Pastor Phil McNeill’s January 31, 2010 sermon titled “How to Forgive” is now available.

• “How to Forgive” (PDF Notes)
• “How to Forgive” (MP3 Version – 28M)
• “How to Forgive” (RealAudio Version – 2.5M)

Bulletin for January 31, 2010

I am today on day 24 of a Daniel fast. I am so blessed by the participation of the congregation in our 21 days of payer and fasting which ended just this last Sunday evening. In all my years as pastor here at Word of Life, I have never seen anything more effective than this season. I have never seen anything that has had more anticipation from a vast majority of our congregation. On behalf of the elders and personally, thank you all so much. Many of you have shared personal testimonies of how you were blessed during this season. There has been everything from a deeper personal sense of the Lords presence, to breakthroughs in your lives. We have had financial blessings and a marriage restored. Praise the Lord!!

Personally I am going to keep going trying to make it to 40 days. I woke up this morning burdened for Haiti and that will be my prayer for the day. Specifically I will be praying for God to bring healing to that land and for one of our own, Ken Trezise who is there today. I just got a total form our accountant and a little over $1500 has come in.

I want you all to know that I love Word of Life and all of you. Your kindness and generosity are a testimony of you love for Jesus.

Have a great day.

Pastor Phil

Pastor Phil McNeill’s January 24, 2010 sermon titled “When you forgive” is now available.

• “When you forgive” (PDF Notes)
• “When you forgive” (MP3 Version)
• “When you forgive” (RealAudio Version)

Bulletin for January 24, 2010

Bulletin for January 17, 2010

Pastor Phil McNeill’s January 10, 2010 sermon titled “When you pray” is now available.

• “When you pray” (PDF Sermon Notes)
• “When you pray” (MP3 Version – 38M)
• “When you pray” (RealAudio Version – 3.4M)

Bulletin for January 10, 2010

Here we are near the end of Day 5. This has been a grueling day for my wife and I physically. I woke up this morning feeling like my tongue had become a deposit for toxic waste. Physically feeling week but somehow having this tinge of energy also.

I was joking with my wife that since she started fasting, several chocolate milk plants had shut down and Reese’s peanut butter cup production had ground to a halt. (I asked her permission before sharing this.)

Personally today the Holy Spirit has been highlighting sin. Not that I am not aware of sin or that there is some gross sin in my life. It is more that I have become tolerant to sin or desensitized to it as it flaunts itself everyday in our culture. It is not that I am angry about it but broken to the fact that it is so commonly flaunted at us in our media and culture. Things that would have been appalling even when I was a teenager are accepted as common place, live and let live tolerance. My heart again was not angry but broken as I prayed a prayer of repentance for myself and our world around us. “Lord let me not become comfortable with sin and may I not allow it to become commonplace around me because the result of it is pain and suffering. Help me Lord.” I was burdened for the lost in a fresh way. This verse came to me, Mark 6:34, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd; he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them.” They are like sheep without a shepherd.

I spoke with one of the young men in our church today he and his wife are fasting. His children are fasting candy and television which was their decision. As I spoke with him I could hear revival in his own life. He
mentioned reading scripture and praying at night. He said to me, “Pastor this is only day 5 I cannot wait until near the end.” He shared with me for at least 30 minutes what the Lord was doing during this season of prayer and fasting. I was deeply moved.

My prayer request for today has been for Harry Vellekoop and Nancy Clark’s request for financial provision for Elim Bible Institute. Although the Lord had done amazing things the school is still not out of the woods.

Again, it’s not too late if you have not jumped into this. Come on in, the water is fine.

Pastor Phil

Here we are three days into the season of prayer and fasting.  Day 1, I like to call this day “sticker shock.” That day was like the feeling you get after you buy a new car. You are caught up in the excitement and then after you own it you realize how much you paid or how much you will pay for 21 days. Day 2, rejoicing in the time you spent in prayer during day 1 with your wife and children. Day 3, first report of a breakthrough comes in from a family in the church. Hallelujah!!

Remember as we read in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly realms.” Also, as we read in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Let me encourage you keep fasting and praying. Maybe you haven’t started yet you can jump in right now. Just fast a meal and pray. Take the list from our family here in the church and lift them before the Lord. Or just cry out to him for more of his presence in your life and all our lives.

My personal prayer request from the list for today is for Bill Juba to find a good paying job. Can we all make that, along with the others, our prayer request of the day?

Remember we are all in this together for eternity.

Pastor Phil