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)
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
overwhelmed
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Permanent Impact July 2008
. . . 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)
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)
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