Careforce Lifekeys 2007 Conference Afterglow “A Living Jesus for a Dying World”

In trying to think of the best way to describe the 2007 conference in Yakima, WA, one word keeps coming to mind - Perfect! Even to the weather!

Kandy Ingersol and her team at First Presbyterian Church in Yakima are to be commended for their superb planning and hospitality - a 1st Rate Job - every detail covered to the max!

Allan and Helen Meyers, ministers behind Lifekeys were tops. They are genuine, kind, loving and understanding people whose personalities lend itself to making people feel comfortable, respected, valued and of worth. They have a heart for God and a deep desire to bring the healing power of Jesus to individuals who are broken, hurting and searching for meaning and purpose that will help them become ‘whole’ people, the people that God intends them to be.

Allan and Helen testify that ‘Healing is a part of the very nature of the God Who is There. Healing was one of the fingerprints of divine authority in the ministry of Jesus and healing ministry is one of the ministry elements we are called to share as the Body of Christ.

The Lifekeys Conference was dedicated to encouraging and equipping churches in their calling as healing communities; bringing a living Jesus to a dying world.

Allan presented God inspired Bible messages that were thought provoking and challenging. The following are some quotes that hung in my mind and heart . . .

“There are wounded people all around us, who struggle with their own personal issues of life, in general, suffering from their own personal leprosy!
But how can we help?
What can I do?
And, if we bring hurting people into our churches it will make it uncomfortable for the rest of us.”

“God can lead us into profound paths of trust and healing.”

“Our churches are surrounded by pain that longs for healing . . .
do we ignore it?
give a band-aid fix?
or really address the need and extend a helping hand!”

“Broken, hurting people live in a paradigm that is not normal - but it is the only life they know and quite often believe it is the norm for everyone - Sunday worship is great and essential, but there must be a ministry outside of Sunday that deals with the nitty gritties of life’s realities - pain
and suffering, and this is not always the pain and suffering that is visible!”

“We live in such a materialistic world, yet people are out of touch with themselves, they don’t know who they are, seekers after the next new fad that will bring fulfillment.King Solomon in all his wisdom almost ruined himself trying to find meaning and purpose to life.
When all was processed, he realized that;
‘Life is found alone in Jesus,
Only there ’tis offered thee,
Offered without price or money,
‘Tis the gift of God, sent free.

Helen shared a message on the power of ‘one’ and the difference one can make. She drew from the Book of Nehemiah. In his disaster he turned to God.

Three principles shared were:

1: We need to be passionate about changing our life or are we content with things the way they are? Nehemiah confessed his sin, looked at his own life and acknowledged his own brokenness.

2: We need to get into the battle for our life. Nehemiah recognized his own inabilities and turns to God. Our brokenness can turn us to faith in God.

3: We must then use our influence and share the love of God. Nehemiah became the cupbearer to the king. God can use us just where we are.

Realizing that whenever we take a stand we will come up against opposition and resistance, but we have to respond to this with a steadfast faith in God. Guard what you have begun to cultivate with prayer, daily devotions, group support, church attendance, etc.

Fear is not a wall, it is a door! By God’s power you can walk through that door and close it fast shut behind you.

Dr. Eric Scalise was like ‘a breath of fresh air.’ He is the Department Chair of Counseling programs and a professor in the school of Psychology and Counseling at Regent University.

Eric shared from his own personal and professional journey . . . we were created for relationship, this is an expression of God’s love. We need to experience God, His love, forgiveness and acceptance before we can help others in this significant relationship.

He spoke of the power of relationships drawing from Acts 2, The Healing of the Lame Man.

Peter and John offered to this broken man;

A Sense of Worth

A Reason of Hope

Real Help - A Helping Hand

An Introduction to the Man Christ Jesus

Another area of ministry is his counsel to people in ministry and ministry related leadership. He cautions these people to take care of themselves, to beware of stress and burnout. He offered the following precautions;

Don’t forget your first Love

Learn to depersonalize - it’s not your personal problem, you are there as a support.

You can’t make the problem go away, but you can walk beside the person and point
him/her in the right direction.

Take time for yourself, rest, be silent and still. Jesus took time to be get away to a quiet place.

Give your burdens to God everyday.

Seek to resolve things that can be taken care of quickly and get them out of the way.

Learn to say no! People will adjust to your calendar. The cemetery is filled with indispensable people.

Find 1 or 2 people that you can be totally honest with and let them hold you accountable.

Helena McNeill is a Worship Leader at Willow Creek Community Church. Helena has a unique style of writing, her melodies and compositions are gentle and persuasive. Each morning and throughout the day Helena led us in a time of Praise and Worship that, in a sense, as you entered into the praise and worship you journeyed toward personal healing and wholeness.

Helena shared from her own personal journey toward healing and wholeness. She suggested that there were three things that you are sure to bump into in the course of your own personal journey;

Everyone has some pain and brokenness in their life. Facing your pain is hard, but if you are going to be whole, face it you must.

Many of us carry false truth. Along our journey we come across truth, truth that really hurts. Lies that we have come to believer are truth . . you deserve what’s happened to you . . if you hadn’t said . . if you hadn’t done, etc., and you enter the blame game.
You must change the lies you believe into the truth of God’s love, the One who knows the whole truth.

You must choose what you will do with what has happened to you in your life. God can make you whole, but you have to let Him.

A Living Jesus for a Dying World . . .
We all have a part to play . . .
And no one can play your part!