some technicalities that she felt needed to be addressed (I understood, but dutifully sat silently as is wise for all foreigners when dealing with really important paperwork like visas!). After a few minutes, she remembered that I didn't speak Russian fluently, so asked Gyena to translate. So Gyena dutifully repeated what she had said, but in slower Russian. These offices are nerve-wracking places even for our calmest and most experienced Russian friends. Gyena tried his best to comply with her request as respectfully as possible. He continued to "translate" several more times before the administrator realized that Russian-to-Russian translation was going on :) At that point, she dismissed the technicalities and sent us on our way with my exit visa! God is good and has a great sense of humor!

We trust that God will show us the next steps for our family regarding ministry in and to Russia . . . Paul and I have the privilege of serving on the missions board at the Atlanta Vineyard, and one of our roles is to plan how our church can serve Russia in the coming year. Please pray with us for God's heart! I continue to send daily email encouragement to about 50 Russian families (currently - Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest", a devotional that encourages me daily, too). Meanwhile, the Lord has opened some doors for us regarding developing resources for Russians . . . please scroll down to see how you can partner with us.

Brief family news . . . P is doing very well in his electrical engineering studies at LeTourneau University, and we're enjoying having him home again during his winter break. J is finishing his last year of high school at Sculley Academy and preparing for several advanced placement exams. He surprised himself (but no one else) by making an almost perfect score on the math section of the SAT (the American university entrance exam), missing only one problem. M, C, E, and K are doing great at Sculley Academy along with fellow classmate, our good friend, A. Paul continues to contract for Georgia Pacific, and we're so grateful for God's continual provision. I enjoy all my various roles, and am so thankful for the many opportunities God brings to love Him by loving others. God continues to amaze us at how He provides for all of our needs and despite the inevitable difficulties of life, He showers His mercy, blessings, and grace upon us in every area of our lives. It is such a joy for us to serve God together with each of you!

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

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!

Resources for Russians

We're investigating some translation projects to get more resources into the hands of Russian believers, mainly in the area of Bible study tools, something we're passionate about. Please let us know if you'd like to invest in any of these projects.

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:
* We thank God for the amazing time our team experienced during our 12 days in Russia. It was life-changing for each of us, and from the feedback we received, also for many of the 100 women who attended the retreat. God has totally blown us all away . . . in every aspect, from the smallest detail to the most life-changing transformation, God showed Himself to be strong, mighty, beyond anything we could ever ask, imagine, think, guess, or request in our wildest dreams. There were also many other encounters along the way with others. I am especially grateful to God that He gave me grace to meet with every person I had hoped to meet with in the brief time I was in Nizhny Novgorod.

* We praise God for the partnership of our generous supporters, whose provision enabled 25 women from Nizhny Novgorod to attend the women's retreat and one from another city.

* I am so grateful to God for giving me what felt like even better Russian language skills this time than before - it makes no sense apart from the grace of God because despite all my good intentions, I did not study Russian at all in the last 4 months!

Please pray for us:
* Please pray for each woman who attended the retreat, and each church represented, that God would complete the work He began in them

* Please pray for God to open doors and bring the connections needed in order to get some much-needed resources translated into Russian

* Please pray that we would hear God's voice clearly regarding how we and the Atlanta Vineyard can serve Russia in the coming year

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 our home.

Our vision:
* mobilize prayer

* promote unity in the body of Christ

* encourage and equip 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)

With love,

Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!

Permanent Impact September 2009

2009-09-12T21:05:00.004-04:00

. . . 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?

Back to Russia with love!

Around the time the Sculley family returned from Russia, the Perm Vineyard invited Vicki Hale (Russian Vineyard church planter, now back at the Atlanta Vineyard, too) to lead a women's retreat for our sisters from the Russian Vineyard Churches. She has lead at least a dozen of these retreats over the years for all of the Russian Vineyards, and immediately began gathering a team to go with her. My heart leapt when she invited me to join her, and God has put together two wonderful teams - one hosting the retreat in Perm (lead by our close friend Alyona) and the one I'm blessed to be a part of traveling from Atlanta.

We'd like to invite you to partner with us as we go to Russia to serve women, primarily in leading the women's retreat with women traveling from 7 cities on the last weekend of November. During the week preceding the retreat, I will be visiting loved ones in Nizhny Novgorod while the rest of the team serves women in the city of Perm through the WomenCare ministry that assists expectant and new mothers and babies.

Here are the official biographies each of our team members wrote, along with some personalization from me. Please scroll down for ways that you can partner with us, in sending us, in helping Russian women attend the retreat, and in equipping Russian believers with resources. What a joy it is to serve our great God together! Also, be sure to read the blessing at the bottom of this email . . . I recently came across this, and it is a treasure.

KAREN SCULLEY: Karen Sculley is very excited about this opportunity to be with her beloved sisters in Christ in Russia again. Karen and her husband, Paul, and their six children lived in Nizhny Novgorod from 2008 till 2009, serving God at the Nizhny Vineyard. Karen has walked with Jesus for 34 years, and has served at the Atlanta Vineyard for 20 years. She has a heart for prayer, unity in the body of Christ, and encouraging leaders. She loves worshiping God, spending time with family and friends, and attempting great things for God.

ANASTASIA TATARSKY: At the age of 4 I accepted Jesus Christ to be my Savior, not knowing that my faith would ACTUALLY be tested in my beliefs. Around 7 years of age, God told me that I was supposed to be a missionary. Throughout the next 6 years I visited 44 of the continental United States with my 8 brothers and sisters, my mother, and my father. I am a senior at Norcross High School and am pressing slowly but passionately toward my Jesus and the calling He has on my life.

I've known Anastasia her whole life - our families met when we had one child between us - now there are 15! She's a wonderfully gifted 17 year old young woman who has a lot to give. Her bright smile and heart for God bless all who know her. Our two families are closely connected - rarely a week goes by without some subset of Tatarsky's and Sculley's hanging out!

HEATHER HUNNICUTT: Heather is a mom to three lively children ages 5, 3, and 1. She's been married for seven years to Patton, who is a music teacher. Though she holds a college degree in psychology, her job and primary ministry is home with her kids. Heather has been a Christian for four wonderful years and is so grateful for the changes God has made in her life so far. She enjoys reading, baking, and exercise and is excited to go to Russia!

Heather is a new friend whom I'm enjoying getting to know. Her passion and determination will be a huge encouragement to the women in Russia! She is already an inspiration to me - she puts her whole heart into what she does. C enjoys helping out at Sunday school, and has fallen in love with Heather's 3 year old daughter Hadley.

NANCY PENTON: Nancy Penton is the wife of Allen Penton and mother of three grown and married sons. Nancy loves the Lord and has been a Christian since childhood. Nancy loves teaching about prayer and mentoring women. She serves as the Director of Prayer and Prophetic Ministries at Atlanta Vineyard Church. Nancy traveled to Russia in the summer of 2008 and went to the Vineyard National Conference in Nizhny Novgorod and joined a team traveling to Yekaterinburg.

Allen & Nancy and Paul & I met in 1997 and have enjoyed many shared experiences together over the years. Nancy is a very dear friend. God has blessed us with similar hearts and passions and opportunities to serve alongside one another, in prayer, on worship teams, as leaders, in small groups, as fellow teachers, weeping and rejoicing together!

CELINE PEAVY: My full name is: Catherine Celine Peavy but I have always been called by my middle name. I was born in the United Kingdom and have lived in America for 41 years. My husband Jack is an American by birth. I became an American Citizen in 1976. We have four children, two daughters and two sons. The desire of my heart is to serve the Lord by teaching others to pray. I am a Prayer Warrior. I have worked outside the home as a Real Estate Agent for the past 31 years.

Celine is another new friend whom I'm enjoying getting to know. Her faith and boldness will be a huge encouragement to the women in Russia! She loves praying with and for others, and I've already been blessed and encouraged by her ministry.

NANCY LEDOUX: I was born in Washington DC in 1952. After high school I immediately began working in the Telecommunications field for one of the major "telephone companies " in Washington DC. In 1972 I decided to give college a try where I met my husband Marc. I left college after one semester and married Marc a year later. We have one son, Dustin and our precious grandaughter Emilee Sarah. I have been married 35 years. My life truly began June 12 1996 the day I gave my heart to Jesus What I desire most in life is that my life reads like a love letter to Jesus.

Marc & Nancy and Paul & I have become very dear to one another over the past 5 years, and have similar hearts for seeking God's face. We enjoy being a part of the small group that meets in their home that strongly resembles the soaking group we hosted in Nizhny! Nancy has a huge heart for all people and always has a word of encouragement on her lips.

VICKI HALE: What can I say that you do not know! I have been a Christian for over 19 years and have spent nearly 11 of those years in Perm, Russia. I am returning because God continues to move there and He wants the women in Russia to take hold of their call to fulfill His purposes. I hope to equip the saints and commission the women to expand the Kingdom! I have a 12-year old son, Austin, who wishes he could come with me. And my husband, Ralph, continues to serve the world through missions and leadership training at the Atlanta Vineyard.

Ralph & Vicki and Paul & I met in 1996 - our first common missions experience was Vicki and I standing pregnant at the airport as we sent our husbands to Brazil for the first international team sent from the Atlanta Vineyard. Vicki and her family are very dear to us, and we're enjoying living only 10 minutes apart now! We first began serving in Russia thanks to Ralph & Vicki's influence as they planted the Vineyard church in Perm many years ago. Our sons M and A are inseparable friends. Vicki has gathered women in Russian Vineyards together many times over the years, and it's a joy to serve alongside her again!

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

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 We're trusting God to provide Karen's travel expenses . . . $2000 total includes airfare, accommodation, and team contributions
Leadership Development
o We'd like to help as many women as possible from Nizhny Novgorod attend the women's retreat in Perm . . . $80 will sponsor one woman to go

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:
• We praise God for the countless ways He's helped us in readjusting to life back in Atlanta. We're grateful for each person who has helped us, with prayer, counsel, wisdom, compassion, and listening ears!

Please pray for us:
• Please pray for every detail of the planning and preparation for the women's retreat, for both the Atlanta team and the Perm team. We want God's heart.
• Please pray for each woman who will attend the retreat. It will require a high level of sacrifice for many women to be able to attend, due to travel distances, work and family commitments, and financial considerations.

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 our home.

Our vision:
• mobilize prayer
• promote unity in the body of Christ
• encourage and equip 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)

With love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

A Franciscan Benediction . . . our prayer for you . . .

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and the exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those
Who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to
Comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world, so that you can do
What others claim cannot be done to bring justice and kindness
To all our children and the poor.

Permanent Impact August 2009

2009-08-16T07:23:00.004-04:00

. . . 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?

Transitions

The Sculley family has been in the midst of transitions, it seems, these past few months. In early July, we said many heartfelt goodbyes in Nizhny Novgorod. Here are some pictures from our last few days in Nizhny. Karen again had the opportunity to preach at the Nizhny Vineyard, and together Paul and Karen prayed a blessing on the congregation. It was a bittersweet time, so many lovely memories but very sad to say bye for now to many loved ones there. Oleg and Sasha announced their engagement that day - we rejoice that another Christian family is being established!
Here's the link we promised you in our last newsletter for the video of "A Day in the Life of the Nizhny Novgorod Vineyard" from June 7th, 2009 - *insert link here*. This is a super 15 minute video (thanks to Gyena Chavdar's expertise) that gives you a peek at life there - starts with the church service, then the mystery youth adventure, which wound up at our apartment . . . youtube wouldn't let us put it up in a single video, so it's in two parts . . . part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lHcUXBj3L4, part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV5vGyaEJAs

We enjoyed many guests each day in our final weeks in Nizhny. On our last evening, we hosted a special gathering at our apartment with some of our closest friends. We shared a meal together, the gaggle of kids had a super time, and we presented each family with a prophetic gift.

The day we left Nizhny Novgorod, we crammed our 19 suitcases, 12 carry-ons and 2 Pooh Bears into a 13-seater van (along with the 8 of us and our driver), for the 7 hour trip to Moscow. Misha & Larissa and the Chavdar family helped us so much with everything - we're thankful for such great friends! Just a few days after we left Nizhny, Misha & Larissa (and their son Roma) traveled to Perm for a month to begin studying at the Russian Vineyard Leadership School, along with leaders from Vineyard churches in four other Russian cities and Kazakhstan. They have completed phase 1 - phase 2 lasts for approximately 40 weeks, during which time they will study via DVD teachings in their local churches. It's exciting to see God growing up the next generation of leaders!

Thanks to being creatively routed through various airports, we were blessed to be able to spend a few days in London en route. It turned out to be a great way to debrief and get used to hearing English spoken widely again, while relaxing and seeing a few sights. We especially enjoyed the Tower of London, boating on the Thames, London Eye, Greenwich Meridian, Windsor Castle, double-decker buses and red phone booths!

We enjoyed a wonderful welcome by 20 or so friends the evening we returned to Atlanta (often affectionately known as "Hotlanta" in the summer!). It felt surreal to be back in an environment that was familiar and unfamiliar all at once. We've gone through the usual grief and reverse culture shock, finding "normal" things to be surprising at times - driving 60mph / 100kph on interstates with 6 or 8 lanes each way (after almost exclusively riding buses in Russia); facing "overchoice" in every store; smelling and seeing the lush summer growth; glad to be back among friends and family here, yet missing the community experience of living in our city apartment. It's definitely challenging integrating our various worlds together especially because we are always far from loved ones, but also because they are so vastly different in some ways. But we are so thankful for email and facebook!

C celebrated her 12th birthday twice, with girl time on her actual birthday in Nizhny, and again a few weeks later in Atlanta with family and friends.

Just two days after returning to Atlanta, M celebrated his 14th birthday with family and friends and a special outing to an Atlanta Braves baseball game.

Since being back, we've focused on reconnecting relationships and giving ourselves time to get readjusted and reorganized. Moving back and forth definitely gives one the motivation to simplify stuff! Interestingly, our home church (the Atlanta Vineyard) is also facing a big transition this month, as we move out of our building of the past 7 years into a rented facility. It does seem that the Lord has brought us back here for such a time as this, to help with this challenging transition. We are connecting again with various groups - it's always a joy to pray and grow in faith with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Next week we face another family transition - our P is off on his next adventure, as he begins electrical engineering studies at Le Tourneau University in Texas (about 680 miles / 1100 km from Atlanta). Lobachevsky University in Nizhny stunned us by sending his translated transcript in record time, so it's possible he may even receive some official credit for his studies there, although the experience was worth far more than academic transfers. We are so proud of P, and he leads by example with his adaptability and cheerfulness in all kinds of situations! At 17, he finds it puzzling to meet kids older than him who still have another year or two of high school . . .

Our home school, Sculley Academy, is beginning our 14th year this month. In addition to the 5 remaining Sculley students (J, M, C, E, K), we are welcoming a new student, A (one of C's closest friends from birth). We look forward to an exciting year of delving into all kinds of topics like AP Calculus, Worldview, Thinking Skills, and many more.

C is enthusiastically preparing to teach her first outside class (she's been teaching her little sisters for years!) . . .

Karen is continuing her Russian studies as much as possible (though it is much more challenging without lots of Russians to practice with). Here's a link to an article she wrote (in Russian) that she spoke in May at the "Large Families & Disabled Children's Association" in Nizhny as part of her studies - http://formystudents.nnov.ru/ The article is on her teacher Anna's website, and is entitled "Karen Sculley - concerning family traditions".

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

Our contact information:
U.S. phone number: 770-279-9379
facebook: Karen Sculley

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 God has amply supplied all of our needs to date - we praise Him for His faithfulness and provision!

Leadership Development
o We are currently gathering more resources in Russian and planning the development of others, specifically prayer bookmarks. Several groups of believers expressed an interest in these when we were in Russia, and we are working on coming up with some simple ones that we can print here.
o We continue to support a missionary family sent out from Russia to another part of the world. We are praying that God will raise up many more Russians to go and make disciples . . . especially but not limited to the nations of the former Soviet Union, where Russians often have much favor.

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:
• We praise God for His abundant grace that He's poured out on us day-by-day, moment-by-moment, in the huge transitions we've experienced in the recent weeks. God is always faithful!
• We thank and praise God for the overwhelming sense of affirmation and blessing we've received in pretty much every arena of our lives - we feel so strongly God's leading, provision, and blessing.

Please pray for us:
• Please pray for us as we adjust back to culture, relationships, and life in the U.S.A.
• Please pray for God's blessing on the Atlanta Vineyard Church and the Nizhny Novgorod Vineyard Church. It is a joy and an honor to be deeply involved with both congregations!

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 our home.

Our vision:
• mobilize prayer
• promote unity in the body of Christ
• encourage and equip 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)

With love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

The earth is the LORD's,
and everything in it,
the world,
and all who live in it
(Psalm 24:1)

Permanent Impact June 2009

2009-06-30T02:02:00.003-04:00

. . . 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?

Investing in relationships

After spending a couple of months intentionally seeking God for direction, Paul and I felt that the Lord has spoken very clearly to us. God has given our hearts a huge desire to continue serving Him in Russia, and confirmed this in many ways. Numerous people have encouraged us with words like, "your ministry in Russia has only just begun." But in the immediate future we are planning to return to Atlanta (from July 2009 through August 2010) in order to launch our two oldest sons well into their university studies. After that, our hope is to return to Nizhny Novgorod with our other four children. Each of the 8 of us has had significant input and is in unity in this decision. We've been investing lots of time in relationships in our final weeks (for this season), and packing along the way. We arrive back in Atlanta on July 8th.

While we're in Atlanta, we plan to continue our ministry to Russia, while serving however needed at our sending church, the Atlanta Vineyard. God has given us a vision to find, develop, and distribute prayer and Bible study tools and other resources in Russian. We will continue to connect with the hundreds of believers we’ve gotten to know here, equipping and encouraging them from afar. We plan to continue studying Russian in Atlanta, guided along by my university teacher here. Due to the complexity of the system here in Russia and the logistics involved with transitioning between countries, we will be in preparation mode to return to Nizhny Novgorod pretty much as soon as we unpack our bags!

We would like to extend you an invitation to continue investing in making a permanent impact in Russia through your prayers and support. We cannot thank you enough for your prayers, support, friendship, encouragement, and love. We plan to continue sending our monthly newsletters so will keep you informed along the way. We always enjoy hearing from you - please let us know how you're doing and how we can pray for you, too!

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures from the last month, a very full one for us . . . taking advantage of the long days here, I guess! The longest day, June 21st, had sunrise at 4:14am and sunset at 9:57pm!

Pastor Dave asked Karen to teach a series on prayer - it was such a joy to encourage and equip the 25+ enthusiastic brothers and sisters who came. Every Wednesday for the last two months we explored topics such as meditative prayer, praying in times of crisis, praying for people who don't seem to be seeking God, prayer personalities, prayer targets in the church, crafted prayer, and praying for others on the street. It is pastor Dave's hope to continue the training in other areas. Karen also had the privilege of preaching twice at the Nizhny Vineyard in June, on "Youth Sunday," and last Sunday as the Nizhny Vineyard blessed our family in a special way. We'll include the pictures from our last Sunday in next month's newsletter since we have so many pictures already from this month!

On June 7th, we organized and hosted a "youth mystery adventure" after church - teens and students went on a walking tour around the city, completing various challenges along the way. They busked (sang songs for money) on Pokrofskaya Street (the 25 of them earned a whopping 22 rubles lol); they gave a special souvenir they purchased to a stranger in order to show her the love of God; they played games together; and eventually made their way to our apartment for food and fun. A professional videographer in the church (a.k.a. our good friend Gyena) made a super DVD which we hope to upload once we get back to Atlanta.

God blessed us with a very memorable weekend with some of our closest friends here playing, praying, and eating together at a retreat center just outside of the city.

Karen had the pleasure of visiting one of the other soaking groups that has sprung up in Nizhny Novgorod this year. Our friend Marina, who has been a part of the soaking group we've hosted for almost two years, began leading this weekly group across the river last autumn. Of course, all good prayer groups thrive on drinking tea together!

We have become close friends as a family with the Chavdars, who are also a large family, with 4 kids. Their older son, Roma, turned 15 last week, and his birthday wish was that our two families spend the day together. We had a wonderful time swimming, eating, and playing together. We praise God for this family - He has knit all of our hearts together, especially our 5 sons, who spend all of their free time and every weekend together. Please pray for each one during this time of transition . . .

We had the final soaking group meeting at our place last Friday. It was not only the last time for us to host the group; the group is taking a sabbatical because Misha & Larissa, the leaders, are going to the Vineyard Leadership School in Perm in July / August. This group has been such a huge source of life, refreshment, and healing to the dozens and dozens of people who have come from around a dozen churches. There were many testimonies and tears on Friday, and we are looking forward to seeing what God does in the future with each one. The fire of God is burning brightly in Nizhny Novgorod!

P has completed all of his exams at the University of Nizhny Novgorod, earning top marks in every subject (mathematics, computer science, and Russian language)! We are very proud of his achievements. We're awaiting his paperwork, and hope to show you a picture of his certificate next month. In two months' time he's looking forward to beginning his engineering studies at Le Tourneau University in Texas.
Karen also completed her first year of studies at the Linguistic University and hopes to continue there when we return. Anna, her fabulous teacher, has offered to continue mentoring her via internet (gotta love the 21st century) - such a blessing! We celebrated together with Anna, her mom, a new American student Thomas, and our good friend Almira.

Early in June, we were invited by our dear friend Yana to visit her hometown, Kirovo-Chepetsk, about 7 hours east of Nizhny Novgorod by train. We thought we were just going to visit our friend, but God had additional plans. The church she grew up in planned some activities around our visit (youth gatherings, two afternoons of reaching out / playing with neighborhood children & youth, orphanage visit). It was an inspiring time for each of us . . . the best way I can describe what happened is that we saw up close what God can do with a prayer-saturated, passionate, outward-focused, servant-hearted group of believers - kingdom transformation! Each of the Sculley kids made some very special friends during our visit. God really encouraged us and enlarged our vision through this special time.

As part of our “missionary debriefing”, we interviewed each of our six children separately about their experiences here in Russia. While living here, each of our children has grown in lots of ways despite significant challenges. Each one is a priceless treasure – we thank God for entrusting us with the joy of raising them. Paul and I are so proud of each one as we’ve watched them overcome, bloom, and grow. Here is a compilation of what they said – I hope it blesses your hearts as much as it blesses ours.

“You can’t really describe Russia – you have to be there to feel it. Walking along Pokrovka Street is a good learning experience. Russia is a nice place, and the people are nice. The people in Russia are friendly. I have made friends with people here, but their food is strange. I didn’t expect to know as much Russian as I do now. The people here are not really that different. They’re a little bit different because they speak a different language. It’s a little more normal than I thought it would be. When I think about my life here, it’s been interesting, and it’s something I know that some of my friends will never experience. I feel that it’s been pretty good. There have been some difficult things but it’s still ok. It’s nice that you can go outside of church and boom, you’re right back in Russia. I like how people go on more walks here. I like how people in Russia normally give a lot out of the little bit that they have. I have made friends with a lot of people here. I like having all the friends that I made here in Russia. I feel like I’ve made a difference in my friends’ lives here. I feel good about that. I’m glad we came.”

We all agree - we're glad we came!

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

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 Update next month on our support level . . . need to recalculate everything . . . Praise God that He always faithfully supplies all of our needs!

* Leadership Development
o We've had the opportunity to partner with multiple emerging or existing leaders recently. Here are some highlights from the lives of those with whom God has enabled us to share financial support:
 one family will be receiving further training that will better equip them to pastor a church in the future
 God enabled us to help two young people to take the next step in their respective paths, as they seek to serve God with their lives, one as a doctor, the other in serving children
 we were able to help one couple step out from under a load of debt that had accrued several years before they began serving as pastors
 as we began packing and looking at storage possibilities, God put it on our hearts to give away most of our belongings here, and God has given great encouragement to many, especially the three families (all of whom are missionaries in their own culture) who are receiving much-needed furniture.

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:
• We praise God for His faithfulness and goodness in our lives. Our times are securely in His hands!
• We thank God for some significant breakthroughs in the lives of three families we've been involved with. We can't share personal details here, but God is always working and we thank Him that He restores and heals broken relationships and sets people free from addictions!

Please pray for us:
• Please pray for the Nizhny Novgorod Vineyard Church. We are so thankful for each member of our church family here and ask for God's blessing on each one and on the church. Pray especially for the youth and children, as the reality is that our kids are leaving a large hole behind.
• Please pray for our family as we go through more transition. We're greatly looking forward to seeing our loved ones in the U.S., but need God's grace and strength each day as we adjust cultures and locations again. Over the summer, we'll be getting P ready to move to university in Texas and preparing for the next school year at the Sculley Academy . . .

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
• encourage and equip 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

May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
May the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24 - 26)

Permanent Impact May 2009

2009-05-30T15:30:00.004-04:00

. . . 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?

Equipping and encouraging

God has given us lots of great opportunities to encourage, to equip, and to be equipped. Here are some of the highlights for us this past month:

• Encouraging . . . God frequently brings people to us who need His encouragement - here are a few specific stories from this past month . . . M and the girls have all spent time with a young boy who is learning English with our good friend. His family are not believers yet, but his mom wanted him to learn the Bible and spend time with Christians. It is wonderful to see how God uses the children to bring encouragement and joy to this boy and his family. P had the opportunity to serve at a children's cancer hospital along with a small team from the Nizhny Vineyard. Big brother as he is to five, the team leader tells us he knew how to reach even the most reluctant children's hearts. One of our hopes is to bring encouragement to congregations in the body of Christ, and we were able to this more intentionally this month by visiting the "Healing" church, which is lead by close friends of ours. C and Karen had the opportunity to encourage families at a celebration of Family Day for the "Association of Large Families and Invalid Children."

• Equipping . . . Our whole family participated in teaching a group of young women from a local university how to prepare an American meal, at the invitation of their teacher, who is a friend of ours. The group did really well following American recipes, and after sharing the meal together, there was a lot of fun and laughter as our kids taught them how to play "Apples to Apples", one of our family favorites. Karen has had the honor of preaching at the Nizhny Vineyard again, and teaching at the student group at the Medical Institute dorm. She is currently teaching a series of weekly prayer classes at the Nizhny Vineyard, and preaching again the first Sunday in June. We've been delighted that some of the resources we brought with us have borne such good fruit - Sheri Carr's "Fearless Now" worship CD, Jeff & Shaunti Feldhahn's "For Men Only" & "For Women Only", and Elizabeth Crist's "Get Real About . . . Relationships" book.

• Being equipped . . . P is preparing for final exams as he finishes his second semester at the University of Nizhny Novgorod and is preparing for his transition to Le Tourneau U in Texas in a couple of months' time. J, M, C, E, and K successfully completed another year at the Sculley Academy and are excited about the summer ahead. J spent a day at a local high school, and M & J have been going lap swimming twice a week with some close friends. Karen is also studying for final exams as she wraps up her year at Linguistic U. But beyond formal studies such as all of these, God continually equips us and teaches us through others, through circumstances, through life. We each have a lot to learn!

Nizhny Vineyard . . . Dave preaching with Eva translating; Kathy & Artyom leading the worship band; Angela praying the monthly birthday blessings (a wonderful tradition that helps build relationships in the body); Karen preaching with Asya translating; ministry time

Easter . . . the children sang beautifully, assisted by Larissa, Julia, and Eva; Angie sang some stirring songs from her native Namibia; Yana and C did a little Easter egg hunt for a few friends and our gang - indoors thanks to the huge snowstorm on Easter Sunday!

Teachings . . . medical student Christian group; prayer class series

A typical evening at the soaking group at our apartment . . .

Paul's birthday . . . including blessings at the Nizhny Vineyard and at the soaking group two weeks in a row; Marina translated her prophetic word for Paul and read it in both English and Russian; the whole group danced in a circle around Paul and sang a traditional birthday song - much fun!

The "Healing" church, lead by our close friends Andrey & Lena . . . held in Vasya & Valya's house in nearby Doskina; a passionate growing house church

Cooking class with the sweet group from Linguistic U

Out and about in Nizhny Novgorod . . . beside the canal and rivers; the Kremlin; one of the many beautiful Orthodox temples; everywhere we see contrasts between old and new; Victory Day parade; "walk-thru" McDonald's (instead of drive-thru)

Karen's Russian class . . . teacher Anna and our team at the Russian language Olympiad (our team won, thanks mainly to the 2nd year Chinese students!); farewell party for Nadia, Sveta, Sasha, Llobal, and Michelle; final outing to the "Large Families & Disabled Children's Association" organized by Oxana. In addition to our group singing some songs and teaching a few games, Karen was invited as a mother in a large family to speak to the group about family traditions, emphasizing everyday things that we do together - putting God first, eating, praying, reading the Bible, spending time in nature, reading books. This has been a wonderful experience, studying Russian along with this diverse group, especially our various outings along the way.

Other snapshots from our lives . . . Anton styling Paul's locks; our monthly rent-paying often turns into a 3 or 4 hour chat with landlady Natasha and her mom

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 75% of our financial needs through September 2009 - praise God!
• Leadership Development
o Thanks again to your generous support, we have been able to help some leaders with financial needs in their lives. We've also continued to expand our little Russian library, which is still frequented by several people each week.
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:
• Praise God for His blessing on the prayer class series so far. About 20 people have participated so far, and God has greatly encouraged everyone's faith. We thank God for stirring up hunger in His people to grow in prayer.
• Praise God for continuing to move powerfully through the soaking group every Friday evening as Misha & Larissa lead us in seeking God's face because He is worthy to be sought. This group, attended by people from many different churches, has become very dear to all of our hearts. The twins especially enjoy praying for others in the group as they receive a special touch from the Lord.
• We praise the Lord for God's faithfulness in every aspect of our lives, and give all the glory to Him.

Please pray for us:
• Please pray for the Wolf family - Nizhny Vineyard pastor Dave, Kathy, and Stephanie - Dave's mom passed away last week after a battle with cancer, so they returned to the U.S. for a second visit just a few weeks after they had returned from an earlier visit. The family will be there until mid-July.
• Please pray for Youth Sunday at the Nizhny Vineyard, June 7th . . . Karen is preaching, and after church we are organizing a "Mystery Adventure" for the youth, which involves a very long walk and lots of relational stuff and food and other things essential to the care and nurture of youth :) Pray that each youth who comes will encounter Jesus Christ personally and that relationships would be built and strengthened.
• Please pray for the continuing prayer class series Karen is teaching. These will continue through the end of June every Wednesday night.
• Please pray for P's final exams, and that necessary paperwork will be prepared in a timely manner.

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

"Whoever believes in [Jesus], as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:38)

follow your training schedule

2009-04-21T15:44:00.002-04:00

“The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentations 3:25 – 26)

“Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.” (Exodus 14:13)

It’s so easy to look at someone else’s life, especially one that looks appealing, and wonder if we’re on the right track. God has crafted a training schedule that He’s lovingly personalized and tailored for each of us. The creative nature of our heavenly Father guarantees that each of our pathways will be unique, just as every fingerprint and snowflake is distinct.

There was a student who turned in an assignment to his professor. The professor carefully examined the work, noting the excellence of the endeavor, attention to detail, and diligence which had been applied. “But,” he hesitated, “this was not the assignment I gave you!” No matter how well we do something, it doesn’t really count for much if we’re doing someone else’s assignment. “Well done, good and faithful servant” is reserved for those who are faithful to do what their master has entrusted them to do.

When we don’t know what to do, the Lord tells us to “seek him,” “stand firm,” and “wait quietly.” At times of indecision, we need to resist the temptations of fear, impatience, and presumption. We have nothing to fear – if God is for us, who can be against us? We must combat the urge to impatiently push ahead and “do something” just for the sake of activity or to keep up with someone else. We are walking on perilously thin ice when we act presumptuously.

We need only to stand firm and wait on the Lord. He will bring us exactly what we need at precisely the time we need it, whether revelation, reason, rest, resources, or relationships. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Jesus said that “only one thing is needed” – sitting “at the Lord’s feet, listening” (Luke 10:39, 42). When we’re in that posture, expectantly waiting, God will make it clear. His training schedule is always best.

Permanent Impact April 2009

2009-04-11T10:18:00.004-04:00

. . . 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?

Spring has sprung!

Spring has definitely sprung in Nizhny Novgorod, and although there is still snow on the ground, it's mostly off to the sides of the roads and paths now. We are looking forward to the imminent emergence of leaves and buds! Spring is a season of new growth, and that seems to be the season we're finding ourselves in, too. God is bringing abundant life and growth as we sow spiritual seeds and tend the soil of people's lives.

As much as we like sharing pictures with you, it's hard to capture on film how we live our lives. When people ask us what we are doing here, they seem to sometimes expect to hear a list of ministries or accomplishments. What we are doing is simply living our lives, and as we live among the people, God does stuff. May He always receive all the glory! We do all the normal stuff like study and work and chores and play and sing and pray and laugh and shop and use technology and cook and clean. But as we do normal stuff, God does His part, which is always amazing and wonderful and good. It's like what He did with the loaves and fishes - He multiplies the little we have to bring an abundant Kingdom harvest. As we live in readiness, God either brings people to us or us to people - each person is a gift from God.

Every Friday night is the Nizhny Vineyard soaking group at our place, skillfully and sensitively lead by Misha and Larissa . . . again, hard to capture on film, but we can at least show you part of the shoe pile :) Coats form a mountain on the girls' bed. There's always a plethora of goodies to snack on, as drinking tea is an essential part of any meeting. God has blessed this group with a 300% increase in average attendance over the last year. A few times we've followed the evening with an all-nighter interceding with some persevering prayer people (and lots of coffee).

Karen taught a series of prayer classes in February and March at our apartment. This eager group was such a joy to be with, as we explored Kingdom prayer, praying in unity, prayer personalities, and learned to pray Scripture in song in Russian. We're gearing up to teach a new prayer series at the Nizhny Vineyard, starting soon . . .

Our home is blessed by the presence of guests 3 or 4 times each week, and we usually just eat a bunch, talk about life, and pray with those whom God sends to us. One of our regular visitors is our good friend Anton - he's 19 years old, and was seriously injured last month, literally to within an inch of his life, when his insides were crushed by some machinery. His spleen was destroyed, and he spent a few weeks in hospital. We praise God for preserving his life and helping him to recover. Please pray with us for his healing and regarding his future, especially regarding work - he is not able to return to his truck driving job because of his injuries. He's like a son and brother to us.

Paul and the boys help set up and tear down all the equipment at the Nizhny Vineyard every weekend. P also runs slides for the overhead and keeps our girls in line. On one recent weekend, the Nizhny Vineyard had to meet on Saturday due to building rental issues, so some friends invited us to visit Jesus Embassy, the largest evangelical church in Nizhny. We returned there a few days later to attend an Alex Patlis concert - very good. Interestingly, we had met him 11 years ago when he was in Atlanta with the band, "New Jerusalem."

The Russian Vineyard national conference in Perm last month was a wonderful gathering! Here are some glimpses from the train journey, conference, and times with friends. Scroll down to the section on "leadership development" to read how your support helped send some people to this.

After the national conference, our family and Yana stayed an extra day so we could visit the Perm Vineyard. It was March 8th, which is Women's Day, one of the biggest celebrations of the year. The men in the church even got up and sang some songs for the women, much to everyone's delight.

P, J, and M spend a lot of time with their good friends, Roma and Danik. Here they are in between games of Monopoly celebrating Danik's birthday . . .

We are always on the lookout for good resources for Russian believers, and recently found one of our all-time favorite devotionals, Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest" online in Russian. We have begun to email the daily selection to our Russian speaking friends around the world. It's such an encouraging and challenging devotional! In case you don't have a copy of this classic yourself, the English version is online at http://myutmost.org/

Karen's Russian lessons have included a few special events recently - we celebrated Maslenitsa (also known as Pancake Tuesday in some countries) by taking a blini (pancake) masterclass and enjoying songs and games with a folk group at the Linguistic University. We were given an informative tour of the Maxim Gorky museum and studied his play "На дне". In late March we entered an international music festival at the Pedagogical University and sang 3 songs in Russian. Teacher Anna and our little group received an award for "heartfelt performance of a Russian classic"!

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
Our current support level is 75% of our financial needs through September 2009 - praise God!

Leadership Development
Thanks to your generous support, we were able to send 23 Nizhny Vineyard-ites (including 7 Sculleys) to the Russian Vineyard National Conference in Perm last month. It was a huge blessing to each one to attend this wonderful time of relationship, equipping, envisioning, and encouragement. Around 120 people attended the conference from all 8 Russian Vineyards plus the U.S. and England. We were delighted that the main evangelism tool taught and practiced was prophetic ministry - many received equipping, impartation, faith, and personal ministry. We had a great time connecting with old and new friends in between sessions. The Perm Vineyard did a fantastic job hosting everyone - they are a vibrant and thriving congregation.

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:
* Each Friday night we have the privilege and joy of hosting the soaking group, which continues to be a source of life and healing and encouragement to the 30 or 40 people who cram into our living room. Prayer is a team sport as we like to say, and it's always good to pray with others who are seeking God's face.
* we've had the joy of doing some prayer training classes with an enthusiastic group of believers
* we've hosted a couple of all-nights of prayer, a beautiful time of interceding for the city and for one another
* God's provision in our lives - in His great faithfulness, He has given us everything we need to do what He's asked us to do. When 7 of us attended the national conference, God provided a surrogate family for P - the wonderful Chavdar clan! Part of our financial support comes from Paul's "tentmaking" (via the internet :)) and despite the financial crisis, God has continued to provide for us through this route. We are so thankful to the Lord for this, and for each of the individuals and churches who so generously support us!

Please pray for us:
* for God's heart, direction, and timing in everything.
* teaching / preaching: spring prayer class series we're teaching at the Nizhny Vineyard; Karen will be preaching on May 3rd at the Nizhny Vineyard - Youth Sunday, which is usually very well attended by many students from a variety of universities
* for God's grace on P as he does exams this week, finishing up his first semester at the University of Nizhny Novgorod.
* The Nizhny Vineyard is sending a small team to Derbent, a city in southern Russia, next month to visit the Vineyard church there. Please pray for Misha, Larissa, Karen, and a couple of other people who are praying about going. The purpose of the journey is to encourage the believers, do some prayer teaching, and pray for the church and the city. Please pray for our preparation, and that the Lord's plans would come forth for this strategic journey.

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

"I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:10 - 11)

surrender

2009-03-29T13:50:00.001-04:00

Before we came to Russia, the Lord spoke to us using the imagery of a pearl. I read something recently that brought more depth to this already-beautiful imagery – “A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear that results from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life.” I think of how God wounds, but He also heals (Job 5:18). He uses wounding in our lives to produce something truly beautiful. Running these marathons we’re on exposes our individual weaknesses, and if we want to continue running, it’s important that we deal with our weaknesses God’s way. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God gave me a vision a few months ago during a prayer meeting in which I saw the Lord pouring oil over Russia. Some of the oil went into the ground, but some of the oil pooled on the surface. I asked the Lord what prevented all of the oil from soaking into the earth, as intended. He said that wherever His people had containers, they could contain His oil. The name of the containers is “Surrender”. He said that He wanted to pour out His fire on Russia. But His fire can fall only on sacrifice. He’s looking for those who belong completely to Him, who have unconditionally surrendered to Him.

God’s remedy for our weaknesses is surrender. As we surrender everything to Him, He takes our imperfections, our inadequacies, our mistakes . . . and brings forth something incredible from the hidden depths. Personally we are in that place of surrender again – in one sense, every day is a day of surrender, but there are special seasons in all of our lives where the Lord requires us to go to even deeper levels of surrender that we hadn’t previously realized even existed. I think He does this because He knows how quick we are to put our trust in other things, even lovely things . . . He wants us to continually live in that place of utter dependence on Him and Him alone. When I’m in one of those seasons, I often just sit or lie in the Lord’s presence and let the tears roll down my cheeks as God’s skillful hand cuts at the places in my heart that need His masterful touch. It’s a fragile place to be, but at those times, we can be hopefully expectant because His injuries always bring with them Kingdom treasures that will in time be revealed. If we resist the injury, we will not be able to produce the beautiful strand of pearls that God has planned for us. Now I am beginning to understand Song of Songs 4:9 – “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.” Our surrender produces the jewels that steal God’s heart.

visit the water stations regularly

2009-03-20T17:25:00.002-04:00

Marathon experts state emphatically that under no circumstances should you ever skip a water station – they are vital to your success in finishing the race. We need those places of life-giving refreshment along the way on this long and often difficult journey.

If we don’t care for our spiritual passion, it will gradually fade. We need to guard the life of the Spirit within us, faithfully caring for the inward fire, both for the sake of our own relationship with God and so that we can offer warmth and light to others. We can regain spiritual passion through what author Gordon MacDonald calls “safe places, still times, special friends.”

Safe places are physical locations in our world where we can meet alone with God. Whether sitting in an armchair, walking in a nearby forest, or pottering around in the kitchen, we each need safe places we can visit regularly where we can be ourselves and not be too distracted by the inevitable cares of life. I’m all for communing with the Lord in nature (especially on mountains and beaches), but have learned to be flexible about safe places because many factors impact where and when we can go. For many years, an oft-visited safe place for me was a rocking chair in the middle of the night, feeding one of our precious little ones. Ironically, I’m typing this in the middle of the night, though now it’s because it’s a good time to be alone in a quiet environment!

Still times are periods of pausing, waiting, resting, recharging, just being with God. There may be a great fire in our souls. There is a huge temptation to go beyond doing only what we see the Father doing (John 5:19), which results in a dampening of the flames and lukewarmness. Still times help us to fan into flame the fire of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). There’s no shortcut for seeking the Lord. “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

Special friends are priceless jewels. I hope that the Lord blesses you with some of these. The Bible says that these kinds of friends “stick closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Special friends care enough to tell you the truth – “Wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6). Proverbs 17:17 in The Message says, “Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.” We need close-sticking and honest special friends to love and be loved by in all kinds of weather and trouble!

Make sure you visit life-giving stations along the way – there are plenty of things that drain life from us – we need the refreshment the water stations provide to keep us fully alive and alert, ready for the journey ahead.

run with your team

2009-03-13T10:18:00.004-04:00

Ever since the beginning, God has said, “it is not good for the man to be alone.” God created us for relationship – with Him, and with one another. There are countless reasons why teamwork is both necessary and important, but here are a few to consider.

• Exponential impact
o Ever noticed how much more you can get done when you do it with a friend? Teamwork always results in exponential impact. “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there.” (Matthew 18:19 – 20, The Message) “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand” (Leviticus 26:8)

• Protection
o Those who make the journey alone, either by running ahead or lagging behind, often end up stumbling off the pathway. You and your teammates can help one another to stay on track. “Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, The Message) “By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, The Message)

• Empowerment
o Whether you’re a team leader or not, each team member can empower others to do what they are supposed to do. We need one another, and can’t do each other’s jobs. Each one has something to offer that will benefit the entire team and ultimately the body of Christ. “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16)

• Faithfulness
o Who among us isn’t hoping to hear this at the end of the age: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Committing ourselves to a team over the long haul requires faithfulness. We learn faithfulness by being faithful, not by giving up on people or situations when the going gets tough (which it inevitably does from time to time). One of my favorite speeches of all time, Churchill’s famous address during World War II, puts it simply – “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.”

Permanent Impact February 2009

2009-02-28T11:31:00.004-05:00

. . . 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

2009-02-25T15:39:00.000-05:00

“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

2009-02-19T15:41:00.003-05:00

“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

2009-02-13T14:14:00.001-05:00

“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

2009-02-07T07:02:00.002-05:00

“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.

learn from the ultimate expert

2009-01-29T10:28:00.000-05:00

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.” (Proverbs 9:10 – 11)

The first lesson I think we need to learn in order to run well and steadily the marathon courses God has each of us on is to learn how to run. Learning is quite exalted in all the cultures we’ve lived among – for example, in each place, earning a university degree is held in high esteem both personally and professionally. I am all about books and learning – my mother was a librarian and my father was a professor, and I gladly embraced the plethora of learning experiences that regularly came my way. I practically grew up in libraries and laboratories. I literally read encyclopedias and dictionaries for fun. But the Bible tells us that wisdom is the thing we should strive for, not just more information. I’m appreciating that more and more as our information age continues to explode. There are so many things I wish I didn’t know – information I’ve learned that I wish I could unlearn (e.g. voyeuristic news stories containing gory details of someone’s sin with no redemptive purpose in the telling of it).

So how do we learn how to run? We can read books about the Christian life; we can listen to sermons and testimonies; we can attend conferences; we can discuss things live or online; and all these things can be beneficial . . . but if that is all we do, it’s like eating the appetizers and missing the main course; it’s like watching the previews and missing the movie; it’s like climbing the mountain and missing the view; it’s like learning the drills and missing the game! The most important thing we need is to learn from the ultimate expert, God Himself. We need to know Him in order to gain understanding. We need to know what He is like, which results in a healthy fear or reverence of Him, in order to gain wisdom. We know Him by spending time with Him in prayer (conversation) and in reading His word (the Bible). We know what He is like by studying His word. Without wisdom and understanding, our lives will fall far short of the beautiful plans that God has for each of us. Proverbs 9:11 in The Message says, “It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen.”

Knowing God. What a beautiful privilege to be invited into an intimate and ever-deepening relationship with our Creator, the One Who Sees Us, the Savior and Lover of our souls. Just as we seek God because He is worthy to be sought, let’s know God because He is worthy to be known.

it's a marathon

2009-01-21T15:33:00.001-05:00

Over the years, the Lord has taught me many things about how to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). A lot of these lessons were come by the hard way, by living them out and learning as I went, often as a result of making mistakes. Others were gleaned from mentors in the body of Christ, whether friends, authors, or teachers. Others were gracelets dropped from heaven for no apparent reason other than the Father’s great love. But I treasure each lesson learned and want to freely give what I have received.

Thinking about Hebrews 12:1, for some of us, the word “run” stands out, and we approach everything we do as something to conquer as quickly as we can. For others of us, the word “race” stands out, and we do whatever we can to achieve superiority amidst a field of competitors. For others, the phrase “marked out” stands out, and we seek the precise formula that will get us to where we’re supposed to go. As long as they’re not taken to extremes, each of these facets of living the Christian life is necessary and important. We definitely need to consider each one and integrate them in a balanced way into the way we live.

But I think a word many of us skip over is “perseverance” – defined as “steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.” The reality is that the race that God has marked out for us is not the sprint that we often wish it was, learning simple lessons at record speed, getting it over and done with in plenty of time for morning tea! Our race more closely resembles a marathon, or these days, an ultra-marathon – something that the vast majority of us wouldn’t even consider being within our reach, let alone something we would cheerfully set out to do in our right minds (with apologies to Kevin & Kathy who are definitely in their right minds and cheerful as they do this astounding feat on a regular basis J). About six or seven years ago, I interviewed one of my favorite marathon runners, a.k.a. my friend and pastor Johnny, and developed some principles we can live by in order to run our races well. Over the coming months, I want to share what I’ve learned with you, and hopefully we will spur one another on in the process. May each of us run with steady persistence the course that God has hand-designed for each of us, especially in spite of the inevitable difficulties, obstacles, and discouragements that will crop up along the way! To God be all the glory in our lives!

moves of God – key to revival #5 – preaching the Gospel

2009-01-15T09:40:00.003-05:00

Every historical move of God seems to be followed by a new wave of evangelists and missionaries going out to preach the Good News. Henry Blackaby, a contemporary author and teacher, says that powerful preaching is among the common experience of all true revivals. Messages concerning sin, Christ, and the cross, penetrate the hearts of the saved and lost alike with the realities of eternity.

Without continual fresh preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ, there is no Kingdom advance. We need to guard ourselves and our churches from stagnation, from becoming inward-focused. It is very tempting to spend all of our time with Christians – fellowship with other believers is very sweet. But Jesus has given us a great commission in Matthew 28:19 – these are our marching orders – “go and make disciples of all nations”. Jesus’ command to “go” is not only for those with special gifts or training – all of us have a part to play. We each have a mission field to which the Lord is sending us.

God has convicted me personally many times over recent months and I have been crying out to God for the lost to be saved. I don’t want to be so wrapped up in receiving another blessing from God that I forget that people all around me are facing a Godless eternity without Jesus Christ. I’ve been asking God to break my heart for the things that break His heart. It’s so easy to walk past and ignore the condition of people’s hearts. The needs seem overwhelming and we can easily switch off our hearts because it’s too much for us to bear. But God is greater than our hearts – we need to rely on His wisdom and strength.

In the beautiful restaurant where the Lord has brought us to enjoy a meal with Him . . . may we not forget that there are many others that He wants to dine with . . . He’s asked us to give out the invitations and bring people to the restaurant! We are the ones Jesus has entrusted with the privilege of introducing people to Him.

God promises that if we humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from evil, that He will hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land. Let’s join together and cry out to God today.

Father God, give us hearts like Yours. Penetrate our hearts with the realities of eternity; give us Kingdom eyes to see people as You see them. May we never forget Your instructions to us to both share and demonstrate the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Take away the fears that prevent us from doing all that You want us to do and to go wherever You would have us to go, whether next door, across town, or to another part of the world. May Your Kingdom come in the lives of all those to whom You are sending us. Give us boldness to speak Your word clearly. Thank You that Your word never returns to You empty but will always accomplish what You desire. In Jesus’ name.

moves of God – key to revival #4 – unity

2009-01-07T15:45:00.003-05:00

A true move of God will always transcend man-made barriers in the body of Christ such as denominations, ethnicity, gender, social status, language. God is no respecter of persons, and when He looks at a city or region, He sees one Church. Paul wrote, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought . . . One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."“ (1 Corinthians 1:10 – 12) He then asks the rhetorical question, “Is Christ divided?” Jesus’ last prayer for us before He went to the cross was that we would be one; that we would be brought to complete unity. The reason He gave? So that the world would believe in Jesus and receive the Father’s love (John 17:20 – 23).

The Lord has given each part of His Church special gifts, which we are to share with one another. We belong to one another, and need one another to be the complete body of Christ. Different parts of the body of Christ need one another. I am so encouraged whenever Christians get together to pray and serve and work together, focusing more on the Kingdom of God than on any individual local congregation or ministry. The word “Kingdom” appears in the New Testament over 130 times; the word “congregation” appears only 3 times. Even when the word “church” is used, it refers to the body of Christ as a whole, or to believers in a city or region. When Paul and I first moved from Australia, a primarily secular nation, to Atlanta, located in an area of the U.S. known as “the Bible belt”, we were shocked by what we saw in the phone book under the word “church”. Being a large city with over 5 million people, Atlanta comes close to having a church on every corner – it is a very religious city! The phone book listed thousands of churches in hundreds of denominations, many of which we had never heard of before. There are reportedly 38,000 Christian denominations in the world. Surely God’s heart breaks when He sees so much fracturing and splitting all across His precious body! Certainly there have been occasions where separation was the appropriate response, but there is no doubt that the body of Christ is in great need of healing!

Our love is inadequate – we need to ask God to give us His love for one another and to see other members of His family with His eyes. We can personally bring unity to the body of Christ by serving one another in love, and praying with and for our brothers and sisters – all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The Message” version of 1 Corinthians 1:10 says that we “must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.” To cultivate is “to promote or improve the growth of something by labor and attention.” Cultivating speaks of intentional care being given over a period of time, while anticipating a future harvest. May we labor towards unity in the body of Christ and give attention to each part, so that many would believe in Jesus and receive the Father’s love.

Father God, we join in with the prayer of Jesus, to ask You to make us one, that the world may believe in Jesus and receive Your love. Give us hearts of love for each member of the body of Christ, especially those who are hurting. May our words and actions reflect Your heart. Keep us from being judgmental or unforgiving. Help us to build up, encourage, and bless one another, that Your name would be glorified and made famous in the earth. Thank You for every part of Your beautiful family. In Jesus’ name.

Permanent Impact December 2008

2008-12-27T03:34:00.003-05:00

. . . 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?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We've passed the shortest day of the year, with sunrise at 8:36am and sunset at 3:29pm. Even though the temperatures will likely get colder, we're glad that from now until June we'll be getting more sunlight each day! Living far, far from the equator hasn't been as bad as we thought LOL, though it's definitely strange having sunsets so early in the day. When the skies are clear, it's quite beautiful seeing the sun rise and set very low in the sky. And you can occasionally see the sun below the cloud layer, because the land is so flat around here.

The Friday night Nizhny Vineyard soaking group (lead by our close friends Misha & Larissa) continues to be a highlight of our week, as a huge crowd from all over the city gathers in our apartment to pray and worship together (and there are often a lot of kids, too!). Each week is a beautiful time of meeting with God, who has promised to "reward those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). God always shows up! It's such a blessing to be part of this group of humble followers of Jesus Christ - it's our favorite kind of prayer group, seeking God because He's worthy to be sought. We often hear feedback that it's a time of Holy Spirit refreshing & filling, and encouraging relationships in a peaceful environment. And of course the refreshments are a highlight, too!

Paul and Karen celebrated our 23rd anniversary, and thanks to our American student friend Rebecca, we were able to continue our tradition of just the two of us going away for at least one night. What a blessing from God! While Rebecca hung out with the children (just 2 days before she returned to the U.S.), Paul and I had a wonderful time on the town and spent the night at a lovely hotel by one of the rivers. We are so thankful to God for giving us so many years together, and blessing us in every conceivable way!

P celebrated his 17th birthday this month, with our usual weeklong celebration, and a fun party with friends from youth group and university. P had a great time and especially enjoyed the games and food. P is thriving in his university studies - he finds Russian language challenging, and has been moved up to 2nd year studies for computer programming already. His 18 classmates, 17 male and 1 female, range in age from 20 to 36, and all come from Africa - Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, Algeria, and Ethiopia. It's a 2-for-1 cultural experience for P, who adapts so well to everything with his easy-going and cheerful nature. The rest of the family vicariously enjoys all of P's new experiences, too!

Karen had the opportunity to travel to the city of Kazan (7 hrs by car) a few weeks ago to attend a healing conference along with a team of 10 from Nizhny Novgorod (all from the Friday prayer group). About 300 people attended the conference in this strategic city, which is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and also the center of Islam in Russia. Highlights for Karen were having a weekend retreat with God, hanging out with friends, and an afternoon of prayer walking at the Kazan Kremlin, punctuated by intimate times of worship and God-orchestrated times of praying for one another. The conference was hosted by a mission in Kazan, with speakers from Ukraine, and attended by participants from many churches and cities. There were dozens and dozens of testimonies of God's healing power (e.g. one old woman reported that God healed her left ear that had been deaf for 15 years). Below is a snapshot from the conference, the Nizhny-ites, and some of the views a group of us saw while prayer walking ("all saints" basement side entrance to the Orthodox Church, offices of the President of Tatarstan (included a picture of that doorway especially for our good friends the Tatarsky's back in Atlanta!), Orthodox Temple, Muslim Mosque, and Atheist Temple all within close proximity to one another).

We've had a fabulous Christmas celebration this year, adding some new traditions to our family favorites . . . medical student ministry Christmas party; baking cookies at the Wolf's; preparing Christmas Eve gift bags for all of P's classmates; Christmas Eve international concert at P's university; and of course Christmas Day itself! It is our favorite holiday of the year - we brought our Christmas stockings, favorite ornaments, and the Advent stories we read together each year. We were thrilled to find chocolate advent calendars and a gingerbread house kit here, both of which are essential family favorites, and thanks to our friend Susan, we each enjoyed a chocolate orange in the bottom of our stockings! Amazingly, we had a white Christmas (barely) - according to the locals, snow has been extremely late in arriving this year, but it snowed a little on Dec 23rd, just enough to cover the ground! On Christmas Day we did "Christmas-around-the-world-in-a-day", incorporating traditions from about a dozen countries into our family celebration - e.g. we made paper lanterns (China), made little candy baskets while our oldest daughter "Santa Lucia" served coffee & heart-shaped gingersnaps (Sweden), drew names from the "Urn of Fate" in which twosomes committed to how they're going to treat one another in the coming year (Spain), filled one another's shoes with little surprises (France), recited Christmas poems (Germany), did pantomimes (England), sang carols by candlelight (Australia), memorized Christmas-related Bible verses (Italy). We had a memorable time of praying blessings for one another, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their Christmas treats (including pecans, another surprise discovery in a store this week)! God took care of every detail for us to make this a very memorable celebration of God's greatest gift to mankind - Jesus!

Karen's Russian studies often include special outings, and this month teacher Anna took her 8 students to visit 3 schools for a special Christmas / New Year program with cultural games, stories, songs, and interactions - 7th graders, 1st graders, and music school students. C, E, and K really enjoyed coming along to help out! We were accompanied by a TV news crew on one of the visits, and landed a article in a local newspaper, too.

The Sculley girls decided to start a girls' club to do crafts, Bible study, and other projects together. They meet every week, usually when Paul and the boys are out bowling. Here's one of their recent creations - pom pom dolls.

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 75% of our financial needs through June 2009 - praise God!
• Resources for Russians
o We've purchased copies of these books in Russians to lend out to the many believers who come to our home. We're always on the lookout for resources that would be helpful to other believers. I am delighted to have found some of my favorite authors translated into Russian. The very first week we put them on our shelves, 3 people found and borrowed some books from our small library, even though I forgot to mention it!
 "After God's Own Heart" (Mike Bickle)
 "In His Image" (Paul Brand & Philip Yancey)
 "The Sacred Romance" (Brent Curtis & John Eldridge)
 "Love Must Be Tough" (Dr. James Dobson)
 "Through Gates of Splendour" (Elizabeth Elliot)
 "Agents of God" (Rick Johnson)
 "He Chose the Nails" (Max Lucado)
 "Do Not Fear" (Joyce Meyer)
 "With Christ in the School of Prayer" (Andrew Murray)
 "The Power of a Praying Wife" (Stormie Omartian)
 "The Power of a Praying Parent" (Stormie Omartian)
 "The Glory of Christ" (R. C. Sproul)
 "Ever Increasing Faith" (Smith Wigglesworth)
• Ministry partnerships
o We'd like to offer you the opportunity of partnering with a Russian believer in ministry:
 Prayer Journeys to other Russian cities. There are teams from several Vineyard churches going on prayer journeys to other Russian cities, in the hopes of beginning Vineyard churches there in the near future. We would love to invest in these "ground-breaking" and "foundation-laying" teams as they go in to prepare the spiritual soil for future church plants.
 March 5th - 7th, 2009 - Russian Vineyard National Conference, Perm. 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)! We would love to help some of our brothers and sisters in Christ from the Nizhny Vineyard to join our family as we journey to the city of Perm, 17 hours by train east of Nizhny Novgorod.
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 bringing people to us every week that He wants us to reach with His love. God is so faithful! The very thing we asked you to pray for last month has come to pass again and again - as we invite people into our lives, God touches them, and He always blesses us too. His ways are amazing! Thanks for praying!
• for God's blessing on P in his studies - he's doing very well! Also, Karen has graduated from "elementary" to "beginner" level in her Russian studies - I think I can converse quite well now with Russian preschoolers LOL
• for God's clear direction in our lives - we are so thankful for the many ways God has lead us and confirmed His word to us over and over. It's so freeing not to have to figure things out ourselves!

Please pray for us:
• for God's wisdom and revelation in speaking into the lives of those who come to us for counsel (mostly young leaders).
• for God's heart and plans for the gatherings and groups that we're involved with.
• for Paul's exit visa to be processed in a timely fashion - at the end of January, he is taking a brief visit back to Atlanta to do taxes and other paperwork. Now that we're residents of Russia, there's a new process to go through to be able to leave :)

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

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (that's Jesus!) (2 Corinthians 9:15)

moves of God – key to revival #3 – focus on God

2008-12-17T15:53:00.000-05:00

True moves of God are initiated by, sustained by, and centered on, God. Yes, we have a part to play, because God has given us certain conditions to fulfill in order for Him to come. 2 Chronicles 7:14 begins with “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 . . .” There is a conditional “if” that hinges upon our choices. We need to pray, we need to seek His face, we need to turn from evil, we need to be humble. But the focus should not be on what we can or can’t do, what we have or haven’t seen or experienced, what we do or don’t have. In our lives, both privately and when we’re together, we need to be very careful to keep the attention on God, to give all the glory to Him. God describes Himself as a jealous God, who will not give His glory to another.

God gives us many reminders to keep our focus on Him and His Word. We are so easily distracted, especially in this market-driven era where we are constantly being wooed by things that are new and glittery and exciting. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2)

Father God, help us to keep our eyes on You. In our lives, relationships, work, study, ministry, let the focus be solely on You. Keep us from being wowed by anyone or anything, and to reserve all adoration for You – You alone are worthy to receive all power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! In Jesus’ name.

moves of God – key to revival #2 – humility

2008-12-10T17:45:00.002-05:00

When God is in the house, we become more aware of our inadequacy and insufficiency, and of our dependence on Him. The Bible says that “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Numbers 12:3 also tells us that “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth”. The more we see of God, the more we want to see of Him, and the less we want ourselves to be seen. Anything that exalts a person or group is a violation of the 1st commandment. An examination of history shows that when God moves, His Spirit is not confined to any particular group. Notice that when Israel took over the Promised Land, God used all of the tribes to win the battle! God’s work requires all parts of the body to be active. We need to be very wary of any claimed move of God which draws undue attention to an individual, church, or ministry.

John the Baptist knew Jesus all of his life, since they were cousins. But God gave him fresh revelation as to who Jesus was at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. His response was, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)

God is looking for those who are available to Him to be used any way He chooses, not for those who are great in their own eyes. He can do anything through people who are humble and weak.

God gives us a specific warning about people who talk too much about themselves or their ministries or what they’ve experienced.

“Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head . . .” (Colossians 2:18 – 19)

As John the Baptist said, God must increase; we must decrease. God calls us to be humble, and to follow those who live lives characterized by humility.

Father God, give us humble hearts that are focused solely on You. Help us to see You as You really are, and to see ourselves the way You see us. We acknowledge our weakness before you – help us to completely rely on You and Your strength. Help us to trust You more. According to Your word, we humble ourselves before You, we seek Your face, we pray, we turn from sin, and we ask that You would forgive our sin and heal our land. In Jesus’ precious name.

moves of God – key to revival #1 – repentance

2008-12-03T15:51:00.000-05:00

We’ve looked at some warning signs. Although obviously God cannot be put in a box, there are certain characteristics that seem to accompany genuine “moves of God”, as recorded in the Bible and in church history. I am grateful that the people of God took the time to record the moves of God throughout the history of the Body of Christ. It’s fascinating reading, and I encourage you to research it for yourself. We spend time every Friday morning as part of our school curriculum reading stories of how God has moved at various times and places in church history. It is very inspiring reading! I believe it is important to consider some keys to revival when wondering if something is a move of God or not.

Every movement of God is characterized by a profound awareness of sin. Repentance of sin and revival are inseparable. When God comes down, when He reveals His presence in a greater way, there is a heightened awareness of His holiness. This is a hallmark of revival. The fear of God comes upon people, leading to repentance. Every revival in church history has involved large numbers of people repenting of their sins, not only giving their lives to Christ, but also being added to the churches. During true revival, many lost people are suddenly swept into the Kingdom of God. The first such case is recorded on the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early church –

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:37 – 38)

On that single day, 3000 people were added to the group of Christ-followers.
Repentance also occurs among believers. There is an increased delight in God’s excellence, holiness, and truth. Christians have a greater sense of their own utter insufficiency and the hateful nature of their own sin.

Genuine repentance is always followed by changed lives, a turning away from sin. In some communities, there is destruction of illicit materials. Acts 19:19 lists an example of this – “A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas” [which was equivalent to approximately 140 years’ wages!]

During the well-known Welsh revival, there were reports of entire towns having empty prisons and a zero crime rate. The local police force, having nothing to do, formed musical groups to pass the time. True revivals always have a powerful effect on society as a whole in turning back the tide of immorality and vice. True revivals are bad news for alcohol, drug and gambling industries. True revivals will bring down the divorce rate and heighten society’s view of the value of life. We can be greatly encouraged that in our day, in the last ten years, God has completely transformed the nation of Uganda – over 75% profess Christ, the percentage of Muslims has dropped from 35% to less than 5%, the AIDS rate has dramatically dropped, and the president rewrote the constitution and dedicated the country to God in the name of Jesus Christ! If God can transform that nation, He can transform our city and nation!

Father God, would You give us a profound awareness of sin – our own and that of our city and nation. Make us holy as You are holy. We humbly repent for – confess and turn away from – of everything that is displeasing to You. Help us to live pure and holy lives before You. Take away our lukewarm attitudes and make us passionate for You. We invite Your Kingdom to come, Lord, in our lives, our cities, and our nations. May the name of Jesus Christ be glorified!

Permanent Impact November 2008

2008-11-27T15:24:00.003-05:00

. . . 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?

It's all about relationships!

Connecting people to God and people to people. That's been the "slogan" at our home church (the Atlanta Vineyard) for many years, and it's how we try to live our lives. Whether we are working or playing, studying or serving, celebrating or sight-seeing, skyping or facebooking, whatever we're doing . . . it's all about relationships! I love how Saint Francis of Assisi put it - "preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words!" This is an especially good thing to keep in mind when you aren't fluent yet in the local lingo. It's our desire to spread the love of Jesus Christ to every person God brings into our lives, letting our lives speak . . . in practical ways, praying, serving, spending time together . . . and occasionally with words :) Here are some relational glimpses from this past month . . . All this is made possible because you, our dear family & friends, pray for, encourage, and support us! Thank you for your faithfulness in partnering with us in the Kingdom of God, for the glory of Jesus Christ! Oh, and happy Thanksgiving to our American friends!

All our pictures are in one batch this time - scroll down for descriptions that might make some of them make sense :)

As an excuse to invite a lot of people over, we celebrated Karen's birthday with a big birthday brunch. It was a fabulous time of connecting with the 60 or so who came to the all-day brunch, munching on novelties like nachos & spinach dip, and Paul's famous pancakes :) We were delighted that friends of all ages came from every arena of our lives, including churches, universities, and our neighborhood. It was a memorable day that was all about relationships, new and old, being built. Paul and Karen are both sorok-pyat years old now . . . you'll just have to find a Russian speaker and ask them how young that is :)

We are delighted that pastor Dave asked us to host the Nizhny Vineyard's weekly "soaking group" that Misha & Larissa lead. It is a prayer group with an emphasis on seeking God's face, worshiping Him through music, and praying for one another. About 25-30 people from 7 churches usually come - such a beautiful time of unity in the body of Christ. God is really blessing this group, according to His promise ("How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! . . . that's where God commands the blessing", Psalm 133, The Message). It's so neat to us how God has orchestrated this, as Paul & I have felt that God's purpose for us in coming to Russia was to pray, mobilize prayer, promote unity in the body of Christ, and raise up leaders - we are so encouraged to be able to participate in each of these elements right here in our living room.

We celebrated the marriage of our friends, Artyom & Valya, last Saturday. They had a lovely ceremony with a very fun Russian-style celebration afterwards . . . food, dancing, songs, games, challenges for the groom . . . one frequent custom is that every time someone calls out "Gorka!" the bride and groom have a prolonged smooch :) We know that God has some amazing adventures in store for this young couple - they are very gifted leaders and God's hand is obviously upon them.

P, J, M, C, along with the rest of the Nizhny Vineyard youth band lead worship one Sunday at the Vineyard, and the following Sunday night at the local Baptist church youth service. We love how God is bringing more and more unity to the body of Christ here - four youth groups came together for the worship service and afterwards for a big birthday bash for Olya, the Vineyard youth leader.

Our friend Yanna and I have joined the children's ministry team at the Nizhny Vineyard, and I am thrilled to see Yanna in her element! She's a natural with kids, high-energy, creative, loving, and fun, as she engages their hearts and minds in learning God's word and loving Him and one another. I get to enjoy helping her and being the mama who bakes yummy treats.

We were so blessed by a visit earlier this month by a weekend visit from our Perm friends, Eddik & Alyona & Nastya . . . we missed Vanya, as he is serving in the Russian army at the moment . . . this is the first family our family met in Russia 8 years ago. For the first time we were able to communicate well with one another without a translator! We had a very sweet time together as we shared our joys and struggles with one another. It was really neat for us to show them around the city, as it was their first visit to Nizhny. What an amazing family they are, and a joy to know!

P has begun his information technology studies at the University of Nizhny Novgorod and has dived into intensive Russian classes along with his 10 or so classmates, all of whom are from Africa. Pictures coming soon . . . I (Karen) have been studying Russian language & culture at the Linguistic University, and have especially enjoyed the creative teaching methods, special excursions, and interaction with my teacher Anna's other students. We had an "open exam" a few weeks ago - conversed in Russian with two professors who came to test us (and evaluate our teacher), dramatized a Russian fairy tale, sang Russian songs, and explained the ethnic cuisine we each prepared.

Sculley Academy is now 1/3 of the way through our school year . . . highlights include family reading (e.g. Ben Hur, Stonewall Jackson bio, Science & Lore of Trees, Funky Fridays!) and special projects (e.g. Pilgrim's progress diorama, Lebanese dinner, "Garden" game, Jumanji pop-up books / paintings / inventions, Foster & Sousa music) . . . Jonathan is zooming through his final high school courses with flying colors . . .

Although many of our friends are Russians, we also have the blessing of many international university students in our lives. Nizhny has a lot of universities and institutes, which draw students from all over the world. We enjoy providing a home-away-from-home for both Russian & international students, a listening ear, a home-cooked meal, and a family environment. Many of them seem to especially enjoy all our children, who bring so much joy and laughter into their lives. Karen recently had the privilege of teaching at the CF (Christian Fellowship) group again - P and J attend this weekly Bible Study at the medical institute.

Thanks for reading this far . . . if you made it to here, you are a true friend!

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 72% of our financial needs through June 2009 - praise God!
• Ministry partnerships
o We'd like to offer you the opportunity of partnering with a Russian believer in ministry:
 Prayer Journeys to other Russian cities. There are teams from several Vineyard churches going on prayer journeys to other Russian cities, in the hopes of beginning Vineyard churches there in the near future. We would love to invest in these "ground-breaking" and "foundation-laying" teams as they go in to prepare the spiritual soil for future church plants.
 March 5th - 7th, 2009 - Russian Vineyard National Conference, Perm. 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)! We would love to help some of our brothers and sisters in Christ from the Nizhny Vineyard to join our family as we journey to the city of Perm, 17 hours by train east of Nizhny Novgorod.

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:
• our long-term visas are completed! We're very glad to have this paperwork behind us :)
• there are two new Russian families at the Nizhny Vineyard after the two recent weddings (Misha & Larissa, Artyom & Valya). This is a huge praise report and a testimony to God's faithfulness and provision.
• God continues to bring people to us, literally every week, that He wants us to reach out to with His love in some way. We're learning more and more and are very thankful to God that He's just looking for ordinary people like us who are available for Him to pour His extraordinary love through. Life in Christ is a daily adventure!

Please pray for us:
• for God's wisdom and revelation in knowing what to devote our time and energy to - there are so many good things we could be doing, but we only want to do what we see the Father doing, as Jesus did.
• for P's & Karen's university studies - that we would do well, learn all that God wants us to learn, and share the love of God with our fellow students and teachers.
• we are planning several gatherings over the next few months, around normal family celebrations. Pray with us for God's heart and plans to come forth. We want to live out what Jesus said to do - "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be—and experience—a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God's people." (Luke 14:12 - 14, The Message).

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)

Thanks for all your blog visits!

In Russia with love,

Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him." (2 Corinthians 2:14)

moves of God – warning sign #5 – counterfeit gifts

2008-11-19T15:13:00.001-05:00

In Acts 16, the apostle Paul had an encounter with a girl who accurately predicted the future and followed him around telling everyone something true about him, that he was a servant of God and preached the way of salvation. But Paul did not endorse something evil, just because there was correct information being given. He discerned between the spirits.

Early in the summer when we were back in the U.S., I was walking along a beach over 360 miles (600 km) from Atlanta. As I went along, I heard our family name, “Sculley”, spoken from a group of young women who were talking and laughing together. At first I thought maybe I had just heard the wind blowing. But then as I passed right in front of them, one of them looked me in the face and said, “Karen Sculley.” I scanned their faces and didn’t recognize any of them, but knew in my spirit that something was wrong with the situation. I did not let on to them that they had named my name, but calmly continued on my way. I somehow knew that if I had said anything, some kind of false prophecy would have ensued. It was clearly demonic. The Lord used this experience to impress upon me the importance of being discerning about spiritual gifts, especially those that are outwardly impressive. Supernatural encounters are often what attract people to any purported move of God. It’s good to be hungry for God, but let’s be sure we are hungering for the real thing, and not an imitation.

I love prophecy, I’ve participated in and organized prophetic groups, God occasionally gives me prophetic words or insights, I’ve received life-changing prophetic words . . . yes, we should be eager to prophesy and carefully listen to prophetic words that come from God. But we need to use discernment. If someone says or does something that does not have 100% alignment with the Word of God [a.k.a. The Bible], run away, run away fast! There are a lot of false prophets around; often false teaching is very subtle. The enemy seems to frequently use impressive counterfeits to lure people away from the simplicity of seeking God and studying His word. We wouldn’t consider eating cake if we knew there was just a little dirt mixed into it; why would we feed our spirits with anything less than truth and purity?

moves of God – warning sign #4 – isolation

2008-11-12T16:10:00.001-05:00

It’s so easy to live lives of isolation and disconnection. 1 Peter 5:8 says that the enemy is constantly prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. In the animal kingdom, lions, hyenas and other predators will wait and select a victim to attack, by noting which animal in the herd is beginning to stray away from the group. We need to guard against isolation because that makes us more vulnerable to being drawn away by false teaching.

We need to be closely connected with others in the body of Christ who seek God, study the Bible, and walk through life together. It’s been said that the Christian walk would be so much easier if it weren’t for the people – just me and God, yeah! The reality is that good relationships are both valuable and costly – it takes a lot of effort and time to build healthy relationships. Each of us, regardless of age or stage in life, needs close relationships with other believers, to encourage one another, pray for one another, hold one another accountable, spur one another on. God created us for community, to live and function in the context of authentic relationships. The world says that we can be independent and be our own person. But God created us for relationship, with Him and with each other.

Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another . . .”

If you’re not already committed to a small group of believers, I urge you to find one this month and begin meeting regularly with them. You need them and just as importantly, they need you! We are the body of Christ, an interconnected living entity that is complex and beautiful and diverse. God says we belong to one another (Romans 12:5). This idea was conceived in the mind of God – and He says that when we’re working together properly as a body, we can change the world. No part can survive, let alone thrive, in isolation.

moves of God – warning sign #3 – misplaced priorities

2008-11-05T15:31:00.003-05:00

Jesus told us that two commandments summarized what God requires of us – to love Him and to love others as we love ourselves. It’s interesting how the second one is worded. When our priorities are out of order, we tend to not take care of ourselves properly. We don’t eat a balanced diet; we don’t get enough sleep; we take on too many responsibilities. We tend to believe all kinds of lies when we don’t take care of ourselves physically or emotionally. Our thinking becomes skewed, often anxiety creeps in, and we tend to make decisions that we later regret. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah was so run down that he couldn’t think of any option except sitting down and praying that he would die, when all he needed was some food, water, and a good night’s sleep. Almost everyone I know struggles with balance in their lives – we live in a crazy world that is pulling us in 1000 different directions at once. We need to be in the habit of resting in the Lord and strengthening ourselves in Him. That will prevent us from falling into error, and then also we’ll have something of value to give others – we can only give what we have received. Jesus understood that we would be tempted to live unbalanced lives, and encouraged us in Matthew 11:28 – 30 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I want to encourage you to make time with God the number one priority in your life. Not out of a sense of legalism or obligation, but as a way of saying, “God, you have first place in my life, and I want to invest in my relationship with You.” It’s been said that what we value the most is what we will devote our time, energy, and finances to. Find what works best for your personality and situation, and go for it. For me, if something is not on my calendar, it doesn’t get done. I have discovered that there is a lot more freedom in my life if I put the most important things on my schedule and tackle those first. I also leave a lot of space in my calendar and am learning that God seems to show up more often “along the journey” than at planned times. But if I didn’t have anything scheduled at all, I could easily spend all my time dealing with one crisis after another – there is always someone or something pulling on me. No matter how busy life is, I get alone with God every day to read the Bible, pray, and worship Him in song. These are precious times! Spending time with the Lord is primarily a relationship, but it is also a discipline. The same could be said for any relationship – if we want our relationships to grow, we need to invest time and energy into them. In our family we schedule time each week for Paul and me to be alone together, time for Paul and I to be with our children one-on-one, and family time. These are too important to be left to chance, because other things will always encroach on our time. How much more valuable is our relationship with our Creator and the Lover of our souls. Incidentally, I have found that as I order my priorities, discipline myself, and dedicate the first and best part of each day to God in an unhurried manner, I seem to be able to complete the day’s tasks with greater ease, because God gives me wisdom and strength and everything else I need.

God is after our hearts! The two greatest commandments are all about allowing Jesus to rule and reign in us personally, so that His Kingdom comes in ever-increasing measure and His love spills out of us into others. Let’s put our priorities in order and watch God move in us and through us, for His glory!

moves of God – warning sign #2 – coasting

2008-10-30T06:57:00.001-04:00

If you’ve ever skated, stepped onto an icy path, or had children help you push a shopping cart across a parking lot, you’ll know that sometimes you can exert energy to move forward, and sometimes you can just coast or glide. Coasting seems ok initially, but when you’re coasting, you lose control and you’ll lose speed pretty quickly. Coasting is like trying to get by on past victories. King Saul’s life is a warning to us all. God anointed him to be king over Israel, but He lost God’s anointing because He stopped seeking, listening to, and obeying God. Saul started out very aware of His weakness and lack of importance. But Saul started coasting when he grew big in his own eyes and trusted himself instead of God.

We must continually walk with the Lord, listen to His voice and obey His word. We cannot rely on past experiences and presume to know what the Lord would have us do in a given situation. I’ve learned the hard way that the worst plan for any given situation is what worked last time. It might be, but we cannot presume to know God’s plan. None of us will ever arrive at a level in our Christian walk where we can kick back and relax. We are all unfinished masterpieces! We need to get fresh manna every day from God, and continually keep our eyes and ears attuned to Him.

I had an experience recently where an influential person gave me a personal prophetic word. It was framed in a very negative way, was not edifying, and neither Paul nor I felt it was from the Lord. We also asked several of our accountability partners about the word. Every one of them gave us the same counsel . . . the word was erroneous, so disregard it. We did. We prayed for forgiveness for the person. We realized that they had probably gotten out of the habit of seeking God, allowing other things to replace intimacy with God, and yet they tried to cling to their title and position. This is a dangerous place to be – much damage is done in the body of Christ by this kind of loose cannon shooting. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 instructs us to encourage and build one another up.

Just like an out of control shopping cart in a parking lot, coasting can damage both the individual and those around them. It’s a temptation to relax wherever we’re at in our Christian walk. We can kid ourselves by thinking we know God well enough, thinking we’ve done enough Bible study for a lifetime – we can take it easy for a while and focus on ministering to others. It sounds ok in a way, because it’s good to minister to others, but if we’re not actively seeking God, we’re actually living in a place of pride, trusting in our own experience, learning, strength, or gifts instead of depending on God. That is a dangerous place to be.

moves of God – warning sign #1 – seeking experiences

2008-10-22T06:30:00.004-04:00

Are we more concerned about seeking an experience than seeking God? It’s wonderful to feel thrilling things happen. I’ve been slain in the Spirit, shaked and quaked and experienced many other physical manifestations, had wonderful emotions while in the presence of the Lord, experienced dramatic physical healings, words of knowledge, seen dreams and visions, heard God’s audible voice . . . But as exciting as they may seem, those are just signs pointing to God. They’re not the destination! We cannot focus on experiences; we can’t live for experiences. It’s a huge mistake to base any part of our beliefs on our own or someone else’s personal experience. Can we examine our hearts and see if we can honestly say to God – “if I never feel Your presence again, if you never give me another blessing, I will still worship you because of who You are. You are worthy! I will still love you. I will still serve you. I will still devote my life to you.” Our feelings are not trustworthy; God is completely trustworthy! Jeremiah 17:9 says that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” We need to keep our focus on God and His ways, constantly, in every situation. We need to daily seek Him and study His word. We need to check out whatever we hear preached or taught, and whatever we experience, against the word of God. I hope you will check out what I’m writing here! The problem with seeking experiences is that they are temporary and subjective, and if we base our theology on experiences, then we will be very prone to imbalance and error. Only God’s Word is permanent and completely objective. His Word is the rock upon which we can stand firmly.

We had a neighbor on our street in Atlanta who worked for the treasury department, specializing in identifying counterfeit bills. She was trained to recognize counterfeits by looking at many, many authentic bills. Being very familiar with the real thing enabled her to instantly recognize imitations when she saw them. The more familiar we become with what is true and real and authentic, the less likely we’ll be lured away by anything false. We discover the truth by studying the Bible on our own and with others. The most dangerous deception is not one that is completely opposite to the truth – it’s one that is extremely close to the truth, with one little twist. When my family moved to Australia in 1971, we took a ship from New Orleans in the U.S.A. to Sydney, Australia. If the ship’s course had been off by just a couple of degrees, we would have completely missed our destination. When it comes to what we choose to believe, seemingly small errors can lead to really big problems later on.

I long for God’s Kingdom transformation to come, I long for people to turn to Christ by the thousands. I long for sin to be swept out of the city and for God’s righteousness to prevail. But I do not want to settle for temporary excitement that is not accompanied by lasting fruit. It’s as though God has invited us to eat with Him at the most amazing restaurant ever. We walk in and see the beautiful lighting, and smell the aroma coming from the kitchen. We drink in the beauty of the flowers on each table and the delicacy of the table linens. We admire the craftsmanship of the plates and silverware and the intricate designs on the glassware. At that point, we feel good, our senses have been stimulated; we are filled with pleasure. But if we spend all our time at the restaurant simply enjoying pleasurable feelings, we will miss the best part, which is to meet with God, to know Him. He is offering us the most intimate relationship possible. He wants our hearts to beat with His, to have the mind of Christ, to be one with Him. This happens as we spend time with Him and get to know Him. There’s no fast track or shortcut to intimacy with God. I think often God gives us a little glimpse of His Kingdom and we say, “oh this is so wonderful” and we are satisfied with that. God has so much more for each of us – but He is waiting to see if we are serious about our relationship with Him. He wants us to seek Him and not just pursue experiences. Each day is precious and a gift from God . . . let’s not miss even one opportunity to draw ever closer to the face and heart of our beautiful Creator and Savior.

is this a move of God?

2008-10-16T12:01:00.002-04:00

There are all kinds of reports floating around about “moves of God.” How do we tell if anything is a move of God? I’m not going to try to answer that question for you regarding any specific situation. But God has given me a burden to gently warn the body of Christ – be careful not to fall into deception or follow false teaching, because not everything that bears the name of Jesus Christ is authentic. Jesus Himself warned us in Matthew 24:11 – 13 that at the end of the age, “many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved”. I believe that we are living in those times.

I think there’s a great temptation especially among those of us on the charismatic end of the Christian continuum to accept everything that claims to be from God, because we don’t want to miss the latest wave of the Spirit. It is wonderful to be hungry for God and to seek Him. I greatly enjoy coming together with other believers for this purpose – in Atlanta I met regularly for many years with other believers to seek the Lord together, and here in Nizhny it is a joy to meet with the soaking group on Friday nights to do that. It is a huge blessing to be among brothers and sisters in Christ who are hungry for God and seeking His face. It’s a high point in my life each week! God is faithful to meet us every time we seek Him! I want to experience God’s fullness and blessing and presence and participate with whatever He is doing. But it’s clear that the body of Christ needs much greater discernment in prayerfully examining any claimed moves of God.

A move of God is often referred to as a “revival.” E. M. Bounds, a Methodist pastor who lived 150 years ago and who wrote many books on prayer, wrote that revivals are among the charter rights of the church. They are the evidences of its divinity, the tokens of God’s presence, the witness of his power. But there are also counterfeit revivals that are designed to deceive the most wary. These are deceptive and superficial, with many pleasant, entertaining, delusive features, entirely lacking in the offensive features which accompany the genuine ones. The pain of repentance, the shame of guilt, the sorrow and humiliation of sin, the fear of hell—these marks of genuine revivals are lacking in the counterfeit. Shallow revivals do more harm than good, like a surface thaw in midwinter which only increases the hardness and roughness of tomorrow’s freeze. All genuine revivals are simply God coming with great grace to his Church.

J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine, published an article this week entitled, “Lord, Give Us Hot Coals from Your Altar!” – here’s an excerpt:
“I find myself longing for an authentic move of God. I am so weary of the fake and the fabricated. In this day of media manipulation, it seems we can use smoke and mirrors to create “revivals” that have neither conviction of sin nor conversions. Oh, we think we have the power. We boast about the size of the crowds. We brag about miracles. We are ready to declare a revival if Christians fall on the floor or give big offerings. But when the music stops, the TV cameras are turned off and the money is counted, what do we have? Nothing but a cheap imitation. Where is the God of Elijah? Where is the God of Evan Roberts? Where is the true power of God that can sweep over a city and bring backslidden Christians to repentance and hardened sinners to experience the greatest miracle of all—the miracle of new birth? I invite you to stoke the fire of the Spirit in your life. Let the hot coals of heaven purge any known sin from your heart. Repent of all compromise. Be ruthless with any idols. Let the love of God boil inside you until your heart is overflowing with love for sinners. Let’s believe that it is possible for the Holy Spirit to draw our wayward nation back to God."

There have been some very disturbing and widespread false teachings and false teachers exposed in recent years, some of which have been highly publicized. It’s sad to say that a large number of deceptive teachings have emerged from the United States, but they can come from anywhere. When deception occurs, many very well-meaning and sincere people become wounded, and some become disillusioned. We must be careful how we live, and what we choose to believe, both for our own sakes, and also for the sake of those over whom we exert influence.

Ephesians 4:14 tells us that it is possible to be “blown here and there by every wind of teaching”. Paul exhorts Timothy to “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” How can we watch our life and doctrine closely and not be blown around? Over the next several weeks, I want to share some warning signs that we might be getting off track, and also some key characteristics of genuine moves of God.

Permanent Impact October 2008

2008-10-09T05:49:00.009-04:00

. . . 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?

Sculley snapshots

We've been back in Nizhny Novgorod just over a month now, but it seems much longer as typically happens when there's a lot going on! We've taken advantage of the warmer weather to explore our surroundings and enjoy connecting with lots of friends all over the city. The first snow fell in September, but thankfully autumn decided to return again and we're so thankful for many unexpectedly sunny and warm days. Please enjoy these snapshots . . . scroll down for prayer requests & praise reports . . .

1. J preparing to rock climb . . . the guy on the left is finishing construction of the side wall ;)
2. Picnicking & enjoying the amazing view of the Oka River at Shveytsaria (Switzerland) Park . . . sitting on the edge of a very steep precipice
3. Hang-gliders take off from that cliff and soar - so wonderful to watch!
4. While we were gone, our landlady remodeled the little balcony off Paul & Karen's bedroom, which doubles as a place to store suitcases and a cute playroom for E & K.
5. Riding the Volga ferris wheel while the first snow fell . . .
6. A typical birch forest (well, in the city anyway - you can tell this was planted in recent years)
7. The Volga view from our window, with J & E out collecting sand for a chemistry experiment
8. K & Vitya on Pokrofka Street (this is for Jane, who loves goats as much as I love sheep :))

We enjoy people of all ages, but our family seems to be magnetically drawn to youth and young adults, and have spent much time hanging out with, encouraging, and feeding our young friends. Although the Nizhny Vineyard youth group had not met since shortly after our return to the U.S., it regathered on our first Sunday back here and is going strong again. The youth surprised the church with a delightful drama during the service last Sunday as part of the Nizhny Vineyard's 15th birthday celebrations! They are a wonderful group and we look forward to watching God work in and through each one. We've also had the joy of connecting with lots of young adults, Russians & foreigners alike . . .

1. E, Nastya, and the well-traveled Poohs (thanks again, Tatarsky's!)
2. Nadia
3. Nizhny Vineyard youth leader, Olya
4. Rebecca . . . how amazing that God would send a close friend of our close Atlanta friends the Parkison's & Hendry's (C & M) to Nizhny this semester! She's a wonderful young woman and we all love her . . . It was so cool to be invited to speak to her group of 16 Christian College students from all over the U.S. about life and missions - what a great group of young adults!
5. We love our weekly ice skating outings . . . Anton is gathering his troika!

It's been a blessing to serve at the Nizhny Vineyard however we're needed, whether setting up & tearing down equipment, praying, visiting the sick, counseling, opening our home, or preaching. We try to support the various ministries of the church and focus on serving, learning, and encouragement ("Encourage one another daily as long as it is called Today . . . Hebrews 3:13"). Pastor Dave, Kathy, and Stephanie returned from their furlough in the U.S.A. a few days ago, just in time to celebrate Steph's coming-of-age (18th birthday)!

1. View from the kitchen window, flanked by the beautiful gladiolus flowers we were presented by the church on our first Sunday back
2. C enjoying beautiful baby Milana with mom Tanya
3. K - Worship banners are so cool!
4. Ministry time
5. Taking a balloon to our friend at hospital #13 :)
6. Studying together with Yannochka
7. Almira, Zhenya, and our ever-present washing drying in the kitchen :)
8. Some of our dramatic youth . . . prince Michael, angels C, Olga, & Luba, princes J & P, king Ian
9. Steph's 18th birthday party!

A highlight of our time here has been Misha & Larissa's wedding! We have become very dear to one another, and were so delighted and honored that they invited Paul, Karen, and C to spend the entire wedding day together, to participate in all the pre-wedding festivities with about 15 others. It was our first evangelical Russian wedding (we attended Paul's sister's Russian Orthodox wedding in Australia many years ago). The day of crisscrossing the city began with picking up the groom from his home, and decorating the convoy of wedding vehicles. We then drove to the bride's home, where Misha had to complete certain amusing challenges in order to win Larissa's hand (e.g. walking up a flight of stairs on his hands, answering questions about his bride's preferences, etc.). After satisfying her attendants and paying the bride price, the groom and the rest of us were all allowed into the apartment for tea and special refreshments like caviar, etc. We then headed to the official government building to register the marriage. In this brief but formal ceremony, they declared their intention to marry one another, exchanged rings, had their first kiss as husband and wife, and received the official blessing of the Russian federation. Interestingly, the official ceremony does not include any promises. The place was packed, as weddings are scheduled every 15 minutes in each of the rooms. We then went to several special scenic locations for photos - God blessed them with a gorgeous and warm autumn day, with highs around 64 F / 18 C. Following that, we again visited the groom's mother's home, where she presented her new daughter-in-law with a special decorated loaf of bread as a way of welcoming her into the family, and of course we had more tea and refreshments. Many of the traditions parallel so beautifully the love of Jesus Christ for His people (He calls us His bride in Revelation 19). Finally we went to the church hall where over 150 people joined for a celebration with pastor Dave leading a brief ceremony of commitment and blessing, followed by much food, fun, entertainment, games, and dancing, a delightful end to a very long but wonderful day!

1. Misha, Paul, and Dave scrub up pretty good, dontcha think :)
2. during tea at the home of Larissa's parents
3. Steph (the official photographer) & C (her camera caddie)
4. Andrei & Lena, our new friends from the soaking group
5. The happy couple waving on the wall overlooking the confluence of the two rivers . . . Larissa was gorgeous in her pale blue
6. Some of the guests at the reception
7. Guess who caught the bride's bouquet?

We've been delighted to share our apartment with several overnight guests - our friend Irina from Nizhny Novgorod, Simeon from Scotland, and Sergey, Lena, & Vitya from Ufa.

1. Some of the gang with Simeon, our new prayer-walking-radical-Scottish-seminary-student friend!
2. Enjoying a meal with Sergey & Lena, pastors of the Ufa Vineyard. P & J had met them and their older son, Zhenya, 5 years ago when they were all on a team together helping to birth the Ufa Vineyard. Karen met Lena at the Vineyard Women's Retreat last year in Perm. It was so good to get to know them a little better and hear about what God is doing in Ufa!
3. Vitya with his two guardians :)

P's studies . . . he expects to begin his Information Technology studies at the University of Nizhny Novgorod (a.k.a. Lubachevsky) within the next couple of weeks (they wait until all of the students arrive from various countries around the world). We just found out also that P has received early acceptance to study Electrical Engineering at LeTourneau University in Texas in the fall of 2009. We are so proud of P and his wonderful attitude in waiting patiently to begin his next phase of studies (he finished high school in January) . . . he's been keeping himself occupied with M.I.T. online courses when Sculley Academy is in session . . .

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 68% of our financial needs through June 2009 - praise God!
· Resources for Russians
o We've had the joy of distributing many books and CDs that were donated in the U.S. The Nizhny Vineyard library is growing in English titles that we brought with us, and we are investigating available Russian titles to donate. We have found that worship CDs are the best resource to give away, as almost everyone has time to listen to music (usually on their mp3 players), and music touches the heart like nothing else! If you'd like to donate worship CDs, please get them to our Atlanta address, and we'll arrange for a way to get them here. (Sheri Carr's CDs have been distributed in Nizhny Novgorod, Ufa, Scotland, and Zimbabwe.)

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 (http://www.atlantavineyard.com/resources/online_giving.html — just mention “Sculley - Russia” on the online giving comment line)

Praise Reports:
· Our transition back here was much easier this time, though it was definitely much harder to leave Atlanta twice in 8 months! Thanks for praying for our travels - everything went amazingly smoothly. It was comical at best when we had to give directions in Russian only to our rented van's somewhat impatient driver as to how to drive from Moscow to our apartment in Nizhny at 3:30am at the end of the journey.
· God's grace has been on us in every way - we thank Him for good health, protection, favor, provision, and loved ones all over the world.
· We've had frequent opportunities to serve, pray with and counsel people in a variety of situations - praise God for His ordering of our steps.
· Sculley Academy is going well - 2008/09 is the 13th year of our school, and we only have 5 students this year :) J is finishing off his high school studies this year and next, and the younger children have been studying Ancient Rome, doing lots of science experiments, reading "Dangerous Journey" (the youth edition of Pilgrim's Progress), along with the usual collection of other subjects.
· Karen is studying Russian language & culture for 5 hours a week at the Linguistic University, which is close to where we live. Sample homework - "memorize 3 stanzas of this patriotic Russian song" . . . it's very enjoyable yet one's brain feels quite maxed out after a 2 hour class. Praise God for the blessing of being able to study the language - she longs for deeper conversations with Russian speakers, and it's gradually becoming a reality! We all help each other with language around the meal table, and contextually.
· God continues to connect us with brothers & sisters from many different streams (denominations, demographics, locations, styles) - this has been a constant cry of our hearts, to help bring unity to the body of Christ (through prayer & serving mostly), a precursor to Kingdom transformation.

Please pray for us:
· for our long-term visas to be issued - the short-term ones we have are good for 3 months, and the long-term ones we're waiting for are good for 3 years - those are basically the only two options available. We trust God for His timing, plans, and provision. We've heard that half of our visas are ready, and are awaiting news on the others.
· for God's plans in every area of our lives - we want only what He wants and continually lay everything at His feet. It's so freeing to not have to figure everything out ourselves - we trust Him to show us each day / month / year what's next . . . may Jesus receive ALL the glory in our lives.
· for P's studies at Lubachevsky to go really well, and for meshing of schedules when he begins - it's amazing how full our calendars already are - we want to maintain our family worship & fun times and continue to be balanced & flexible in reaching out to others. It would be really easy to get overloaded here as anywhere - we constantly need God's wisdom and direction.
· for God's abundant grace & blessing on Misha & Larissa (and four-year-old Roma) as they begin their new life together; also for Artyom & Valya who are planning their wedding for late November.
· for God to show us who, what, when, where, how He wants us to invest most in
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 1000 or so 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)

Visit our blog (updated weekly):
http://permanentimpact.blogspot.com/

In Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:28 - 31)

h2o

2008-10-01T14:07:00.002-04:00

H2O . . . a.k.a. water . . . “a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life.” Water is used in agriculture, as a scientific standard, for drinking, as a dissolving agent, as a heat transfer fluid, in extinguishing fires, for chemical & industrial applications, in recreation, and in food processing.

In Russia, water is ABUNDANT! Water is literally everywhere we look at all times of the year:

Above
• Horizon-to-horizon clouds blanket us on most days. These masses of water vapor become visible only when billions of the tiny droplets gather together. One beautiful side effect of living so far north on terrain that is mostly flat as far as the eye can see is that we often see the sunset below the cloud layer – it’s very beautiful as it stretches across the lower south-western sky.
• The term “precipitation” extends far beyond the rain that I associate it with . . . I’m not sure what precisely differentiates snow pellets from snow grains, but I think I can safely say Russia regularly receives every one of these variations: rain, freezing rain, drizzle, freezing drizzle, dew, snow, snow pellets, snow grains, ice pellets, frozen rain, hail, ice crystals, hoarfrost, atmospheric icing, and glaze ice. We had our first snow the last Saturday of September!

Below
• Large, unjumpable, muddy puddles are a common sight here, thanks to the disrepair of most streets and sidewalks, and lack of ground cover. They’re a lot of fun for the young’uns!
• Pretty soon we’ll hope to completely avoid those puddles as they turn to slip-sliding lakes of doom :)

Around
• Audible water trickles in the pipes from the apartments above us!
• Fog rolls in from the river on many mornings. I grew up in a town with similar pea-soup fog, and love it! It speaks of the Father’s embrace, as it completely surrounds and enfolds us.

Nearby
• Daily we see beautiful views of the Volga, Europe’s longest and largest river. The name of the river is akin to the Slavic words for “wetness” and “humidity.”
• The Oka River literally defines Nizhny Novgorod with its 3 trafficky bridges, and the line of separation between the upper and lower parts of the city.

For sale
• Every store and mini-mart sells a favorite Russian drink, mineral water. When ordering water, it’s important to say, “bez gas”, unless you’re fond of that variety.
• This morning we received our weekly delivery of four 19-liter water bottles, thankfully hoisted for us up the two flights of stairs.

Recreationally
• Russians seem to favor water-related activities when it comes to recreation . . . the favorite one being visits to banyas (steam baths), also ice skating and walking by the river.

Water, water, everywhere! Isn’t the abundance of water such an amazing testimony to God’s presence and faithfulness? He pours out so much blessing on us – more than we can contain. He goes to great lengths to display His love to all people. Creation shouts to our senses and to our spirits, “I LOVE YOU!” But despite the profuse quantities of water in every arena of life, the people here are really THIRSTY! Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13 – 14). He also said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). “The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17). Praise God for His creation which speaks so clearly of the supernatural – water – What A Treasure Exhibiting Redemption! Pray with us for the people of Russia to thirst for Jesus Christ, the only One who can quench their thirst.

marshrutkas and ministry

2008-09-25T13:59:00.004-04:00

Q: How many people can you fit in a marshrutka?

A: One more!

This is not an exaggeration! On a typical 22-seater marshrutka (i.e. cross between taxi and little bus), it is not uncommon for 45 souls to be jammed in . . . couple that with the fascinating Russian belief that moving air makes you sick (i.e. all the windows are tightly shut), and you get the picture. I am thankful I’m not prone to anxiety attacks, but came as close as I’ve ever come when in the most stiflingly crowded marshrutka imaginable this week. Thankfully I had a seat, with C on my lap, so knew if I fainted at least I wouldn’t fall and hit my head, but then the guy next to me fell asleep and jammed his leg up against me, and another guy hovering nearby started coughing on us. He refused my offer of some “Halls” but I thought it was worth a try :)

The thing with riding marshrutkas is you never know quite what to expect . . . although they’re almost always fast and full! Our days have been like this week . . . here are some ministry highlights . . .

• C & I visited a friend in hospital on the extreme other side of town. A huge blessing for us is that we had the opportunity to pray for her and her four roommates while we were there. The Kingdom of God came in that room! I suddenly understood why Nancy P and others have a huge passion for hospital ministry. We were so tickled at our friend’s total shock that we found the hospital and made it there unaccompanied. It was quite an adventure – praise God for google maps, wall maps, cell phones, and my darling navigator Paul who is always helping me find my way around whenever I get lost anywhere in the world.
• Paul & I had the opportunity to speak with a Russian Orthodox acquaintance about Jesus, the Bible, hearing from God, and God’s provision. She was very interested in the idea that a non-priest can pray (we didn’t feel she was ready for an explanation of 1 Peter 2:9 yet . . .)
• I was invited last-minute to speak to a group of 16 Christian college students from all over the U.S. who are taking a Russian studies program this semester at the same university as Peter (one of them is our new friend Rebecca from Covenant College, the close friend of two of our closest family friends in Atlanta!) It’s a wonderful program lead by a humble gentle American Christian man who is employed by the university. I shared about missions and giving your whole life to God . . . it so blessed me to see tears on the faces of several of the students as God worked in their hearts! We’re looking forward to connecting more with this gang while they’re here (until early December) – several expressed a desire to spend time with our family and / or join us at the Vineyard.

be flexible

2008-09-18T13:24:00.000-04:00

You often hear it said that the first rule of missions is “be flexible.” Flexible is defined as “capable of being bent, usually without breaking; susceptible of modification; adaptable; willing or disposable to yield; pliable; not stiff or brittle”. We’ve had lots of those moments this week! We praise God for His abundant grace in each of these situations we’ve found ourselves in, and continue to look to Him for wisdom, revelation, and provision in all things. We’re learning more and more to view every situation as a blessing from God, knowing that He works all things together for our good!

• Root canal – Paul’s filling fell out, necessitating an adjustment of our plan to have all dental work done in the U.S. The blessing is that God provided Paul with a wonderful dental clinic across town with excellent hygiene and care, at a small fraction of what it would have cost in Atlanta.

• Bus routes – Sunday was Nizhny Novgorod’s 787th birthday, so amidst the many celebrations, all of our normal bus routes were changed. Being flexible included getting lost in a new part of the city. The blessing is that it was a beautiful day to do some unplanned exploring.

• Apartment rent – Today’s news includes a piece about the Moscow stock exchange closing partway through the day for the 3rd day in a row due to a significant market plummet – the Russian economy is at its lowest point in 3 years. This might possibly be the reason our rent increases next month by 20%, so we have modified our budget. The blessing is that our exchange rate is very favorable, and we thank God for His provision, although our hearts go out to the many people for whom the rapid inflation is causing significant financial difficulties.

• Translation – In Paul’s regular monthly meeting with our landlady, a translator is needed (it takes 2 to 3 hours to pay the rent because everything has to be discussed in great detail!). Through various circumstances, all of our regular translators were unavailable. The blessing is that our dear Korean friend Mark offered to help, strengthening our relationships, and displaying the love and unity of the body of Christ to our inquisitive landlady and her mother.

• Delayed schedules – Yesterday we took longer than expected to get to our weekly P.E. destination (ice skating). The blessing is that we wound up bumping into Yulia, the twins’ Sunday school translator, and the girls each made new friends on the rink because the later session included more school-aged children than we usually encounter.

• Church service – I’m thankful that at the end of last Sunday’s service, someone translated an announcement made earlier in the service (that we had only partially understood) that this weekend’s service is on Saturday, not Sunday! I was glad to know this, and moved my sermon prep time to earlier in the week. The blessing is that we will now have a whole family day together on Sunday!

suddenlies

2008-09-11T15:22:00.001-04:00

Even before I remembered that today was the sad anniversary that it became 7 years ago, the thought struck me this week that life can change so suddenly. When we arrived in Nizhny last week, it was summer. We went out in the gorgeous weather in our light jackets, not because we needed them, but to blend in ;) The trees all had their leaves, green, and I remember thinking that maybe they don’t have a turning of the leaves here like they do in Atlanta. Well, yesterday, autumn came and went, and today it was winter! At least, that’s what it felt like . . . yesterday, suddenly, the leaves all turned yellow and began falling, and people started bringing out their furs and gloves today.

God did some other “suddenlies” in our lives this week, too. Through friends in another city, the Lord sent us a young English-born Scottish theology student, who stayed with us for a couple of days. We were blown away – Simeon came to Russia mainly to pray (that in itself was a huge encouragement to us!), which he’s been doing for the last few weeks, very much a faith journey. He feels God has called him to this nation, and is seeking God’s specific direction & timing after his studies finish next year. It was such an obvious divine appointment for all of us, and we were all mutually encouraged in the Lord. We traded prayer walking journeys and other life stories. It’s so beautiful how God connected our hearts to pray for this country in such an amazing way that none of us could have orchestrated. Personally my faith has been so stirred and encouraged – I thank God for sending us this precious young warrior and leader.

Many rumors abound concerning Russia’s future . . . of course none of us can know unless the Lord reveals it, but we trust in the One who does. Whatever “suddenlies” may occur, we know we are to “be prepared in season and out of season” for whatever God has for us. Meanwhile, we want to be found faithful in loving and serving Jesus Christ every day, and bring glory to His name.

Permanent Impact August 2008

2008-08-26T22:48:00.001-04:00

. . . 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?

Transition time!

Just a short newsletter this time to let you know we're returning to Russia next week, leaving Atlanta on Tuesday, September 2nd. We're pretty much packed and as ready as we can be, saying our latest round of goodbyes for the season ahead. God has blessed us in so many ways - our visas came, Paul's & Karen's passports now have lots of extra pages, and we found terrific round trip airfares (returning early July 2009). We want to remind each of you that we would LOVE for you to come visit us in Russia any time during the year - let us know if you're thinking about it! We hope to see you on email or facebook, and our phone # in Russia is +7-910-432-81-77. If you want to send snail mail, you can 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 64% of our financial needs through June 2009 - praise God!
• Resources for Russians
o Special thanks to our friend Sheri Carr and Varietal Records for donating multiple copies of her wonderful new CD, "Fearless Now." I highly recommend this to you - the title track is now one of my favorite songs! Visit http://www.varietalrecords.com to purchase this title, or you can download any or all of the songs on itunes.
o Special thanks also to our friend Jason Chatraw and Ampelon Publishing for donating multiple copies of the following books. They will definitely be put to good use, and we'll let you know how they work in a multi-language setting! Visit www.ampelonpublishing.com to purchase any of these great titles and many more.
 "The Way In is the Way On: John Wimber's teachings and writings on life in Christ" (Wimber was the founder of the Vineyard movement)
 "Get Real About Relationships: a 40-day journey [for teenagers]" (Elizabeth Crist, whom we met when she was a few months old, and has grown into a beautiful and godly young woman)
 "The Difference a Father Makes" (Ed Tandy McGlasson)
 "Repentance and Forgiveness" (Dr. Leah Coulter)
 "6 Habits of Highly Effective Christians" (Brian T. Anderson & Glynnis Whitwer)
 "Breakthrough" (Vicki & Jim Egli)

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 - email us at karen@srsoln.com 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:
• Our short-term visas arrived in a timely manner!
• Paul & Karen realized late in the process that our passports were almost out of room (Russian visas take up 2 pages each, and we have 4 or 5 each so far), so we expedited those to Philadelphia last week, and thankfully they arrived back this morning with plenty of visa space.
• God continues to provide everything we need in every area of our lives - all glory to Him! We're so thankful for the many friends that God keeps sending us to accompany us (not necessarily literally, though you're certainly welcome to!) on this journey.
• The first part of the 2008-09 Vineyard Leaders School finished last week, and Yana (from Nizhny Novgorod) and the other students are now back in their home cities for the remainder of the school year. We're delighted that we'll have the opportunity to help Yana with her weekly studies as she continues to help us learn Russian.

Please pray for us:
• for safe travels & intact luggage! In addition to two plane flights, we'll have two bus rides on our journey - one between airports in London and another from Moscow to Nizhny - pray that they'll be there at the right times and places. It's amazing how comforting it is to see a driver holding a sign with your name on it after a long flight :)
• for our long-term visas to be issued - the short-term ones we have are good for 3 months, and the long-term ones we're waiting for are good for 3 years - those are basically the only two options available. We trust God for His timing, plans, and provision.
• for good transitions for all of us, physically, emotionally, mentally. Saying goodbyes is the hardest thing as always! It looks like we'll be doing the immediate shift from summer to winter (the weather channel predicts our high temps will go from 32C / 90F to 9C / 50F in one day!)

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 each of your 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, Peter, Jonathan, Michael, Cascade, Esther, & Karis Sculley

"It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow." (1 Corinthians 3:7, The Message)

divine orchestration

2008-08-19T23:37:00.001-04:00

When I was in 7th grade, my next-door neighbor, a professor of musicology, invited me to look over his numerous musical instruments and choose one to play. I had already played the piano for many years, and jumped at the chance to learn a second instrument. My short list included the oboe, but my number one choice ended up being the ‘cello. How I loved learning that beautiful instrument, receiving weekly lessons, always striving to improve my technique and tone. But the highlight of playing the ‘cello for me was the opportunity to be a part of an orchestra. Words cannot describe the sheer joy and satisfaction that comes when a group of individuals pools their talents and plays beautiful music together. But everything hinges on the orchestration. The conductor sees and implements this master plan, although the players see only their individual parts. You could conceivably gather the most brilliant musicians in the world, yet if they are not playing from the same orchestration, the results will be dismal to say the least. But a brilliant conductor can take a group of ordinary musicians who apply themselves, and draw the best out of each section, each individual, in order to blend and form a whole that far surpasses the sum of its parts. God is the penultimate brilliant conductor, who not only lovingly composes the complex scores of our lives, but also enhances and improves them continually, in order to produce the most amazing, unfolding symphonies that bring joy and glory to Him.

I want to share with you one delightful line of orchestration we discovered last week . . . our closest neighborhood friends have a close friend who will be studying in Nizhny Novgorod this semester, an off-campus program of the Christian college she attends. She will be at the same university as Peter, likely in the same building – quite amazing. I think Rebecca has already been tremendously encouraged, knowing that in a city that most of her friends and family have never even heard of, close friends of her close friends are just down the road.

When we stand before God, we will be more than amazed at His intricate orchestration in every area of our lives. I’m convinced that we see but a small fraction of His master plan for each of us and for the communities in which He has placed us. May He open our eyes to see the music He’s written for us to play, and may we each play our hearts out, for our audience of One, trusting Him to make something truly beautiful with our lives.

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (Ephesians 3:20, The Message)

overwhelmed

2008-08-06T18:29:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week I felt overwhelmed. Aside from the “normal” responsibilities that go along with the blessing of a large family, aside from needing to answer email & return phone calls & write thank you cards & finish packing, aside from walking with several loved ones through really difficult stuff, aside from being assailed by some heavy duty spiritual warfare, there’s the whole moving-the-family-across-the-world-again thing that adds an element of “overwhelmedness” at times. When I feel really overwhelmed, I can’t seem to get anywhere on even the simplest tasks. So instead of pretending I’m of any use to anyone, I retreat to my favorite hangout, which in Atlanta is our outdoor fire pit. The Lord always meets me there and restores and refreshes my soul. But this week I needed more than an afternoon by the fire. I didn’t realize what I needed, but God did.

A few days ago I had shot an email to my friend Larry to see if I could join his church intercessors on Tuesday night, something that’s been on my wish list all summer. I hadn’t heard back yet, so debated with myself about going; I wasn’t sure if they were even meeting. After a lovely walk / talk / pray in the park with Susan, my friend Kathy and I and our girls wound up at a Chick-fil-A across town that I’d never been to before (they are the most anointed fast food restaurants in the world, I am convinced – God things happen there). In our short time there, the Lord gave me 3 wonderful surprises (4 if you count the Icedream ). One would have sufficed, but He seemed to have a plan in place to completely overwhelm me with His love and care. The dictionary defines “overwhelm” as “to surge over and submerge”, “to engulf”, “to present with an excessive amount”, “to affect deeply in mind or emotion”, “to turn over or upset”, “to defeat completely and decisively”. God’s love seems to do all of these. He pours out His love and care on His people in such abundance, to submerge us, deeply affect us, sometimes upsetting us, bringing us to the end of ourselves and defeating us. He surges over us, engulfs us, spills over us with an excessive amount. As soon as I walked into Chick-fil-A, the Lord gave me a brief divine appointment with a close friend’s sibling that left me thinking – “sweet!” A few minutes later I received a phone call from our Nizhny Vineyard friend Azelia (now a graduated dentist soon heading back to Malaysia), who was in Atlanta for a few days (we met this morning). Another “sweet!”

But the clincher for me happened right as we sat down in the play area to thaw out. I did a double take as I saw Helga approaching from across the parking lot. Helga is one of Larry’s intercessors, and a Holocaust survivor. Helga and I bonded a year ago when we prayed together, and reconnected in June at the prayer conference in South Carolina. She has a special heart for the Slavic nations, and is one of those rare individuals whose life verse could be 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The Lord had put her heavily on my heart, and I’d left her a prayer journal as a parting gift, thinking it would be a long time till we saw one another again. It’s a mystery . . . 70-somethings do not eat at Chick-fil-A, unless maybe they have small children in tow. But God sent Helga at just that time and place, and He used that encounter to encourage me so much (and to let me know when the prayer meeting started ). I sensed Him saying, “I see you. I know what you need. I will help you. Don’t let anything steal your joy. I have many more wonderful surprises for you. Watch for me.” The prayer meeting last night was yet another “sweet!” God always commands a blessing when ordinary people get together to share their hearts with Him and with each other. Helga shared with the group how the Lord had blessed her in a Christian bookstore a few days earlier. As I gathered my things to leave, Helga presented me with her newly acquired prayer journal, one I will always treasure as a sweet reminder of the overwhelming love and care of our sweet Lord Jesus.

Psalm 42:5 – 8 (The Message) –
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
soon I'll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He's my God.

6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse
everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,
including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos,
to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
crash and crush me.
Then GOD promises to love me all day,
sing songs all through the night!
My life is God's prayer.

May the Lord overwhelm each of us with His love and care in the waves and breakers of His choosing. No matter what we feel, we can trust Him because His love is constant and our lives belong to Him.

Permanent Impact July 2008

2008-07-23T22:32:00.006-04:00

. . . 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?

Discovering treasures

We've been in Hot-lanta all summer enjoying more of the many adventures God has taken us on this year. Our troubles have been exceedingly light and momentary, as 2 Corinthians puts it, and we are very thankful for the Lord's abundant blessing in our lives. We're awaiting our short-term visas, which we anticipate receiving in early August. We'll let you know our travel dates as soon as we know!

Something happened a few days ago that really grabbed our attention. Paul, P, and J joined the Atlanta Vineyard men's group in attending a Braves' baseball game down at Turner Field. In the 8th inning, Chipper Jones hit a fly ball . . . and out of the 40,000 fans present, J caught it! This is the same kid who found an ancient Indian arrowhead while digging in our yard a couple of years ago. Keep in mind that in the 20 years Paul and I have lived in Atlanta, we've never known anyone personally who caught a fly ball, and we certainly haven't dug up any other arrowheads in our yard, nor have we heard of anyone else finding one either. The prophetic significance of these two incidents is profound, not only for J, but for all of us in the body of Christ. God positions each of us just where He wants us to be to receive the treasures that He wants to give us. He places each of us where we are "for such a time as this." Our job is to stay alert, watchful, and ready, even when we don't fully understand. The Spirit of God gently leads us - He only asks us to trust Him, rest in Him, and receive the grace He's pouring out on us, regardless of circumstances. How beautiful it is to know that our Heavenly Father cares so much for each of us, uniquely, and in every aspect of our lives! We hope this encourages you as much as it's encouraged us! We're also wondering what treasure J will discover next . . .

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 76% of our 2008 financial needs - praise God!

• Resources for Russians

o Thank you for contributing to this! We have received sufficient funds to purchase some great resources (we'll list the titles in the next newsletter).

o In addition, we've received copies of "For Men Only" and "For Women Only", which are available in English and Russian (and several other languages), generously donated by the authors, Jeff & Shaunti Feldhahn, who are in our Atlanta Vineyard church family.

o We are praising God that after a conversation Karen had with the editor of "Pray!" magazine at a prayer conference in June, NavPress has agreed to begin translating and distributing their prayer bookmarks into Russian! If you've ever seen my Bible or been to any prayer class I've taught, you'll know what a huge fan I am of these wonderful tools (e.g. "31 biblical virtues to pray for your kids", "scripture-based prayers to pray for your pastor", "prayers that birth revival", etc.) We've distributed thousands of these cards over the years, and are delighted that soon we will be able to offer them to Russian believers, too.

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:

• Praise God that the new 2008-09 Vineyard Leaders School began in Perm, Russia on July 20th! This is the primary way in which Russian leaders are being raised up in the Vineyard movement in Russia, and is lead by our long-term friends Ralph and Vicki Hale (who were sent out from the Atlanta Vineyard 10 years ago). Praise God that Yana, our good friend and language tutor in Nizhny Novgorod, is studying in the school! This is the 5th year this school is being offered, but this year the format has been transformed in order to make it more accessible to a wider range of students. All of the students study in Perm for the first and last months of the school, and in between return to their home cities. In the context of their local churches, they will over a period of 40 weeks study 152 hours' worth of DVD training materials that were developed late last year in the U.S.A., with teachers from all over the nation contributing on a wide variety of subjects. Karen and our good family friend Susan taught the week on prayer. We're excited to see how God will use this school in developing and releasing the next generation of leaders!

• We are so thankful for the strong support team God has given us! Many of you have given generously and sacrificially to support our family - your time, your prayers, your financial support, your encouragement, your wisdom, your expertise, your resources . . . we are very grateful and honored and blessed to have each of you in our lives. It is so true that we can go farther together!

• Praise God for the many opportunities we've had to serve Him here - too many to list, but highlights for us have included all of us serving however we were needed before & during the Fusion '08 Vineyard southeastern regional conference; hosting a party for Russian missionaries on furlough; visiting a sister church to sing and preach (C sang like an angel!); housing many old & new friends and family members; and praying with and encouraging others.

• Praise God that C has turned 11, and M has turned 13! In addition to our usual "birthday week" tradition, we celebrated M's milestone with, among other traditions particular to that age, a special Christian bar-mitzvah party, where Paul called him into manhood, and men and boys spoke into his life. We are now the proud parents of three wonderful teenagers, and we continue to value and mostly enjoy every age and stage in our children's lives (although the teens are definitely responsible for any gray hairs we acquire LOL).

• We're thankful to the Lord for the training opportunities we've had while here - primarily at the Empowered prayer conference, the Fusion conference (Vineyard SE region), and in a few weeks' time at the Willow Creek leadership summit (the Atlanta Vineyard is a satellite location). We're also grateful for the plethora of teachings we've enjoyed, whether live or on CD or DVD (thanks, Kathy & Kevin for the constant supply!)

Please pray for us:

• for our short-term and long-term visas to be issued - both are required (we have to be back in Russia in order to receive the long-term ones). We trust God for His timing, plans, and provision. We've applied for our short-term visas, hoping to fly back to Russia in the next month. We are encouraged that some of our missionary friends in Russia have begun to receive their long-term visas.

• for good transitions - closure for our time in the U.S., and preparation of our hearts for Russia again. It is emotionally and physically a challenging time for all of us, because we have close relationships in multiple locations, and it is always hard to say goodbye.

• for the logistical side of things - packing, good time management in the final few weeks, getting done what we need to get done and knowing what those things are!

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 each of your 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

"Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness" (Psalm 29:2)

and will heal their land

2008-07-18T12:57:00.002-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

How badly do we want God to heal our land? God always brings His people to a point of desperation for Him, because He is after our hearts. We can either choose to be desperate for God to come, or He will get our attention in other ways. Few people would disagree that Russia (or the U.S.A.) is at a place of devastation. The statistics are grim, and some problems seem insurmountable. But God can and wants to heal this great land. How will He accomplish this? Through the prayers and actions of His people – that’s you and me. Biblical cities often had physical gates which were manned by watchmen and gatekeepers – watchmen announced when the enemy was coming, and gatekeepers decided who and what could come into the city. Although cities today no longer have physical gates for the most part, each one does have spiritual gates, which are opened by the sin & selfishness of those who live there. We can be spiritual gatekeepers, by binding the work of the enemy and praying down God’s Kingdom, welcoming the rule and reign of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only hope for our city, our nation, and the nations of the world. But God has given us a part to play in His sovereign plan. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). We are to pray for His Kingdom to come (Luke 11:2). Even when we know we are to do this, it can seem overwhelming. Resist the temptation to pray only for immediate needs and problems, as you will quickly get worn out. Pray Kingdom prayers (see how Jesus and Paul prayed). Pray that God’s destiny and purpose for our city and nation will be revealed and lived out. Pray for the arrival of God’s presence. His presence pushes back the powers of darkness! And pray for love. The degree to which we will be effective in reaching our city and nation will be determined largely by how much love we have for them. We cannot persevere in our own strength. We need God’s supernatural love and empowering to be able to live righteously, pray and keep on praying until our city and nation belong to Jesus. We need God’s heart, to be compelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Prayer: Father, I invite You to come to our city and nation, and I welcome Your presence. Let Your light shine brightly through my life, and help me to pray Kingdom prayers, big prayers, faith-filled prayers, so that Your destiny and purposes for our city and nation would be fulfilled. Fill me with Your heart of love, so that everything I say, think, and do would flow from the love of Christ within me. Kingdom of God, come! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

and will forgive their sin

2008-07-09T10:38:00.000-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

When God forgives our sins, He doesn’t just overlook them, or set them to one side. He doesn’t keep them in a box to be used as a punishment later on. When God forgives our sins, He also wipes them out completely. The Lord gave me a dream many years ago that helped me to understand this. I was sitting in the waiting room at a doctor’s office. The nurse walked over to me and handed me a clipboard with the usual paperwork that needed to be filled out before I could see the doctor. I looked at the page, and was surprised to see that it was already filled out. Someone else had written my name and personal information on the form. As my eyes scanned the page, my surprise turned to horror when I realized that there were all manner of dreadful diagnoses already written there (e.g. “cancer”). I knew that the things written about the condition of my health were false, so I immediately said to the nurse, “What is written here is not true!” As I said that, all of the words vanished immediately from the forms, leaving the page clean and white. The Lord showed me that the enemy loves to keep believers in bondage by telling us his plan for our lives. He wants us to believe his plan, which will render us incapacitated, unhealthy, and focused on our problems, because then we will be ineffective in doing any damage to his kingdom. But God’s diagnosis of our condition is quite different! When we confess our sins, He purifies us from ALL unrighteousness. Jesus has paid the price IN FULL. Is there any area of your life where you are plagued by shame or unworthiness? Do you feel that you are continually defiled or impure in some way? Confess your sins to God, then believe His word. He will forgive you completely, and purify you completely, 100%.

Prayer: Father, I thank You that You are faithful and just. Help me to recognize when the enemy is trying to deceive me into believing something about myself that is not true. Help me to only pay attention to what You say about me. Wipe away all shame, unworthiness, defilement, and impurity. Help me to daily confess my sins to You, and set me free to live the victorious Christian life as You intend. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

then will I hear from heaven

2008-07-02T20:48:00.003-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Recently I heard of a vision that a man of God was given, which beautifully illustrates what happens when we pray. Myriads of angels surround God’s throne, worshiping Him day and night. When a Christian prays, it’s as though a tiny door opens at the end of a long aisle leading to the throne. The Christian emerges through the doorway, and begins to walk towards God. Angels pause in their praises, poised on the edge of their seats, holding their breath, waiting to hear what this one who was created in God’s image, for whom Christ died, is going to say. Excitement and anticipation builds as the believer approaches the throne. God’s heart leaps as the Christian comes close, and He opens His arms wide to welcome this treasured child of His. The Father glances at the angels close by, verifying that they are ready to be dispatched to answer the prayer of this most beloved one. There is a hushed awe as the believer opens his mouth.

What an image! Through Jesus, God has given us free access to His throne—He has invited us in to the Holy of Holies! Imagine the disappointment if the believer’s prayer is mumbled, hurried, faithless, or vague. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). But how delighted God must be when we come to Him as He directs us, in confidence and boldness. The important thing to realize is that when we pray, God moves! We touch heaven, and heaven comes down to us and through us. It is impossible to pray with no results—God is faithful and always responds to us, His children, although not always in the way that we expect. We exercise faith when we pray according to who God says He is. We can trust Him, because He is trustworthy. God hears us when we pray. He never sleeps, He does not take breaks, He is never too busy. He’s waiting for us.

Prayer: Father, help me overcome my unbelief. You say that when I pray, You hear me from heaven. Thank You that You are faithful, that Your word is always true for all people, for all time, in all places. Help me to come to You boldly, frequently, and full of faith. Thank You that You are my Father, and I am Your beloved child. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

and turn from their wicked ways

2008-06-16T22:32:00.001-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Turning from our wicked ways involves two things—repentance and changed lives. Repentance involves deep sorrow and regret for any past action. The Bible makes a distinction between two kinds of sorrow—”Godly sorrow bring repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Just feeling bad about something leaves us feeling condemned, defeated, useless, disqualified. But true repentance is a result of God’s initiative—God the Holy Spirit convicts us of guilt in regard to sin (John 16:8). Repentance is agreeing with God that what happened was wrong, sinful, contrary to God’s laws. Jesus said that the pure in heart would see God (Matthew 5:8). God purifies our hearts and our relationship with Him is restored as we confess and repent of our sins. God, in His mercy, saves us from receiving all that we deserve, giving us blessing instead of curses, life instead of death. He set this choice before the Israelites (Deuteronomy 30:19), and He sets it before us today. Repentance is vital, but it is not enough. We must also live changed lives. Godly sorrow leads to different actions, not just the words, “I’m sorry.” Jesus said to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). We do this by intentionally turning away from sin, and turning towards God. When we stop sinning, we’re telling God we’re serious about following Him.

There is another kind of repentance, often called “identificational repentance,” in which we repent on behalf of others (Nehemiah and Job both did this). We can’t repent unto salvation for someone else, but we can pray for God to forgive sins that were committed by others. God said that He is “punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:9—10). Personally, in our city, and in our nation, we all reap the consequences of sins committed by others. When we repent on behalf of others, we change the course of history.

Prayer: Father, please show me anything that I need to repent of. Give me the strength to stop sinning and turn completely away from sin. Help me to live according to Your plan for my life, and hide Your word in my heart. Show me how to repent personally, for my city, and for my nation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

and seek my face

2008-06-11T22:37:00.000-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. . . .My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.” (Psalm 27:4, 8)

I love it when my children come to me. They often have a question or a request, and I love helping them out as much as possible. But I especially love it when they just want to be with me, to spend time together, to be close. God gave us family relationships on earth that, when healthy and working the way that God intended, give us a glimpse into how He wants us to relate to Him. The Father loves it when we have a question or request. But He especially loves it when we come to Him with open hands and an open heart, with no agenda other than to meet with Him. One way to describe that is “seeking God’s face and not just His hand.” Yes, it is important to present our requests to God (Philippians 4:6), but there is “one thing” that is needed. It is the thing that Jesus commended Mary for doing—”only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better” (Luke 10:42). Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He said” (Luke 10:38).

As we come to God each day, let’s resist the temptation to have only a one-sided conversation accompanied by a long list of needs and wants. Let’s remember to start with the one thing, the main thing . . . to sit at Jesus’ feet, gaze upon his beauty, and to listen to what He says.

Prayer: Father, please give me a heart like Yours. I want to seek Your face, to gave upon Your beauty, and to listen to Your voice. Keep me from a functional relationship with You, and help me to always seek Your face, not just Your hand. I love You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

and pray

2008-06-05T23:48:00.001-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

There are many ways to define prayer, but my favorite definition is this — “prayer is the conversational part of the most important love relationship in our lives—our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Prayer is so simple that many Christians neglect it, thinking erroneously that it can’t be that easy, that there must be some special skill required to be able to pray correctly. Some have said that prayerlessness is the greatest disease infecting the body of Christ today. It leads to apathy and hopelessness, because the problems in the world are so overwhelming. Prayer is what happens when we depend on God; prayerlessness is what happens when we depend on ourselves. Jesus commanded us to pray, and modeled prayer for us. Even though prayer is very simple, it is also a spiritual discipline. In other words, it is something that we can grow and develop in. Just as a young child has faltering steps, and with much practice walks and eventually runs, so, too, we can grow in our prayer lives. The best way to learn how to pray is to pray! A common question concerning prayer is whether it is more important to pray alone or with others. That’s like asking whether we should walk on the left leg or the right. Both are needed—make time in your schedule for alone time with God and to pray with a small group. Many people who have strong prayer lives say that they learned how to pray by praying with someone who was more seasoned in prayer than they were. There are many different ways to pray—be yourself and God will help you. Though it often looks like Satan is winning in our communities, the body of Christ has underutilized its greatest weapon – prayer. Change is possible. Countries like South Korea have been transformed in our generation from non-Christian to overwhelmingly Christian, mainly through large numbers of people crying out to God for their nation. We serve a God of miracles, who can defy statistics. In one night, God delivered the entire nation of Israel and they went out blessed and strong. Pray. Pray often. Pray hard. Pray with expectation. But pray.

Prayer: Father, teach me to pray. Keep me from praying out of obligation or religious compulsion; give me Your heart. Please forgive me for my prayerlessness and help me to be faithful in prayer. Increase my faith as I use the mustard seed You have already given me. I want to see Your Kingdom come! Give me confidence and expectation in You, that every time I pray, You hear my prayer and act on my behalf. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

will humble themselves

2008-05-28T10:41:00.002-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

What does it mean to humble ourselves? Here are a few definitions from the dictionary:
• To destroy the independence of
• To reduce the self-sufficiency of
• To curtail the pride of
• To destroy the power of
• To cause to be modest in spirit
• To think lowly of oneself

All of these definitions remind me of what John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). We all have an inclination towards independence and self-sufficiency, pride and power, often in many small ways. True humility is characterized by coming to the end of ourselves and recognizing our utter dependence on God. One of my favorite preachers, from Uganda (a country that has been completely transformed in the last 10 years by the Spirit of God), likes to say, “How do you want your revival—through devastation or through desperation?” God wants us to be desperate for Him to come. Admitting weakness and desperation means that we have to humble ourselves. We can be saved and living for God and yet have areas of our lives that are not fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Humbling ourselves means stepping off the throne and giving God full access to every part of our lives and hearts. It means choosing to serve and putting others first. It means acknowledging that we are imperfect, inadequate, and unable, but at the same time recognizing that God is perfect, sufficient, and “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20)!

Prayer: Father, I pray that You would increase and I would decrease. Please strip me of independence, self-sufficiency, pride, and power, and give me a lowly, modest, and humble heart. Help me to be desperate for You, in my own life, in our city and nation. Help me to consistently serve others in a way that will bring glory to You. Holy Spirit, please show me any areas of my life that are not pleasing to You. I want You to be Lord of all the kingdoms of my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Permanent Impact May 2008

2008-05-25T16:18:00.005-04:00

. . . 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?

God is working

We write to you from Atlanta this time, one month into our 3 month required break from Russia (due to visa requirements). As difficult as it was to think about leaving Russia, God's grace is sufficient and He always gives us everything we need, especially His strength! We're having a wonderful time connecting with many friends and family here earlier than expected, and daily seeing God provide opportunities to serve others during this season when our schedules are not as full as usual.

One thing we've noticed is that it seems like everywhere we look, an inordinately large number of people seem to be experiencing extreme difficulties in life, more so than what seems "normal". Certainly we can only see a small part of the picture, but it does seem that things are really tough for a lot of folks right now. I could list for you here dozens and dozens of situations that we personally know about that would break your heart to read about, and I'm sure you each are aware of multiple situations that are equally devastating, whether involving health, finances, relationships, or other life circumstances. But God is in the business of constantly reminding us that He is always working, always present, alive and active in the lives of His children. In times of crisis, we can lift our eyes to Him with the assurance that He does not change, He does not sleep, He does not take breaks - He is ALWAYS for us, ALWAYS with us, and ALWAYS working, even (maybe especially) when we can't see. Our hope is that we can in some way encourage you by pointing you to who God is and what He's doing.

I want to share with you an excerpt from my favorite devotional book, "Streams in the Desert" (known as "Streams in the Steppe" in Russian!) . . . "It is indeed extremely doubtful that a person's soul can really know the love of God in its richness and in its comforting, satisfying completeness until the skies are dark and threatening. Light emerges from darkness, and morning is born from the womb of night . . . James Creelman once journeyed through the Balkans in search of Natalie, the exiled queen of Serbia. In one of his letters, he described his trip this way: During that memorable journey, I learned that the world's supply of rose oil comes from the Balkan Mountains. The thing that interested me most was that the roses had to be gathered during the darkest hours, with the pickers starting at one o'clock and finishing by two. Initially this practice seemed to me to be a relic of superstition or tradition, but as I investigated further, I learned that actual scientific tests had proved that a full forty percent of the fragrance of the roses disappeared in the light of day. . . And it is also a real and unquestionable fact of human life and culture that a person's character is strengthened most during the darkest days."

We each choose whether our circumstances will make us bitter or better . . . difficulties and troubles WILL come, but take heart, Jesus said, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33)! As we take the things that weigh us down to Jesus, He removes our heavy burdens and gives us His peace and rest and joy and forgiveness and love, all of which are priceless treasures! He strengthens our hearts - we so need that, because all of us grow weary and afraid at times. But in God's strength, we can do whatever He asks us to do. Our prayer for you is that you will lift your eyes and open your heart to the God who made you, knows you intimately, and loves you with an everlasting love. God is working, and we can each have full confidence in His word that says that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Here are some pictures from our last week in Nizhny Novgorod and our first few weeks back in the U.S. - enjoy!

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!

* Sculley Family support
Our current support level is 63% of our 2008 financial needs - praise God!

* Resources for Russians
While in the U.S., we're gathering English language resources that we can also purchase in Russian when we return to Russia. There are many available titles, and we are focusing on the areas closest to our hearts - prayer, relationships, discipleship. Let me know if you'd like to contribute towards the purchasing of resources for Russians! We envision the resources being used for church libraries, small groups, and on an individual basis - we love to connect people with resources!

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 (http://www.atlantavineyard.com/resources/online_giving.html — just mention “Sculley - Russia” on the online giving comment line)

Praise Reports:
* The Vineyard National conference was a huge success, by all accounts - we have received many reports of healing, salvation, miracles, unity, and deliverance. Stronger bonds were forged between the churches in Russia and the other countries represented - God always blesses unity among His people! The Kingdom of God was proclaimed and welcomed. It's a special joy for us to know that our friends in Atlanta and Russia are more closely connected now. All glory to God!
* Jesus has given us many opportunities to serve Him while we're here, however we're needed. It's a daily adventure!
* Praise God for providing wonderful summer plans for each of the children. Even if we'd diligently planned for months, we couldn't possibly have come up with what God tailor-made for each one - there's no other way to explain what's unfolding before our eyes. He's amazing!
* We're still inching along learning Russian language and culture at home, using itunes and tapes.

Please pray for us:
* Pray for our short-term and long-term visas to be issued - both are required (we have to be back in Russia in order to receive the long-term ones). We trust God for His timing, plans, and provision.
* Pray for us to make the best use of our time while we are in the U.S.A. We feel that God wants us to use this time to prepare more indepth for our continuing ministry in Russia, including developing prayer strategies, preparing resources, and receiving additional training. God is answering these prayers! Thanks for partnering with us!

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 each of your 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)

Visit our blog (updated weekly):
http://permanentimpact.blogspot.com

In Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8)

who are called by my name

2008-05-15T07:40:00.004-04:00

“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

What does it mean to be called by God’s name? Firstly, it means that we are in His direct line of descent. We’ve all known people who enjoyed a little bragging about their parent, grandparent, or distant ancestor who had some claim to fame. But God, the Creator of the Universe, the beginning and the end, the Lord of Lords, the One who is worthy to receive “power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Revelation 5:12) . . . yes, Father God has told us that He calls us His very own children, even His heirs. We cannot even begin to comprehend the full implications of this astounding reality. “. . . you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ . . .” (Romans 8:15—17)

Another facet of being called by God’s name is that He sends us out as His ambassadors. In former times, kings would send long-distance messages via a messenger, who carried with them as a form of identification a special object such as a seal or signet ring. A seal attested to the authority of the bearer, and was symbolic of the power of the king. It was as though the King himself were present and saying or doing whatever the ambassador said or did. Paul wrote that God “anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21—22). Jesus spoke of what those of us who believe in Him would do as His ambassadors, in His name—see Matthew 28:18—20 and Mark 16:17—18! It is an amazing privilege to be called by God’s name. I think that the Russian patronymic tradition illustrates this beautifully. As followers of Jesus, we are each children and heirs of Father God, sent out to as His representatives on the earth. His name has become our identity—we are royal sons and daughters of the King! Let’s enter fully into the reality of that truth, and live as God’s name-bearers.

Prayer: Father, dear Abba Father, I thank You for calling me by Your name. Transform my understanding of who You are, and who You say that I am. I want to be Your ambassador and do the works of Jesus, according to Your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

my people

2008-05-06T13:41:00.002-04:00

The word “my” indicates possession—God says that we belong to Him. We are not strangers or even distant relatives, but His children, His beloved, His most treasured ones. We need to understand who we are in Christ. The Bible is full of descriptions of who God says we are. One of the enemy’s favorite strategies is to tell us lies about ourselves. If he can keep us thinking we are unworthy, unqualified, unwanted, then we will be ineffective. If we know and believe and live in the reality of what God says about us, we become dangerous to the Kingdom of darkness, and powerful in the Kingdom of God.

Meditate today on who God says you are. Here are a few Scriptures to get you started . . . I challenge you to go on a treasure hunt and see what else God says about you in the Bible—you’ll be amazed and delighted!
• “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)
• “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38—39)
• “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

Prayer: Father, thank You for calling me friend, thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love, thank You Holy Spirit that You live in me. Help me to know and believe and live in the reality of who You say that I am. I want to be all that You created me to be and do all that You intend for me to do. Have Your way in me so You can have Your way through me, for the glory of Your name! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If

2008-04-29T23:12:00.001-04:00

This is the first of 10 portions from the Nizhny Vineyard devotional that the church is currently using that I’d like to share with you – praying through 2 Chronicles 7:14 together, phrase by phrase.

"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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

This is a beautiful promise from God that is as true for Nizhny Novgorod in 2008 as it was when God first spoke this thousands of years ago. Let faith rise up within you and claim this promise for Nizhny and for Russia!

“If” is such a small word that carries such a big meaning! There are some things that God will not do without our participation! Isn’t God the Lord of all the universe? Can’t He do anything? Yes, and yes. But God has chosen for reasons that are beyond our understanding, to use the local Church (that’s you and me) in bringing about His Kingdom here on earth. It’s easy to see that He is essential in this partnership, but the mystery is that He says we are essential, too. What amazing and wonderful results occur when we do what He asks us to do. But if we do not participate, then all of God’s purposes will not be carried out.

“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land . . .” (Ezekiel 22:30)

God is always looking for people who will build up the wall (do Kingdom stuff) and stand before Him in the gap (intercede, pray for others), in order to change the destinies of cities and nations. What a privilege! Let’s say “yes” to God and join Him in doing whatever He directs us to do in extending the Kingdom of God in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, and beyond!

Prayer: Father, I want to say “yes” to you Lord, in all things. Give me an obedient, faithful, and courageous heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Permanent Impact April 2008

2008-04-21T02:37:00.002-04:00

. . . 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?

Vision, victories, and visas!

As we reflect back over our first three months in Russia, we're amazed at God's faithfulness. He sent us here with a very clear vision - to pray and encourage others in prayer, to promote unity in the body of Christ, and to raise up leaders. Since we've been here, God has given us specific strategies for each of these areas, and opportunities to live them out. You're probably familiar with the verse, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). I just love how "The Message" version puts this - "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed." We want to give full credit to God for His blessing in our lives - He has been faithful to show us what He wants to do here, and for what He wants to do in and through our lives. We are very grateful to God for giving us eyes to see what would be impossible to see without His vision!

We want to share with you some victory stories, to encourage you - God is on the move!
• The student retreat we had asked you to pray for was wonderful! Pastor Dave and Kathy and the student leadership team organized this life-giving getaway! About 50 people attended, including international students and Russians - many received a touch from God, and a few recommitted their lives to Jesus. It was a beautiful time of exuberantly worshiping God, praying together, walking in the forest, volleyball / table tennis / frisbee / swimming, eating fabulous Russian food, a wild & fun bus ride crammed into a marshrutka (little bus), and just hanging out. God used each of our children to bring joy to those who went, especially E and K, who have been adopted as little sisters by just about all of the students. There were many reports that people were refreshed physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and many relationships were built or strengthened. Visit http://vcfnn.org/blog to read an account of the retreat written by one of the godly young leaders.

• P, J, M, and C are an integral part of the budding Nizhny Vineyard youth group, lead by Olga. The youth together lead part of the worship service on Palm Sunday (April 20th), singing several songs in Russian and English. We've all had lots of opportunities to just hang out with others in the group. On some of these occasions, some of our neighborhood kids have joined in the fun. We've been praying for ways to form relationships in the community (a challenge due to our lack of language), and this is definitely an answer to prayer!

• The Holy Spirit is present and active in the two weekly Nizhny Vineyard prayer groups (lead by Misha and Lyudmilla). We've heard many reports of encouragement and increased passion for prayer, more love and unity in the body of Christ, compassion for the lost, and a growing faith in God's power to transform this city and nation. It has been a huge joy to pray regularly with these faithful prayer warriors. Misha's group also includes people from other churches around the city, a tangible display of God's heart for His Church with a capital "C" - it's no wonder God blesses the group so much with His presence (Psalm 133)!

• We've been surprised that we have "bumped into" people we know at least 10 times all over the city (on buses, in malls, while out walking around, even at the opera theater). That's no small thing in this large city of almost 2 million people. We are very thankful that God has knitted us into the community here so quickly!

• I had an opportunity this month to teach at one of the weekly student ministry meetings ("Sumphero"). The students all experienced "time under a sheet with the Father" - please use your imagination to visualize 20 people sitting in a circle, each completely covered by a bedsheet. It sounds weird, but it's actually a really neat and practical idea, developed by my Atlanta friend Larry, to help block out distractions in order to focus on God. The Holy Spirit was present and active in helping us to pray Scripture, be still before God, and to learn to listen to His voice.

• For the last several years, we've been looking into college options for P, made a bit more complicated than normal because he was academically ready at a young age. We looked into all kinds of options over the years, but nothing jumped out at us. But then God completely surprised us! This past month, P submitted his application to Lubachevsky University, to study for a Bachelor of Science in Information Technologies, starting this autumn. A couple of months after we felt God leading us to come to Nizhny Novgorod, we surfed onto the University website and found this degree. Lubachevsky is the oldest university in Nizhny, with the oldest I.T. department in the former Soviet Union, and is highly regarded as the premiere place to study in this very high tech region of the country. With 40,000 students in every imaginable faculty, 99% of the degrees are taught in Russian. Amazingly, the very degree P has had in his heart to pursue since age 11, just "happens" to be offered here in English (incidentally, this is one of 10 universities worldwide that Microsoft sponsors in the field of high-speed computing). The campus is one bus ride away from our apartment, class size is 10 - 12 students, and the 200 or so international students from 40 countries typically begin their studies at age 16 - 17 (P is 16). What a sweet confirmation from God for both P and us - praise God for His care for our children in every detail of their lives!

Visa news . . . we are still awaiting the issue of our long-term visas, which we have been told to expect this summer (winter for you southern-hemispherians!). Recently we had to redo several documents because of mis-spellings (in the Russian transliteration of names), and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the person who oversees the process felt that it was her mistake that she did not notice it when we submitted our applications, and as a result has become somewhat of an advocate for our family! Meanwhile, our short-term visas are coming to an end later this week, so in accordance with the new visa laws, we will have to return to the U.S.A. for 90 days before being permitted to enter Russia again. To be honest, we were very disappointed that there was no option to be able to stay continuously (we explored dozens of possibilities), because it's a bit heart-wrenching moving from place to place, not to mention logistically a humongous task. But God has given us the grace we need and is growing us up in our ability to trust Him more. We are at peace that He is in control and is intimately involved with every detail of our lives. None of this came as a surprise to God - our times are in His hands. We hope to return here in July, and meanwhile will enjoy seeing our Atlanta-area loved ones, sooner than we had expected! Enjoy the pictures!

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!
• Sculley Family support
o Our current support level is 60% of our 2008 financial needs - praise God!
• Resources for Russians
o A few weeks ago, we discovered that one of the churches in Nizhny Novgorod sells hundreds of Christian books and other resources in Russian, many of which have been translated from English. In coming weeks, I will be translating and finding as many of the titles as possible in English, so that we can utilize the same resources in both Russian and English. Last week I was handed a flier as I walked along the street that provided these statistics - 52% of Russians do not buy any books; 13% buy one book per month; 27% do not have any books at home. Certainly, lack of finances is a significant contributing factor, because Russians are as a whole very well educated and love to learn. Let me know if you'd like to contribute towards the purchasing of resources for Russians! We envision the resources being used for church libraries, small groups, and on an individual basis - we love to connect people with resources!

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:
• The Nizhny Novgorod Vineyard devotional has been written, translated, printed, and distributed! Almost a dozen people from the church were involved in this team effort, which is now being used by the church over the next 3 weeks, both Russian and English speakers. The focus of the devotional is to pray in preparation for Russian Easter (Apr 27th), for God's Kingdom transformation in Nizhny and Russia, and for the Vineyard National conference being hosted here in Nizhny next month.
• Praise God for our friends, authors J & S, who have donated multiple copies of their well-loved books on relationships, in Russian and English - much needed and appreciated! We look forward to using these in walking alongside others who want to grow in their understanding of God's design for relationships.
• We're all learning and using more Russian language and culture (and even some slang!) each week, thanks to Yanna's diligent teaching and constant encouragement. Our studies will continue while we're away, thanks to the plethora of audio resources we can use anywhere.

Please pray for us:
• Pray that God will continue to open doors for us to do all that He has for us to do in Russia. We plan to apply for short-term visas to allow us to return on July 24th, the earliest possible date according to the current visa laws. We trust God for His timing, plans, and provision. Please pray for long-term visas to be approved for us, and for pastor David, Kathy, & Stephanie Wolf.
• Pray for us to make the best use of our time while we are in the U.S.A. We feel that God wants us to use this time to prepare more indepth for our continuing ministry in Russia, including developing prayer strategies, preparing resources, and receiving additional training.
• Pray for the Vineyard National Conference that is being hosted here at the Nizhny Novgorod Vineyard, and will be attended by people from all over Russia, the U.S., and several other nations. There will be a pastor's summit on May 5th - 7th, followed by the national conference on May 8th - 10th, with an expected attendance of around 200 people. It's been a joy and an honor to be a part of the team laying a foundation of prayer prior to this conference. Our disappointment at not being able to attend is tempered by the news that the Atlanta team and part of the Perm, Russia team will be using our apartment while they're visiting our new stomping grounds!

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 each of your 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)

Visit our blog (updated weekly):
http://permanentimpact.blogspot.com

In Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

"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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

"May God bless you and make you fruitful" (Genesis 28:3)

Roller Coasters Get a Bad Rap

2008-04-10T13:36:00.001-04:00

A popular phrase in English that is often heard in times of uncertainty is, “I feel like I’m on an emotional roller coaster.” It’s not that the words themselves are so bad, but it’s usually said in a despairing tone of voice. It would be so easy to go with the crowd and let this kind of thinking creep in, as though there’s something inherently wrong with anything we didn’t know was coming. Roller coasters really do get a bad rap. The trick to enjoying roller coasters is to let go of fears (rational or irrational), trust that they were designed and built by someone who knew what they were doing, and enter into the thrill of the ride! Of course life is infinitely more complicated than a roller coaster, but there are definitely times in all of our lives when it feels like our hearts are being unduly influenced upwards or downwards by situations beyond our control. But there’s no escaping the truth of God’s word that says that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I’m sorely tempted here to “do a Joel B” and point out that after years of intense research, theologians have discovered that in this verse, the Greek word for “all” means . . . “all!” God doesn’t work in only a few things, some things, or even most things, but He works in ALL things for our good. He’s working in the highs, He’s working in the lows, in the ups and in the downs, in the light and in the shadows. We can’t always see what’s coming up, but we can be sure that God sees, and will work everything out for our good. God’s word is 100% reliable, because He is 100% faithful. Isn’t that an awesome promise!

The Lord has spoken to me a lot this past year about “abiding in Christ above the circumstances.” It’s easy to abide in Jesus when things are smooth and predictable. It’s when life resembles a blizzard, and we can’t even see the next step (let alone a pathway), that we need to consciously choose to abide. Jesus modeled this beautifully by sleeping peacefully in the middle of a storm that was so furious the disciples were convinced they were going to drown. Remember what He said to them – “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). I didn’t realize how much I depended on people, circumstances, and even things I normally take for granted (like consistent interpretation and implementation of laws) until they were either removed or made more inaccessible. God is constantly pursuing our hearts, and He wants all of our hearts. Out of His great love for us, He will continually put us in situations where we need to trust Him more. It’s really not worth a minute of our time to play the “He loves me, He loves me not” game (or its close cousin, “He’s trustworthy, He’s trustworthy not”). Let’s each determine to settle these once and for all. Regardless of circumstances, “He loves me” and “He’s trustworthy” are always true! God cares deeply about us, and is intimately involved with every detail of our lives. So when it feels like your heart is being tossed about, hang on to Jesus, let go of the controls, and enjoy the ride.

I know I quote from this all the time – because it’s really good! – here’s another excerpt from “Streams in the Desert” this week that God’s used to encourage and assure me . . .

“At certain times and places, God will build a mysterious wall around us. He will take away all the supports we customarily lean upon, and will remove our ordinary ways of doing things . . . We will be in a place where we do not know what is happening, where God is cutting the cloth of our lives by a new pattern, and thus where He causes us to look to Him. Most Christians live a treadmill life—a life in which they can predict almost everything that will come their way. But the souls that God leads into unpredictable and special situations are isolated by Him. All they know is that God is holding them and that He is dealing in their lives. Then their expectations come from Him alone.”

Let’s get off our treadmills of comfort, busy work, religion, and complacency, and let God orchestrate the ride, the Kingdom adventures He has planned for us. He’s the Master, He loves us, and He’s good. His plan for us is the best, the absolute best possible scenario imaginable, in every aspect. Wow! Enjoying the ride . . . I’m thankful for the journey, every twist, turn, and tunnel . . .

Torn

2008-04-02T16:02:00.001-04:00

I can’t think of anything profound to write this week, because my heart is torn. Our short-term visas run out in 3 weeks’ time – we’ve hoped for a way to be able to stay beyond that date until our long-term visas come through without having to exit the country. We and those helping us in this matter have explored almost every conceivable option. As things stand today, it looks like we may have to leave on April 24th for about 3 months – we’ve been told to expect our long-term visas to be issued in July. Physically it would be hard, packing, traveling, uprooting home and school and routines . . . financially it would be around $12k for another set of plane tickets . . . but these difficulties pale in comparison with the emotional challenges. Major transition moving from one culture to another comes with a very high price tag in the heart department – we knew this before we came, and gladly pay whatever price is required to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives. But the reality is that our hearts are torn – I’ve cried buckets of tears already at the possibility of another imminent heart wrenching.

I hope this doesn’t sound like a complaint in any way! We’ve been blessed beyond compare with amazingly wonderful loved ones on every side of all the oceans. Every morning, the names of our numerous loved ones on our kitchen prayer wall greet us – a tangible reminder of how blessed we are. Our family and friends are our most precious treasures! No matter where we are, we’re an ocean away from many loved ones – this has been a reality in my life ever since I was 7, but it sure doesn’t get any easier! I’m so thankful for the love that the Father has poured into us and for the beautiful ones He’s brought into our lives all over the world. God’s love is so amazing – it’s easy to think, “I could never love another group of people as deeply as I love ____ (fill in the blank).” Of course we can’t – our love is insufficient. But then God has a way of bringing people into our lives, often in the most unexpected ways, and suddenly we realize they’ve become very dear to us, beyond anything we could have imagined. Only God’s love is capable of that.

We still hold onto the hope that somehow the door will open for us to remain past April 24th without having to leave and come back. We’ll keep you posted! We want only God’s plans for our lives. He is keeping us in His perfect peace, but we are aware that we’re in the middle of a battle, too. We feel certain that our time here is far from over. As wonderful as it would be to see our loved ones in the U.S. again, none of us is looking forward to the possibility of two more major transitions so closely on the heels of the transition we just made. It feels a bit overwhelming to think about, but THANK GOD that He is bigger than our hearts! We’re good with whatever He wants. We trust Him completely with our lives, and rest in the assurance that His ways and timing are best. Actually, they’re absolutely perfect! God is teaching us to trust Him more – these seasons of stretching bring such wonderful fruit eventually but so magnify our weaknesses when they’re underway . . . Thank you for holding up our sagging arms and hearts – we need your prayers, always, and thank God every day for you.

Permanent Impact March 2008

2008-03-25T14:46:00.004-04:00

. . . 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?
Warming, waiting, and working!

Even though it is officially spring in the northern hemisphere now, the snow continues to fall occasionally in between periods of melting. The weather forecast promises some continuing warming this week (as high as 10 Celcius / 50 Fahrenheit), so maybe we'll see some leaves soon! Green grass is starting to peek out next to some of the sidewalks / footpaths! It really is beautiful weather here, especially when the skies clear. We've been accustomed to usually seeing only a tiny piece of sky in Atlanta, due to the amazing plethora of trees there. Here, the sky seems huge, and you can see clear to the horizon, making for gorgeous sunrises and sunsets.

We're relieved and thankful to have finally completed all the paperwork necessary for our long-term visas, and have been told to expect them to be issued in July. We may well have been among the last ones to turn everything in, due to the many delays we encountered along the way. But God is so much bigger than any obstacle - what a miracle! Meanwhile, we're waiting on God, trusting Him to move on our behalf again and open the doors for us to stay past the time that our current visas run out.

Current Russia statistics . . . In this nation of 142,000,000 people, there are 10,000,000 alcoholics; 10,000,000 drug addicts (including 4,000,000 children); 800,000 orphans; 6,000,000 homeless children; 7/10 of pregnancies end in abortion; 31,000,000 people live below the poverty line; the death rate is more than 1.5 times the birth rate. We believe God is ON THE MOVE and working here in Nizhny Novgorod, and in the nation of Russia, and these statistics will change . . . "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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Pray with us . . .

Here's a readers' digest randomly ordered peek at our lives . . . loving God, hanging with new friends, missing old friends, email, facebook, Russian language lessons, daily bus rides, ice skating, slinging reusable grocery bags over our shoulders, learning to walk on icy paths, clothes lines in the kitchen, Sculley Academy, English-language DVDs, one-on-one family dates, Sunday morning set-up and tear-down, student ministry, youth group, youth Easter choir / band, children's ministry, prayer walking & prayer bus-ing, making care packages, blessing our neighbors, celebrating Western-Easter, editing & publishing a Russian-English pre-Orthodox-Easter-devotional-booklet written by individuals in the church, prayer groups, church leadership group, hosting afternoons of food & fun, serving the body of Christ, family devotions, praying at the Agape Center, encouraging believers, exploring the city, solving Russian crossword puzzles, squeezing in at the kitchen table since we often have a big jigsaw puzzle in progress on the table in the living room . . . Everywhere we go, and in everything we do, we are aware that despite being very ordinary people doing ordinary things, we are carriers of God's presence, and daily pray for God to direct our steps and give us opportunities to display the love of Jesus and to welcome the Kingdom of God! We want to be faithful in sowing the seeds He entrusts us with . . . now for some recent pics . . .

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!

* Sculley Family support
Our current support level is 60% of our 2008 financial needs - praise God!

* Resources for Russians
Anyone who's hung out with us knows we LOVE books, DVDs, and CDs to help us learn and grow! A donation of any amount will help purchase much-needed resources to encourage Russian-speaking believers in their walk with God. The cost of living here is very expensive - many people do not have ANY disposable income, so things like books and DVDs are few and far between. (Incidentally, a long-term dream of ours, which will require a big chunk of change, is to help finance the translation of more resources into Russian.)

* Sponsor a Student
$30 will sponsor one student to be able to attend the April 5th student retreat our whole family is participating in. The retreat will include students from all over the world (mostly African and Asian), who are currently studying in Nizhny Novgorod, away from their homes for anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. The student retreat will include times of worship, teaching and prayer, and also a chance to enjoy some gym and outdoor recreation, something that is not readily available in the city (we're really looking forward to that part, too!) Many of them are strapped financially, like students everywhere! It broke our hearts to hear one student whom we invited to our apartment comment with tears in his eyes that "this is the first good meal I've had in 2 months - I've been living on potatoes." We have an amazing window of opportunity to help prepare these passionate young people for the future, as many will return to predominantly Muslim or Buddhist home countries as ambassadors for Jesus!

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 (http://www.atlantavineyard.com/resources/online_giving.html — just mention “Sculley - Russia” on the online giving comment line)

Praise Reports:
* Praise God for His grace, favor, direction, provision, and protection in our lives! We are very thankful for His goodness to us.
* Paul, Karen, P, J, M, & C have all begun Russian lessons with our friend and tutor, Valya.
* God has given us many wonderful opportunities to pray with, encourage, and spend time with others. We're thankful for the people God has brought into our lives, each one a special treasure.

Please pray for us:
* Pray that God will continue to open doors for us to do all that He has for us to do in Russia. We trust God for His timing, plans, and provision. Our current visas expire at the end of April - please pray that God will make a way for us to stay in the country while waiting for our long-term visas to be issued.
* Pray for the Easter devotional that is being written by individuals from the Nizhny Vineyard (we are editing and publishing in Russian & English). It will be used as a devotional guide by the whole church for the two weeks leading up to Easter (April 27th, because the Church here uses the Julian calendar to calculate Easter, in case you were wondering!).
* Pray for the Student Retreat on April 5th, that each one who attends will encounter Jesus Christ in a special way, be refreshed and empowered, and ready for what's ahead!
* Pray for the Vineyard National Conference in early May that is being hosted here at the Nizhny Novgorod Vineyard, and will be attended by people from all over Russia, the U.S., and several other nations. Pray for all the many preparations that are currently underway, provision, and unity in the body of Christ. We are so excited that some of our very own Atlanta Vineyard friends will be here for this, along with some dear friends from other cities in Russia and beyond!

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 each of your 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)

Visit our blog (updated weekly):
http://permanentimpact.blogspot.com/

In Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

"Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:9 - 10, New Living Translation)

"May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace." (Ephesians 1:2, NLT)

Soaking and Seeking

2008-03-19T16:58:00.000-04:00

At Friday night’s “soaking prayer time” the Lord showed me a beautiful vision. It was very intimate and precious, something that I usually would keep hidden in my heart, but this time I felt that He wanted me to encourage others with the encouragement I received from Him through this treasure.

I saw myself having a bath, nothing unusual, just an ordinary bathtub and a few bubbles. Then as I sat there, I suddenly realized that the Lord Jesus was there with me, and He began to bathe me. I am trying to tell this as sensitively as possible – it was not weird at all – it seemed like the most normal and natural thing in the world for Him to be there. I felt no shame or embarrassment about Him being there with me (like in Genesis 2:25). You know, we all pray for God’s cleansing, purification, etc. I think when I was younger in the Lord, I probably thought of “cleansing” as a kind of self-service waterfall, but I guess growing in God includes getting more intimate with Him. Anyway, on that particular day, we’d spent much time traveling around the city, and I was frankly quite tired by the time I got to the prayer meeting. There’s no physical explanation as to why one gets so tired here doing the very minimal amounts of exercise required in riding buses and walking a little to and fro, but the stress and atmosphere of the city somehow weigh on you. The Lord conveyed to me that as I’d gone through my day, I’d managed to get some mud on me, and He wanted to wash it off. This was interesting, because I did have some literal mud on me from the melting ice / snow / dirt mixture that’s everywhere this time of year. But He was indicating more the spiritual mud that had splattered on me, due to my own and others’ sin, and the sliming of the enemy. I’d already discarded my muddy clothes outside the tub, and I willingly submitted to His cleansing. He was incredibly gentle, deliberate, and thorough – sometimes you just have to scrub to get mud off! This went on for some time, and I thought of my favorite Psalm (number 23) as I often do – the Lord was tending to me in quiet waters, and was gently restoring my soul. It then occurred to me that I was much lighter. I hadn’t realized I’d been weighed down by some heavy burdens that day, but I certainly noticed when they were gone.

The Lord impressed two things on my heart through this precious vision. In order to allow Him to cleanse us, we have to lay down two very specific things. Firstly, we give to Him our soiled clothes (sin and shame). We do this by admitting to our own wrongs and receiving His forgiveness. We also need to forgive all others who have offended or wronged us. We also have to line up our thinking with who He says we are. Shame is something that began in the Garden after Adam and Eve sinned, and Jesus can and wants to set us free from all shame. Our part is to give Him the bits we’re ashamed of and let Him heal us and change our way of thinking to His way of thinking. Secondly, we can’t get into a bath with all our bags – before He can wash us, we have to lay down all our burdens. Basically, a burden is anything that we are carrying that doesn’t result in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, or self-control. When we allow God to cleanse us, we trade the dirt and baggage we seem to accumulate for one of those big white fluffy bathrobes, which is a picture of His purity, righteousness, comfort, healing, and a myriad of other blessings that accompany the Kingdom of God.

I’m so thankful for this regular “soaking prayer time” every Friday night. There’s no way you can go wrong spending a couple of hours focusing solely on the Lord. He always meets me, always. I don’t know how the Lord will speak to you, but I am certain that He will meet you if you set aside time to seek His face. God is faithful. Every single time I’ve set aside time for Him with no agenda other than to meet with Him, He has been faithful to reveal Himself to me in some way, whether I’ve been in my kitchen, at a mountain cabin, at Unveiled or a soaking prayer time, beside a fire, or on a beach. “God cares enough to respond to those who seek him’ (Hebrews 11:6, The Message). There is a mysterious component of being together with other believers that magnifies the Lord’s presence. It’s one of those Kingdom equations that can’t be explained or calculated. But whether alone or with other believers, let’s make it a frequent habit to seek the Lord and soak in His presence . . . He is faithful to cleanse us, restore us, and use us for His glory.

Continuously Connected

2008-03-13T15:58:00.003-04:00

To get from А to Б here, most people use public transportation. The most popular modes are buses and trams. There are a few commuter train lines on the other side of town. But in the city center, there are also trolleybuses – these look just like regular buses, except that they’re connected to overhead electric wires by two trolley poles. Unlike trams, which have tracks to run on, trolleybuses have the freedom to drive wherever they want. But if they lose contact with their wires, they lose their source of power, slow down, and when the momentum runs out, they stop. Paul saw one by the side of the road a few weeks ago that had become disconnected – it couldn’t move until a utility vehicle pushed it back into position and it could be reconnected to the power again.

(note, even though this is a Nizhny Novgorod trolleybus stock photo, if you want to get an authentic idea of what we’re seeing, imagine all colors replaced with white and grey, to simulate ice and snow :))

We’re a bit like those trolleybuses, aren’t we? God has given us a tremendous amount of freedom in this world, to go where we like and do what we want. But in order to live the abundant and flourishing life that Father God intended for each of us, we have to stay continuously connected to Him, our one and only source of real power. How impotent and ineffective we are when we try to rely on anything or anyone else (especially ourselves)! Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life, not one among several alternatives. Even when we fully believe that, it’s so easy to think we can coast along for awhile, especially after a period of spiritual victory or fruitfulness. There’s a very real and strong temptation to camp out on the victories of the past, to be satisfied with this far and no further, or to let momentum carry us along. The only problem with that is that if we take that route, we’re eventually going to run out of momentum and find ourselves stranded at the side of the road.

To avoid getting lulled into that kind of thinking, we need to put ourselves into “strict training” as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 9 – daily living a disciplined life and saturating our minds with the life-giving word of God. God calls us ever forward, to lay down our lives, to take greater risks, to advance into new territory, to reach new places in the Spirit. We never “arrive” as long as we draw breath on this earth – God wants us to constantly grow in our faith and trust of Him. Motivated by His great love for each one of us, He unceasingly woos us forward out of our comfort zones. He continually transforms us “into His likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Let’s press in day-by-day, hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment, and stay continuously connected to God’s power. His power supply is never-ending and always available – the choice is up to us. He will always amaze us, according to His promise, as He makes our lives “brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18, The Message). Then we’ll have the ability to fulfill what He appointed us to do – to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last (John 15:16).

Cultural Tidbits

2008-03-06T16:11:00.002-05:00

This will not come as a surprise to anyone, but we’ve encountered lots of little cultural differences . . . here are some of the observations various family members have made after our first 5 weeks . . . I thought these random tidbits would be interesting for you, especially if you haven’t been to Russia before:

Shopping . . .
• Most milk is sold in boxes, long-life, on the shelf, not refrigerated. There are a few brands of bottled milk (expensive), but you can also buy it cold in very thin plastic bags which may or may not be pasteurized. We’re going with the boxed milk 
• There is an entire aisle at our local grocery store dedicated to each of these – olives, mushrooms, fish, mayonnaise, tea (ok, there’s a little coffee sharing that aisle, too), chocolate.
• Checkout clerks do not place change or receipts in your hand – they always lay them down, even if you hold your hand out to receive them (reflex action for me that is taking a long time to remember not to do!)
• Large stores have security guards everywhere, sometimes one per aisle. They all remind me of “Men in Black.”
• Every receipt is slightly torn as it is handed to you (this is a complete puzzle to us!)
• Almost all the background music in every store we’ve been to is in English, including songs from the 60s and 70s, strengthening the assertion I made to our kids a few years back that the world has gone into a musical loop because the same songs are played over and over everywhere you go. It was bizarre and a little scary ;) hearing “How Deep is Your Love” (Bee Gees) on the ice rink today)!
• In the parking lot of a large shopping mall, a modern snow plow was at work just a few feet away from a man tediously sweeping the sidewalk with a birch broom – what a contrast!
• Even though indoor temps are what we consider to be very warm, we seem to be the only ones who take our coats off when shopping. The few times we’ve tried to “blend” (ha!) by keeping our coats and hats on while shopping have resulted in us dripping with sweat by the time we reached the checkout. Other people seem oblivious to the heat, even in their furs! In seeming contrast, most people tend to go without gloves outside unless the temperature is below freezing.

Buses . . .
• Almost every bus has a conductor (usually an older woman, occasionally a teenage boy), who collects fares and has a reserved seat. If there is no conductor, you have to pay the driver. If it’s really crowded, you can pass your money from person to person all the way to the front, and your ticket (and any change) will be passed back to you.
• To get off a bus at a particular stop, you could press the “next stop” button, but it’s more cool to just stand in the doorway and expect the driver to notice you. Our level of coolness depends on how badly we really want to get off at a certain stop – so far, so good 
• Only two people in the Nizhny Vineyard church of 100+ people have a car. Because of this, almost no one carries a Bible with them on the bus, unless they own a compact version AND can read the small font size. As a result, the church office and pastor’s home come equipped with lots of regular-sized Bibles in both Russian and English. I went to-and-fro about this for a few weeks, but have landed in the I-like-bringing-my-personal-Bible corner, because I know where to find what I’m looking for, so stuff my 10-pound Bible in my bag and lug it along anyway, looking like a tourist but glad to have my copy of the Word with me.

Out and about . . .
• Just because a street has a crosswalk marked doesn’t mean the pedestrians have any right of way, unless there are 3 or more people crossing at the same time – the first time I was trying to cross at a zebra crossing with just one other person, I nearly got stuck in the middle of the very busy 4-lane road – yikes!
• Although Russians are for the most part immaculate in their dress, the environment is generally filthy. Mountains of accumulated winter refuse are starting to peek through the melting snow.

Protocol . . .
• It’s not official unless it’s written down. Even at the ice rink, everyone’s skate sizes must be written down before the attendant retrieves them one pair at a time from a few feet away.

Public behavior . . .
• Strangers rarely make eye contact or smile (similar to Australia in this regard – I remember noticing the complete opposite when I moved to Georgia). I don’t know if people think I am mentally unstable, but I still find myself smiling at people, especially old women and young children – can’t help it.
• Even though men here are very chivalrous when it comes to things like lifting heavy objects, other acts that we would consider “gentlemanly” do not seem to be part of the culture (e.g. opening doors, allowing a woman to pass first, offering a seat, etc.)

Repairs . . .
• We grab showers when we can, because hot water often goes out for hours at a time at really odd times as they have been fixing the pipes outside our building – this has been going on for weeks, not sure when they’ll be done. The place where they’re working has ominous amounts of steam rising up just inches away from the “sidewalk” (wooden boards placed over a sinkhole) . . . we always hurry over those!
• Astonishingly, when our phone service died this week, the repairman not only showed up within a few hours, but also fixed the problem within a few minutes. This is highly unusual, so we’re told. Normally this kind of thing would be a multi-day or multi-week process.

Water . . .
• You can get water delivered to your door – this is a huge blessing since city water is completely undrinkable and not easily filterable. Our water man hoists four 19-liter bottles up our two flights of stairs every week.

Relationships . . .
• It’s important to “drink tea” (always includes lots of food) together before a meeting, but when the meeting is to begin, all food & drink must be completely & rapidly cleared away.
• If someone is more than ten years older than you or holds a certain status (?), you’re supposed to use the formal language system, unless they speak informally to you or they’re a brother or sister in the church, and then you can speak informally, which you can also use with close friends and all children . . . we’re still flailing around in the language but thankfully are still new enough that we haven’t managed to offend anyone too much yet (or at least we’re so oblivious we don’t even know who we’ve offended and why)!
• Compared to Atlanta, there don’t seem to be very many children here – this breaks our hearts. There also don’t seem to be very many elderly men. You rarely see a father with a child, or more than one child in a family. The children we see seem to be accompanied by their mother or babushka (grandmother).

Civic duty . . .
• The focus on the Russian national election was quite minimal in comparison to the intense attention given to this in the U.S. electoral system. Several people I spoke with here seemed apathetic about voting in last weekend’s Presidential election. We did not see any signage, indoors or outdoors, indicating that there was an election coming up, or in support of any candidate. Last September when I was here, I saw one billboard encouraging people to vote for Putin (who was not even one of the candidates, as you know!) The media seemed to decide beforehand who the winner was going to be. Whether it was that directly, or a fatalistic approach to life, I don’t know, but it seems to have influenced some people into choosing not to vote (“why bother?”)

Permanent Impact February 2008

2008-02-28T07:58:00.005-05:00

. . . 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?
We're in Russia!

We arrived here on the 1st of February - apologies for not writing sooner. I intended to send this newsletter as soon as we turned in our long-term visa applications, which took a bit longer than we'd anticipated - we had a lot of little glitches along the way. But we are happy to report that we've submitted those now, before the quota ran out!! It is not an exaggeration to say that this is a miracle! God continues to amaze us in the ways He leads and blesses us. We've begun the many transitions involved with a move of this magnitude . . . some things that we expected to have more difficulty with haven't turned out to be as much of a challenge as we thought they would be and have turned out in many ways to be blessings in disguise (e.g. winter weather, smaller living environment, no car). Other things are difficult as we knew they would be - being away from loved ones is definitely the hardest part! But God is faithful and we are depending on Him and His strength to get us through. Your emails are such a source of encouragement to each of us! We're enjoying the journey - hope you enjoy the photos below, which give you a tiny glimpse into our lives here. I've started writing a weekly blog entry to encourage you - check it out and sign up for automatic emails if you'd like to have them emailed to you (there's a button on the left side of the blog where you can subscribe) - http://permanentimpact.blogspot.com/

Here's our physical address, if you'd like to send any flat items - we don't recommend mailing anything larger. You can print this page out and paste this on the envelope:
Paul and Karen Sculley
Нижний Новгород г
Родионова ул, 180, #23
RUSSIA

Support:
We are inviting all our friends & family to be our partners in ministry through prayer, financial, and moral support. We need you! We invite you to join us in this mission. We can go much further together—it’s teamwork! Our sending church provides some financial support; however, we are responsible to raise most of what our budget will require. Our current support level is 49% of our 2008 financial needs - praise God!

* 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.
* billpay using your bank's system - just mention "Sculley - Russia" on the comment line
* snail-mail (please make checks payable to the “Atlanta Vineyard”, leave the comment line blank, and mail them to our address - please ask us for it, to simplify the process of applying donations to the correct account). Our personal finance team will handle the processing of all donations mailed to our U.S. address.
* online giving via PayPal (http://www.atlantavineyard.com/resources/online_giving.html — just mention “Sculley - Russia” on the online giving comment line)

We are committed to integrity, and the Atlanta Vineyard missions and financial departments hold us accountable in financial matters. We are living simply and debt-free in Russia, as we always have, and have prepared a budget which we'd be happy to share with anyone who's interested. Thanks for your support!

Praise Reports:
* Praise God for His presence in our lives! We are very aware of His grace and blessing in myriads of ways. It truly is an exciting adventure we're on, and we're enjoying the journey. Of course there are ups and downs, but God has given us His joy and peace throughout.
* Thank God for clearing the pathway ahead of us for all our paperwork! We are so thankful for the huge help that our friends Dave, Kathy, and Misha have been in the many hours this has required.
* Our friend Valya is going to tutor Paul & Karen, and P & J, in our Russian studies. We've all been using the Russian we have, and look forward to learning more!
* We've really enjoyed connecting at the Nizhny Novgorod Vinogradnik (Vineyard), building relationships, youth group, children's ministry, student ministry, prayer and leadership groups, and serving the church.
* God has given us many opportunities to pray with and for others, and to frequently prayerwalk around the city (often in buses and malls where it's warm!).
* In response to our prayers for unity, God continues to connect us with others from various nationalities and streams in the body of Christ. P and J are connecting with young adults from all over the world who are studying in Nizhny at the medical institute. Karen enjoys praying on a weekly basis with people from churches all over the city. We were delighted that a week after we arrived, the first edition of a brand new newspaper was published, the purpose of which is to connect churches in Nizhny Novgorod.
* The Lord has given us creative ways to encourage leaders including sharing a daily devotional guide during the season of Lent that our family is also using.
* We've started building relationships with neighbors in our community. People are generally very friendly and helpful in our crowded yet quiet neighborhood.

Please pray for us:
* Pray that God will continue to open doors for us to do all that He has for us to do in Russia. We trust God for His timing, plans, and provision.
* Pray for God's protection from illnesses and accidents.
* Pray for each one of us to make special friends here, and to stay connected with our friends elsewhere. We're also seeking ways for our children to plug into groups, classes, sports, and other opportunities.
* Pray for our ongoing Russian language studies, and for fluency in conversational Russian.
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 each of your 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)

Visit our blog:
http://permanentimpact.blogspot.com/

In Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." (Ephesians 3:20 - 21, The Message)

May God bless you and keep you, smile on you and gift you, look you full in the face and prosper you!" (Numbers 6)

Reveal the Treasure

2008-02-28T07:01:00.000-05:00

For the first three weeks we were here, I thought we had floral curtains in our bedroom. But then we bought a lamp last week. The first time we turned on the lamp, it highlighted the presence of many beautiful white embossed butterflies fluttering among the flowers all over the fabric. It’s surprising in retrospect that we didn’t see them before, but they weren’t very noticeable until there was strong lighting in close proximity.

As carriers of Christ’s presence, we are treasure hunters, treasure seekers. Graham Cooke, a well-known author and speaker, has a wonderful teaching on this. God wants us to shine brightly, in close proximity, the light of Christ on people’s lives, to reveal the treasure He has placed within them. God made each person in His image – a good thing to ponder regularly. Unfortunately, sin horribly mars the image, but God’s heart is that each person would become fully all that He intended them to be. That’s why Jesus came – to find and restore the lost (Luke 19:10, The Message). As followers of Christ, God sends us with His eyes, to see people the way He sees them. Whenever God brings someone into our lives, we can ask Him, “How do you see this person?” Usually the first thing we see is the obvious stuff, their problems, their shortcomings. We need to look beyond that and see what God wants to bring forth in their lives. We can shine the light of Christ on them – He will reveal the treasures we didn’t notice at first. By ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can release people into healing and freedom and fullness. What an amazing privilege! Every interaction we have with someone is an opportunity to reveal the treasure.

I love going into our bedroom each evening and turning on that lamp. It’s a fresh daily reminder to look beyond the obvious and see what treasures God wants to reveal.

Credited to our Account

2008-02-21T04:01:00.000-05:00

Last week we received a phone bill in our mailbox – first piece of real mail we’d received! Not understanding the words, we saw only the numbers – one very big number, actually – about 7000 rubles (somewhere around $300). Our jaws dropped and we wondered if we’d misunderstood the price for dialup internet we’ve been using – is it really 25 rubles a minute instead of 25 rubles an hour? Yikes! The following day we asked a friend about the bill. Turns out, the total was printed in bold type, indicating that the amount wasn’t how much we owed, but instead was CREDITED to our account! Our landlady apparently wanted to pay a sizeable amount ahead of time, probably to save herself the trouble of visiting the payments office each month (that’s how all bills are paid here – a real hassle considering the traffic, which is as bad if not worse than Atlanta’s). Whew – what a huge relief! Now imagine how we would have lived if we hadn’t realized it was a credit. For that one day when the bill arrived, we fasted internet, believing falsely that every minute of connect time was another dollar in the hole. Sure, one day is no big deal, but if we hadn’t understood the truth behind the statement, we would have gone on living that way every day. Same thing with the Word of God. We have to know the truth, we have to understand what God has said, in order to be able to receive all of His blessings! Otherwise we go on living with far less than what God has already given us, as though He hadn’t given those blessings to us at all. Our generous God has already “blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) and “seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 2:6). Genesis 15:6 says that Abraham (Abram) believed the Lord, and God “credited it to him as righteousness.” God has given us His Word, and it’s our job to believe what He has said! Then whenever we look at our accounts, every time, we will see a huge credit, a credit of righteousness, much bigger than we ever expect, because God can and always does do “far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (Ephesians 3:20, The Message). “So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” (Hebrews 4:16, The Message)

Walking in Russia

2008-02-14T03:22:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite lines from an early Vineyard worship song (“God is so good”) is, “for the natural things . . . speak of the invisible.” God talks to me a lot through ordinary everyday experiences. Here are a few “lessons from walking in Russia” – I’m talking about actual walking, nothing super-spiritual here, just getting from place to place on foot.
· Pay attention to light and shadows. We have to walk a lot on one-lane side roads, and with a hat and hood on, it’s honestly really hard to hear or see cars coming up behind you. But there are clues, especially at night when their headlights are on. I’m learning to pay more attention to the light and the shadows. The Lord really spoke to me through this – we can easily get sideswiped or rear-ended if we’re not paying attention. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) “For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 10:11)
· Don’t stand too close to murky water. While waiting to cross a street, some of us stood too close to the gutter, and a zooming car splattered mud all over our jeans. There’s no way we can allow even a tiny bit of sin in our lives and expect good results. As Keith Green said, “no compromise!” “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?” (Proverbs 6:27 – 28) “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) “I will set before my eyes no vile thing.” (Psalm 101:3)
· It’s good to walk on paths that those who have gone before you have trod. Coming back from the grocery store, C stepped off to the side of a small road, thinking she was standing on solid ground. By the grace of God, she didn’t fall into the huge hole that appeared beneath one of her feet (thank You, Jesus, for Your divine protection)! Those who have gone before us in Christ have made pathways for us to follow, and we can learn from them and avoid hidden pitfalls by walking as they walked. I love to learn from others and stir faith by frequently reading stories of “heroes of the faith” (in the Bible, biographies, devotionals, etc). We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before – what a blessing! “Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” (Proverbs 1:8 – 9) “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:5 – 6)

God’s Glorious Grace

2008-02-03T03:18:00.001-05:00

The agent who checked us in at the Lufthansa counter in Atlanta waived *many* overweight baggage fees (at $50 a pop), even though the adjacent agent was being very strict and charging the fee. As much as we tried to pack each bag to the exact limit, bathroom scales aren’t precision weighing instruments. Thank you, Jesus, for giving us favor!

A nice German stranger handed us 2 blankets and a pillow at the exact moment we decided to set up “camp” for our 11 hour layover in Frankfurt airport. Thanks to those plus the 2 Pooh bears our twins brought, we all caught some great naps on the floor!

Paul’s Russian reading skills ramped up when he inadvertently bought six 1-liter bottles of Kafir instead of milk (Kafir falls somewhere between buttermilk and runny yogurt). I’ve discovered it’s a great ingredient for muffins, popovers, and tuna pot pie.

The two Russian repairmen who came to our apartment to fix some leaking radiators apparently didn’t require any privacy when changing their clothes in the middle of our living room – a bit of a surprise for the Sculley females! A walk around the neighborhood at night also reveals that closing curtains is optional, too . . .

Paul figured out how to adjust the heat in our apartment, thanks to new radiator technology, so now we can sleep with the windows closed. Too much snow was blowing in, anyway!
What would be considered very minor medical issues in the U.S. translate here to phone calls to other believers for urgent prayer. We received one such call this week from some friends. Imagine having even a minor complication with no readily accessible drug store or trustworthy clinic. Living here is giving us a greater appreciation that our dependence is totally on God, because as wonderful as great medical care is, it can lure us into thinking of that as our first line of defense and only really praying about the “biggies”.

My morning quiet times have been so lovely – in our bright, cheerful little kitchen on the 3rd floor, I sit at the table facing the window. I see the city lights, then as dawn breaks through, I see many of our neighbors come out to de-ice / snow their cars or make their way to the bus stop for work or school. The sun casts a beautiful glow on the side of the adjacent building, and beyond that is the beautiful Volga River, a sash of ice at this time of year. It’s a lovely way to start the day, and I’m enjoying the arsenal of devotionals we brought (those and itunes worship music are essentials!). There really is something to “praying in high places” . . . it helps me to have much more of a heavenly perspective in praying God’s Kingdom down on a neighborhood, a city, a nation!

Write it Down

2008-01-27T03:21:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had an epiphany (in the middle of a mundane task, which seems to be how most epiphanies occur). I suddenly realized that I am more like biblical Paul than David. Let me explain . . . when I was about 10 years old, I began a journal, and continued this daily discipline for over 20 years. And then following a very intense period of brokenness and healing, it changed. I transitioned to journaling only when something fairly significant occurred, and didn’t journal day-to-day things anymore. Initially I thought maybe I’d just burned out, but eventually realized there was more to it than that. There was a sense of incompleteness, but journaling more wasn’t the answer. This is where the epiphany comes in. David journaled. The book of Psalms is largely David’s private journal, as he recorded his innermost thoughts, struggles and victories, joys and sorrows, conversations with God. My understanding of God, life, and myself has been greatly enriched by his writings! His journal is a prayer book, a source of hope, a lyric sheet, and much more! Maybe Paul journaled, too, but what we know of Paul is that he was a letter-writer. He wrote to others what was on his heart, often in order to encourage them or spur them on.

Aha!
I’ve been a letter-writer all my life! As a teenager, I corresponded with 72 penpals, 20 of whom I wrote to every week. I still love to correspond with people, especially to bring encouragement. OK, so what I’m learning is this. Firstly, it’s very important to write it down. Johnny talked about that on Sunday – Moses wrote down everything the Lord had said (Exodus 24:3). We all forget stuff – some of us forget details more readily, others forget emotions, a few forget most everything. The most important thing is to record what God speaks to us. There are lots of things we could write down that would be interesting to remember, but not likely to significantly affect the course of our lives if we don’t refer back to them. But when God speaks to us, it’s crucial to write it down, think about it, remember it, do it, and read it again when we doubt or get discouraged. Incidentally, I did not think I heard much from God for many years. In retrospect, He did speak to me quite a lot, but I didn’t perceive it, largely because I wanted to define how He should speak to me. I had to learn to be still, wait, rest, listen, be open. I needed to learn to pay attention (“For God does speak – now one way, now another” Job 33:14). I’m still learning. Secondly, and here’s where I needed an epiphany – how we write it down can vary. Some of us tend to be more like David, some are more like Paul, both in the way we process things, and in the way we share with others. Both disciplines are needed for our own growth AND for the strengthening of the body of Christ. We can do both, whether we consider ourselves more of a David or a Paul . . . journaling (setting aside time to write down and think about what the Lord speaks to us), and writing letters (sharing some nuggets with others). Both habits not only help us to grow in faith and confidence, but God will bring encouragement, comfort, and hope to others as we share our treasures and our stories.

Crossing the Line

2008-01-20T03:20:00.000-05:00

About a year ago, the Lord began to speak to us about living in Russia for a season. This had been on our hearts for years, and in our minds it was something Paul and I would do at a more convenient time like when the kids were all grown. But God spoke to us and He kept on speaking and made it clear that He had a different timeline in mind. We got to a point where we realized that there was a line drawn on the ground, so to speak. We stood there, with our toes right up next to the line, and our Heavenly Father gave us a choice. He said in essence, “I’m not going to force you to do this, but my very best plan for you requires you to cross that line. Don’t be afraid. Trust me. I love you. I’m always with you. I want you to lay everything down before me. Are you willing? (And by the way, there’s no turning back.)” It was a terrifying decision, a momentous decision, one that evoked feelings of diving headfirst off a very tall tower through a thick cloud into a tiny and not-yet-visible tub of water. The Lord showed me how much idolatry and selfishness I had in my heart – in my flesh, I didn’t want to give up seeing my friends face-to-face . . . I didn’t want to give up fruitful, life-giving ministries . . . I didn’t want to give up a comfortable living environment . . . I didn’t want to give up being known . . . I didn’t want to give up having more than one bathroom in our home . . . I didn’t feel like bending. But God is love, and He poured so much encouragement, so much grace, so much comfort, and so much courage and faith into our hearts to enable us to repent and to surrender all. He put a desire in us that we couldn’t possibly have manufactured on our own – He gave us the desire to give it all up. Now, it’s one thing to give up things that aren’t that great like clothes that don’t fit you anymore anyway, but another thing entirely to give up your most priceless treasures. We were living in a season of tremendous fruitfulness in every area of our lives. It is especially difficult giving up something that you’ve birthed, labored over, and loved from the depths of your heart, whether relationships, ministries, or math clubs. But God’s grace is sufficient! He has drenched us with His grace and given us such joy in the process! He’s continued to speak and confirm His word, through Scripture, through His still small voice, through dreams & visions, through others, through circumstances. The heart, the core of our vision, the reason we’re going is to pray, and to simply “be” among the people as carriers of God’s presence (“Christ in you, the hope of glory”, Colossians 1:27). We want to passionately embrace all that God has for us, and expect Him to connect us with whomever He chooses. We certainly don’t presume to know what’s in store for us, but we are confident that our Lord does – we trust Him. True to His Word, He’s kept us in His peace and rest as we’ve kept our focus on Him. Going to Russia is gonna be hard, maybe harder than anything we’ve ever experienced, but we know it’s gonna be GOOD because God’s plans are ALWAYS good. So . . . we’ve laid everything down at the feet of Jesus. We took the leap of faith, just one step, actually, and we were across the line. He’s shown us one step at a time, given us grace for that one step, and that is enough. Our job is simply to trust Him completely – to put our hand in His and confidently expect Him to give us grace for the next step and then the next . . . this is a FAITH journey we’re all on. I want to encourage you . . . has God drawn a line on the ground before you? Of course, giving our lives to Christ is crossing the ultimate line. But periodically, the Lord draws other lines and calls us ever forward out of our comfort zones, to transform us to be more Christlike. Count the cost, receive courage and grace from Him, seek Godly counsel and prayer from your leaders and loved ones, throw yourself with wholehearted abandon into the arms of your loving heavenly Father, be confidently expectant in the Lord . . . and cross that line . . .

Permanent Impact January 2008

2008-01-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

. . . 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?
MOVE DATE: January 31st, 2008!

Although we haven't purchased our plane tickets yet, our expected move date is the last day of the month - still waiting for our passports to be returned with visas inside! Even though we paid for "expedited" processing, there have been a lot of holidays over Christmas, New Year's, and Orthodox Christmas, when no official business is transacted.

Our hearts are "bistweet" and "haddy" - two words C invented to describe the bitter-sweet, happy-sad feelings we all share - excited about the amazing adventure ahead, yet finding it difficult to be separated from so many loved ones for a season! It's caused us to treasure our relationships even more, and to savor things in our environment and climate that we normally take more for granted. We're approaching the end of the packing phase, but better than packing, we're trying to get with as many loved ones as we can before we fly out, enjoying one more meal together, one more play date, one more evening with friends . . . so many special memories being made! Thank God for the internet, that we can stay in touch so much better than when we moved across an ocean in the late 80s and snail mail took 3 weeks each way. We welcome and treasure your emails, and if you want frequent mini-updates, please join facebook and add Karen Sculley to your friend list.

Along with many others at our beloved Atlanta Vineyard Church, we are grieving the loss of our dear friend, Jack Spangler, who died on December 31st, 2007. Jack and Jill (and sons J & J) have been our faithful friends, encouragers, and prayer partners at the Atlanta Vineyard for 15 years. www.atlantavineyard.com/jack_spangler.html

Here are some recent pics . . . C's hair donation (for kids with cancer), last days at ballet classes, P's 16th birthday party, then Christmas at Myrtle Beach - building the Gingerbread house, six in a tub, with Grandma & Grandpa, goggle girls, and home again for J's 14th birthday party.

Please let us know if you'd like us to mail you one of our family's new fridge magnets, to help you remember to pray for and encourage us! Let us know if you'd like more than one to distribute to your network of friends!

Let us know if you want our cool Fridge Magnet

We pray for you, too - let us know if you have specific prayer requests. One of our newest prayer tools is a computerized photo frame. Please email or mail us a photo of you and / or your family so we can add your faces to our gadget - thanks a bunch!

Support:
We are inviting all our friends & family to be our partners in ministry through prayer, financial, and moral support. We need you! We invite you to join us in this mission. We can go much further together—it’s teamwork! Our sending church provides some financial support; however, we are responsible to raise most of what our budget will require. Our current support level is 40% of our 2008 financial needs (contributions and monthly pledges combined) - praise God!

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 are some options (all financial contributions are processed through the Atlanta Vineyard, our sending church, and are 100% tax deductible in the U.S.A.):
* 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.

* billpay using your bank's system - just mention "Sculley - Russia" on the comment line

* snail-mail (please make checks payable to the “Atlanta Vineyard”, leave the comment line blank, and mail them to our address - please ask us for it, to simplify the process of applying donations to the correct account). Our personal finance team will handle the processing of all donations mailed to our address.

* online giving via PayPal (http://www.atlantavineyard.com/resources/online_giving.html — just mention “Sculley - Russia” on the online giving comment line)

We are committed to integrity, and the Atlanta Vineyard missions and financial departments hold us accountable in financial matters. We plan to continue to live simply and debt-free in Russia, as we always have, and have prepared a budget which we'd be happy to share with anyone who's interested. Thanks for your support!

Praise Reports:
* In preparing some of the paperwork required for visa applications, we found out that our firstborn already has more than enough credits, so P is officially graduating from high school this month! He hopes to begin university studies soon - we'll share more details later as this unfolds.

* The children are close to completing year 2 of their Russian language curriculum!

* Praise God the visa-related documents we expedited to Australia finally made it there and back, despite being wrongly routed through France, Singapore, and the Philippines before reaching the correct destination.

Please pray for us:
* Pray for favor to receive the visas we need to do all that God has for us to do in Russia.

* Pray for God's continued provision, including good airfares.

* Pray for God's protection from illnesses and accidents.

* Pray for each one of us to make special friends in Russia.

* Pray for our ongoing Russian language studies, and for fluency in conversational Russian.

* Pray for us as we go out by faith and not according to what we can see . . . "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. . . and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

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)

Heading for Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

"But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume." (2 Corinthians 2:14, NLT)

May you know more of the redemptive love of Christ in 2008!

Permanent Impact December 2007

2007-12-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

. . . 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?
MOVE DATE: middle of January 2008!

A lot has happened since our last newsletter! Our biggest news is that we now know we'll be moving to Russia in the middle of January! In October, some major changes were made to visa laws in Russia, affecting not only all religious workers, but also all long-term business workers. As a result, it is very important that we arrive in Russia before the end of January, because we will need to apply for temporary residency visas as soon as we arrive, and there is a quota associated with that kind of visa. God has given us incredible favor in preparing the massive amounts of required paperwork . . . we are very close to having everything that we need (whew!). Despite the amazingly complicated nature of moving a family of 8 across an ocean to another culture, God daily keeps us in His perfect peace and rest. Planning at least 12 months ahead for school and clothes alone is a mammoth task, but the Lord is helping us with everything and giving us the wisdom, grace, strength, and helpers that we need.

Here are some pictures from our huge outdoor Russia party in October with many of our loved ones in Atlanta . . . lots of food, fun, fire, and friendship!

At the end of November, Paul & Karen enjoyed a wonderful week in Nizhny Novgorod! We are very thankful for the generosity of our friends, the Carnahan, Fedoruk, and Roberson families, who took great care of our kids while we were away! It was a very special week for many reasons, including Paul & Karen's 22nd anniversary, so we enjoyed a second honeymoon in the middle of all the activities of the week! We focused on building relationships and setting up our apartment - yes, we are now renting an apartment in Russia, which is a huge answer to prayer - see the praise report below for more details. We had some special times and meetings with Dave & Kathy Wolf (pastors of the Nizhny Novgorod Vineyard, where we'll be plugging in) . . . shopping, assembling furniture, discussing, praying, eating, walking . . . and also with Luane Thomson (missions director of the Atlanta Vineyard), who joined us for our last two days there. We loved hanging out with Misha and our other friends in Nizhny, both socially and at church, prayer and leadership groups - we had some great times of eating, praying, talking, and worshiping together. We also enjoyed visiting the Agape Center, a city-wide ministry that has a heart for (among other things) developing youth, strengthening local churches, and promoting unity in the body of Christ (all of which are very dear to our hearts)! Paul and Karen enjoyed some adventures on our own around the city, and managed to not get lost, which greatly boosted our confidence that we might actually be able to do amazing things like buy groceries and get from A to B and back again without ending up at C!

Please let us know if you'd like us to mail you one of our family's new fridge magnets, to help you remember to pray for and encourage us! Let us know if you'd like more than one to distribute to your network of friends!

We pray for you, too . . . being visual as well as techie kinds of people, we plan to have one of those computerized photo frames in our living room that can display hundreds of photos on a rotation basis. Please send us a photo of you and / or your family so we can add your faces to our gadget - thanks a bunch!

Support:
We are inviting all our friends & family to be our partners in ministry through prayer, financial, and moral support. We need you! We invite you to join us in this mission. We can go much further together—it’s teamwork! Our sending church provides some financial support; however, we are responsible to raise most of what our budget will require. Contributions and monthly pledges combined put our current support level at 12% of our 2008 financial needs - praise God! Thanks to this financial support, we have been able to buy warm clothes for everyone, and begin renting and setting up our apartment in Nizhny Novgorod! Incidentally, we've recently discovered that Moscow is now the most expensive city in the world to live in, and Nizhny Novgorod is very similar in prices, to give you an idea of the cost of living there (Atlanta is 86th on the list; Sydney is 21st).

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 are some options (all financial contributions are processed through the Atlanta Vineyard, our sending church, and are 100% tax deductible in the U.S.A.): (Please let us know if you do any of these, so we can update our personal records!)

* 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.

* billpay using your bank's system - just mention "Sculley - Russia" on the comment line

* snail-mail (please make checks payable to the “Atlanta Vineyard”, leave the comment line blank, and mail them to our address - please ask us for it. This will simplify the process of applying donations to the correct account). Our finance team will handle the processing of all donations mailed to our address.

* online giving via PayPal (http://www.atlantavineyard.com/resources/online_giving.html — just mention “Sculley - Russia” on the online giving comment line)

We are committed to integrity, and the Atlanta Vineyard missions and financial departments hold us accountable in financial matters. We plan to continue to live simply and debt-free in Russia, as we always have, and have prepared a budget which we'd be happy to share with anyone who's interested. Thanks for your support!

Praise Reports:
* Praise God for His amazing favor with our paperwork - e.g. the "normal" processing time for FBI reports, according to their website, is 16 - 18 weeks . . . we received ours in only 2-1/2 weeks! We've also had nurses and administrators at our very large and often impersonal health clinic go out to bat for us (at their initiative, without us even asking) to get needed immunizations and health records.

* Our apartment in Nizhny Novgorod is more than we could ever have "asked or imagined" (Ephesians 3:20). It's huge by Russian standards, with 3 bedrooms; the interior is brand new, warm, bright and cheerful; there are views on 3 sides, including a beautiful view of the Volga River from 4 windows; it is only about 10 minutes' walk in any weather to a huge shopping mall including a very modern grocery store and hardware store; our landlady is wonderful; it's only one bus ride away from the church we'll be a part of; and the rent is within our budget!

* We are so thankful to God for our many loved ones all over the world who are standing with us in prayer, encouragement, and support!

* Praise God for His protection, especially after our airplane blew an engine while taking off from Frankfurt . . . we had to jettison most of the fuel over southern Germany before returning to Frankfurt to change planes.

Please pray for us:
* Pray for favor as we apply for short-term visas to enter Russia, and then temporary residency visas as soon as we get there. We're asking God to reserve 8 places in the quota for us!

* Pray for our last-minute preparations, including goodbyes, packing, and wise use of our time.

* Pray for each one of us to make special friends in Russia.

* Pray for God to release His provision, financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, in every way!

* Pray for God's continued protection in all areas of our lives.

* Pray for our ongoing Russian language studies.

* "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

* "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Our vision:
* raise up leaders

* mobilize prayer in and for Russia

* promote unity in the body of Christ

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)

Heading for Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley

Preparing for the November choir recital that 6 of us participated in (4 singers, 1 accompanist, and a page turner)!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Paul & Karen visiting Nizhny soon . . .

2007-10-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

Paul and Karen will be in Nizhny for a week soon . . . we'll post pictures and updates when we get back! God continues to encourage us and things are progressing towards our move . . . won't be long now . . .

The dream . . .

2007-09-14T13:03:00.000-04:00

This is the view I saw in my dream back in March . . .

photos from Russia . . .

2007-09-14T11:52:00.001-04:00

My precious friends Angela & Almira

A beautiful view of the Volga & Oka confluence in Nizhny Novgorod
Karen, Kathy, Dave, "bunny ears" C, Steph
C and Stephanie, fast friends

Karen & Misha, my братик
мама мишу
C with a crown :)
Where are we going now?

There's those bunny ears again . . .

Waiting for the boat
The lovely Valya, who took us on the Volga cruise
some of our Perm friends - Anya & Vovchik, Julia, and Irina
Valya / Valentina
Lucia from Krasnoyarsk, a true worshiper of God

Beloved Luba, who carries with her a photo of our family that Paul gave her in 2003

Check out this view (notice the rain, that has followed us around for months!)
Дядя Миша and his girls, D & C
The wonderful Wolf clan
darling D, cutie C, super Steph, and the lovely Larissa
Angela, Karen, Misha, D

Stephanie
Karen & Mama Natasha enjoying some Арбус
In Natasha's living room, strewn with all my stuff
Beloved Angela
Picture #786 (Misha loves to take pictures!) Actually, that's how old Nizhny Novgorod is - С днем рождения

Praying a birthday blessing on Misha
My lovely friend Natalia, Gyena's fiancee
Our поезд traveling companions, Galya, Alyona, and Lyudmilla
The whole gang at the Perm women's retreat

My good friend Vicki

Tea with Tanya, Kathy, & Almira

The praying faithful ones

With my wonderful friend Wanda, standing outside the YWAM building on Superphosphate Street in the "Acid Summer House" community

Anya and C
My favorite view from the boat on the Volga
A beautiful Orthodox church

The gate that lead to the view for the dream (see above video)

Visiting with Angela and D on the first day of school!

Karen and C had a beautiful time in Russia with our loved ones there. Here are some of the many photos we came home with. God's heart is HUGE towards Russia. Our Russian friends are very dear to our hearts!

2007-07-09T14:56:00.001-04:00

We've been invited by our brothers & sisters in Russia to come, we've been blessed by our leaders here to go, so now we're in preparation phase, heading for an early 2008 departure! We're studying Russian every day, packing for our trip down under, Karen & C are also packing for their short-term trip to Nizhny Novgorod & Perm . . . more news soon! Слава Богу!