Founder and CEO of New Rhythm Project Shelly Yost

What A Journey!!

2010-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

The past few days traveling through Hebrews has been more then FUN!! I wanted to pull out a few verses that really made me think reading them through in The Message.

Hebrews 12: 1-3
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

This verse came alive again to me like the first time I read it!! I don`t think we think enough about how Jesus began and has finished this race of life. We are not doing it for the first time, or suffering through things he would not understand. We should STUDY HOW HE DID IT! And I mean really does that SHOOT ADRENALINE INTO YOUR SOUL!!

Hebrews 13: 5-6ish
GOD is there, ready to help
I'm fearless no matter what,
Who or what can get to me?

I LOVE THIS!!

Hebrews 13: 9

The Grace of Christ is the only good ground for life.

I LOVE THIS!!!

Hebrews 13: 18-21
Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we're doing or why, but it's hard going and we need your prayers. All we care about is living well before God. Pray that we may be together soon.
May God, who puts all things together,
makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you
with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes.

This is the end of Hebrews and just puts a BIG Stamp on the end!! Let the God who PUTS ALL THINGS TOGETHER, who MAKES ALL THINGS WHOLE, who MADE A LASTING MARK THROUGH THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS, who LED JESUS, that GOD... let him now PUT TOGETHER everything in you need... not look at this ... EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PLEASE HIM!! I don`t know about you but that is not what I pray for. Dear Jesus give me everything I need to make ME HAPPY is more like my prayer. This passage really impacted me. MAKE US INTO WHAT GIVES HIME MOST PLEASURE. The prayer here at the end of Hebrews is brining the "old law" and the "new law" into a full story. The God of the Old Law and New Law is the same God he brings all things together, he was the one who brought Jesus to life again and now that same God will give us everything we need to PLEASE HIM!! AMAZING!!

So excited to start Psalm 119!!

From Garden to City

2010-02-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday as a church we will be starting a Bible Reading Plan. We will be starting with Psalm 119 and jumping right into Job. Our reading plan is not chronological or From start to finish. NCC has created a reading plan that will run with the Liturgical Calendar. We will be reading about Christ Resurrection at Easter, reading about Jesus Birth at Christmas.. you get the idea. I have been reading through the bible from start to finish however starting Wednesday we will be switching to this reading plan. Join us www.fromgardentocity.com . The theme is From Garden To City. We will be reading through from the Garden of Eden to the City of Heaven... and along the way we will ready all 66 books of the Bible!!

Snow Day with my Bible - Hebrews After Leviticus

2010-02-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

During Leadership Retreat our fearless Leader Heather Zempel suggested that after I finish Leviticus I should read Hebrews. That was the best advice I have received this year by far!! Wow!! Today is a snow day and I am ripping into Hebrews much faster than normal and Leviticus has come alive through Hebrews. So much to move through I thought I would break up the normal Book Blog into a few parts. The last two days Hebrews 1 - 10 have been amazing. I am reading a new translation for me as well, The Message. As I move through each passage I am found thinking.... AMAZING, Yes no more sacrifices, Wow, YES Jesus the PERFECT High Priest. Let me share a few parts with you as it is all really overwhelming!!

Hebrews 2: 1-4 (The Message)

1-4It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off. If the old message delivered by the angels was valid and nobody got away with anything, do you think we can risk neglecting this latest message, this magnificent salvation? First of all, it was delivered in person by the Master, then accurately passed on to us by those who heard it from him. All the while God was validating it with gifts through the Holy Spirit, all sorts of signs and miracles, as he saw fit.

This passage is talking about the Old Law and the New Law. The Old Law (Leviticus) was delivered by Angels, however this New Law - The Gospel, The Message of Christ redemption for all sins was delivered in PERSON BY THE MASTER. Wow, then is was accurately passed on to us by those who heard it from him. I love how we are expected to understand how important the Old Law was, but see that this New Law is that much more important!!

Hebrews 5:11-6:3 (The Message)

Re-Crucifying Jesus
11-14I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you've picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

Hebrews 6
1-3 So come on, let's leave the preschool finger-painting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on "salvation by self-help" and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we'll stay true to all that. But there's so much more. Let's get on with it!

This passage I am sure many have read or heard sermon's on over and over. We are to be developing in our relationship with Christ not just learning the same basics over and over. What really stood out ot me in this passage as I read it today was THE BASIC FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS. As I read that specific then followed with the 5 things that are listed as basics:

1. Turning your back on "Salvation by self-help" : Meaning our salvation is not by our works or our own power.
2. Turning in Trust toward God: Meaning our salvation is by his power and gift to us.
3. Baptismal Instructions: Meaning being baptized
4. Laying on of Hands: Meaning praying for each other with laying on of hands for healing
5. Resurrection of the dead: Meaning people being raised from the dead
6. Eternal Judgment: Meaning understanding Heaven and Hell

When I went through that passage I was feeling a mix of emotions. I have shamefully always read this passage and thought I am not on MILK, surly I am on solid food with my relationship with Christ. When I read the 5 foundational truths outline in this passage I was convicted and excited. Convicted that those 5 foundational truths are not as a part of my life as I would like. Also convicted that the passage continues: God helping us, we'll stay true to all that. But there's so much more. Let's get on with it! Wow I find that personally I am striving for the foundational things of Christ as outlined in this scripture. BUT THEIR IS MORE!! Wow how powerful! Thank you God!!

Snow Day with my Bible to be continued....

Leviticus in Jan & Feb 2010

2010-02-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Leviticus took a slight toll on my reading ability I must say. My journal day after day after day just says "THANK YOU FOR THE CROSS" Thank you JESUS For your Blood and sacrifice!! Wow what a blessing to live on this side of the Cross. All of the rules and regulations of Leviticus made me more and more grateful for the freedom and love that comes in the Cross.

One small note that I did notice is more times then not God gave them a way to make right a sin they knew they were commiting. I found myself thinking do I only sin when I don`t know I am sinning or do I sin knowing..... wow just a thought!

On to Hebrews I think..

2010 Snow Fall !!!

2010-02-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

Having a great time being snowed in today! We have about 20inches down already here in DC and it keeps coming. The snow always reminds me of the way that Christ Blood covers all our sins! What a fun day. Stay inside keep warm and love on that family!!

Exodus in January

2010-01-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

Don`t know if it is just me but I can read the first part of Exodus over and over and over!! Maybe its because I am a social worker and Moses looks like the first case of Adoption in history. I love the way that a child in a dangerous situation is protected by a mother who loves her child but knows she can not care for him. In the biggest act of love she places her child in the river hoping that a Egyptian Women would find him. A women from a different culture, social economic status, and belief system. Moses's mother saw what could be best for her son and if she could not provide it for him she wanted a family that could.

I love that God uses Moses to bring him to a place to free his family from slavery. God positioned Moses through his mothers actions of love to give him the training and upbringing to lead 1 million people out of slavery.

Leadership Lessons. Even the greatest leader needs support. Moses had Joshua and Aaron to be by his side and help him lead.

Genesis In January

2010-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

It is so perfect to read through Genesis in January. It seams as you make new years resolutions and read through how God created earth everything is so new and redeemable. A few stories really stood out for me this year reading through Genesis.

Genesis 3
As a wife I think I will always be impacted by Genesis 3. It always jumps off the page to me that Satan used the weakness of Eve to get to Adam. As a wife of a man in ministry I know my role to be founded in the Word and support to my husband. I am confused and frustrated that when Satan approached Eve he clearly has her state what God said and then convinces her God didn't mean what he said. I am always convicted that so many times we know what God says but we convince ourselves that what We want is a better choice then what God has for us. God so many times sets up boundaries for our lives to keep us safe and keep us in his will. So often I compromise the facts to fit my situation but I am convicted to live more on God's Truths and not my own understanding.

Genesis 4: 6-7 Love the way the message phrases this scripture
"..sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; its out to get you, you've got to master it."

The Start of Worshipping
Genesis 4:25-26
"That's when men and women began praying and worshipping in the name of God"

GOTTA LOVE THIS
Genesis 5:24
"Enoch walked with steadily with God and then one day he was simply gone: God took him."

I pray that this will be a mandate over my family
Genesis 18:17-19
"Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe Gods way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him."

Joseph - wow
So much to say about this story. I think my big take away from this whole story was Joseph's response to his brothers when confronted. When Joseph's brothers came back to Egypt the second time Joseph reviled himself to his family. His response to them after near death, slavery, and prison all at the result of their hands is amazing. Joseph says: " don`t blame yourselves, God did this so that I could save many." It makes me look at every situation in my life differently. Thinking of the people that may have wronged me in my life and that situation pushed me deeper into my relationship with Jesus or put me in a position to trust only in the Lord. The way he is able to respond is a great example of how we handle trials in our lives.

Then Joseph's faith in death. To know that God would fulfill his promise even if he was not going to be able to see it HE BELIEVED that God WOULD!! Enough to make his children promise to take his bones with them when they go to the Promise land.

Goal of 2010

2010-01-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

One of my personal goals for 2010 is to read through the bible from cover to cover this year. I have decided to read through the message version. Opening the Bible every morning creates a time between you and God that allows the Word of God not only to speak to you but speak into your daily life. I love reading through parts of the Bible that I don`t study regularly and watching how the Lord uses those stories to speak into your life. I hope to blog through each book of the Bible to share the stories and applications!!

New Year... New Things!!!

2010-01-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

New Year.. New Things
2010

God is amazing!! I love that when a new year comes new ideas, thoughts, and goals come right along with it. Jason and I were able to get away for 48 hours for the new year to Williamsburg, VA. That location has become a great place of retreat and vision for us. We were able to look back on yet again another year that God has done more then we could ever hope or imagine. We have spent the last 2 years seeking God and searching out what he has for our lives. We have found a amazing home here at National Community Church under the amazing leadership of Pastor Mark Batterson . We have learned so much about God and his faithfulness in our lives.
Jason and I have amazing things coming our way in 2010. We are leading a trip to Nicaragua to a Deaf School. We are able to take a team from NCC to Nicaragua to minsiter to the area and people. Jason (Mr. Culture) is so excited about taking 4 Languages and multiple cultures together to serve God together.
Jason and I also have made a commitment to read through the Bible together this year. We decided that we would be reading the Message version to look at the scriptures through a different language. More blogging to come soon!!

All means... ALL right?

2009-04-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. - (KJV)

Have you ever been through a time in life where you read this verse and you say does ALL really mean me.. or this... or what about death? I have been through times when I question the ALL in this verse. However time and time again I see it to be worked out as true in the lives of those I love. It is amazing to me to watch friends and family make steps in their lives toward what God has for them and it makes me more thrilled to see them do it in the face of difficult odds or against what "the World" would say they do. Ponder on this verse today and find that thing that God is calling you to and know that even if it might seem illogical to you, if GOD Is the one calling you to it... he will make ALL things work for GOOD!!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready for all the Kids to Come with their Baskets!!

They are so excited lining up ... can`t wait to get baskets full of eggs... over 10,000 all around!! And now the HUNT!!!!!

What a exciting Easter Weekend. So much happening around DC with the Cherry Blossoms and Easter Activities everywhere. Saturday we had lots of fun getting the kids out even through we had some rain we still had a blast. I love being a part of blessing the community in so many different ways!!

Extra Special Day

2009-04-12T04:49:00.000-07:00

After a super busy weekend with Good Friday Services, and Easter Saturday Services, My family was able to get a great awaited surprise!! My younger sister Jackie was engaged!! Jackie and Justin have been together for almost 7 years... kinda Biblical isn`t it!! He for sure worked for her!! I am posting a few pics of the event!!

Below is where he purpose... this is a gloomy day when I took the picture but it was nice and sunny when he asked her!! Great place!!

Jackie and Justin and of course Henry.. this is a family already!! Jackie and Justin were able to sit while family and friends toasted to the new journey they were about to start together!!

The siblings all got together... what a great day! So excited...

The Goodness of Good Friday

2009-04-10T09:13:00.001-07:00

Today we are remembering the Good Friday that changed our lives forever. Today is the day that Jesus took all of our sins and up on the cross the placed them and with his blood covered them. I am so grateful that I have been saved by such a wonderful Savior. Today you want to say so much but I am always just struck by the depth of the day and mostly find myself reflecting on a time where we remember the new beginning he gave each one of us on the Cross. Thank you just doesn`t seem to be enough today!! I will follow you and give up my life in return seems about right... when is the last time you told Jesus... ITS ALL YOURS.. you gave it to me do what you will with my life Lord that I might serve you MORE!!

On the Left......

2009-04-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today in my travels around town I was struck by the "on the left" concept here in the city. Most people that travel in DC or other major cities know if you are on a escalator if you are just riding you should stand on the right because the mover and shakers are coming on the left to get where they are going. Weeks like this when people from all over the nation are coming to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival the "on the left" concept gets lost often times. Today as I saw lots of field trips and big groups trying to get around today I was thinking about how we often live our lives. So often I know I live my life "on the left" it is so important to get to the next location I have to run up the already moving stairs. Do we take the time to stand on the right and see the life that is passing by. Today I was challenged to take my time and step to the right every now and then to see what amazing things God is doing in my life. Have you taken the time to enjoy the stage in life you are in? Are you always looking for the next thing, are you always running on the already moving platform of your life? Take some time today and get on the right and see what you can see!!

1/2 Way Point!!

2009-03-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

March is the half way point for us here at NCC with the Protege program. After this week will be on the back end of our 12 months here with this amazing team learning and growing. It has been a experience I would have never expected to have and we all know I have high expectations of everything God calls me to. To think in just 6 short months we have had the opportunity to be a part of so much and be under AMAZING teaching and leadership. I am grateful for the leadership skills and methods we are learning from out wonderful Pastoral Staff. Jason has had some great opportunities to speak, lead, and make new things happen. Next month we will be helping to run a large outreach that NCC does each year for the community for Easter. We are expecting 1500 to 2000 people to come out the Saturday before Easter to be blessed with Free games, food, and of course a Easter Egg Hunt.
This past week Jason had the opportunity to share at our 630 service at Ebz. I think we will have a link up soon to share with everyone. I will try to do better at posting every week, since it has been over 2 months since my last post.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support they are truly felt and we are excited about what God is doing in our lives through this opportunity.

Busy Weekend

2009-01-11T15:00:00.001-08:00

Jason leading worship on Sunday Morning at Union Station!!
My Best Girls came all the way to DC to see my Man Preach!! Love Them!!

Jason pre-paring to deliver the WORD to the people!!!

Our great friends/family from the shore!! So grateful for them in our lives!!

Great worship at Ebz this weekend too!!!

This weekend was very busy and exciting. Jason had the chance to speak at NCC at our location at 6:30pm. We also had guest in town for that event such fun!! In addition to that on Saturday night Jason also led worship at Union station for all three services this morning. Just wanted to share some pictures.

Snowboarding

2009-01-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed our time together and we were ready for a big dinner

after all day on the slopes!! Good times had by all!!

Jason was so kind, knew what he was doing and stayed with me on the bunny slopes after a crazy hour getting down the "real" mountain they attempted to get me on!!

This was the wonderful technique that I acquired while going down the "real" mountain. Crystal and I had a great time laughing at ME, and I am sure the guys on the ski lifts were entertained.

For Christmas this year the Ditch & Yost families decided we would make some memories instead of getting each other gifts. Well that we did for sure. Jason, Chris, and Crystal had all been snowboarding before where I had not. When we got there we were all so excited boarded up and warm as can be with all the layers and gear we had. To save the story I went down the bunny slope twice and then WE all decided I could handle a real mountain. Well as the pictures will show we all had fun... needless to say I stayed on the bunny hill the rest of the day and Jason taught me how to master the bunny hill!!!

New Year Goals

2009-01-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

This year I have decided that my new years "resolutions" are really going to be New Years "Goals". Jason and I have sat down and categorized several areas as a family where we want to set "goals" for our 2009 year. I have been dong a lot of reflecting this first few weeks of 2009 to decide what this year will hold for me. The first goal of the new year was to pass my LGSW exam. This is the licensee that I need to continue in my current job and advance in a few years to a higher licensee. God was truly with me and I passed on January 5th!! So exciting!! Most excited that I do not have to study for another test for 2 years!! School officially over. Some of the other goals that Jason and I are excited about include Hawaii in 2011, paying off school now that its over, getting into a apartment in the city, and continuing to connect with new people and learning from them. It is amazing to sit back and see what God has done in just a year. It was just a year ago that Jason and I were starting to get a hit that God was calling us to move, do something different, and step out in faith. Not sure what that was at the time we started praying and fasting to seek the heart of God. In only 12 months he has placed us here at NCC and we are excited to see what he has for us this next 12 months!!

December Moments... Part 2 Peace with/in God

2008-12-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

Today I am thinking about the sermon from this weekend. Pastor Heather did a great job continuing the Gift Series. She talked about how we use the word PEACE so much during this season. We talk about Peace, sing about Peace, and yet so often this season and even the Christmas story has so little Peace in it. She talked about how first and for most we need to have PEACE WITH GOD!! We need to be in relationship with God and at Peace with our maker. It was a great moment to stop during the service and give people a opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior. The second point that she made was we also have PEACE IN GOD!! During times that are not so peaceful or situations that we don`t understand we have Peace in God. This is ringing true to me today. Jason and I traveled to PA Sunday morning to be with our family. Jason's Aunt is in the ICU in critical condition. We are sitting, praying, and being together as a family. Today it is important to have Peace in God.. thank you all for your prayers.

December Moments... Part 1

2008-12-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

December Moments. Life seems it travels so fast. I am going to make a new years resolution to post daily here to keep a better record. This past weekend was so exciting. We released the A18 Marketplace. This Christmas you can not only buy gifts for family that mean something special but can change the world. Check it out!! Great idea and great way to impact the world.

http://aoneeight.org/marketplace/

Weekend of Fun!!!

2008-11-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

These are just some pictures from the weekend. Jason leading service, Colin Davis playing with the band!! More to come from the Baptism tonight at Ebz!!

Leaderships Summit Saturday morning. We have annual meetings with the leads of all small groups (over 90 this semseter alone) and ministry heads to give them a view of where the church is headed and what they can expect from staff in the near future! It was a great place to see all the leaders from all 4 soon to be 5 locations. It was also a great opportunity to see Pastor Mark's heart and love for the leaders and church body.

Dreaming... and God Brings Your Dream!!

2008-11-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry my blog has been slacking!!! Jason does such a great job keeping everyone up to date!! This week I am busting at the seams to Blog!! When Jason and I first started dating one of the concerns we both had about becoming Married was, Is God taking us both in the same direction. We were both sold out for our JESUS and we didn`t want anything that would take us to the right or the left. As we talked and dreamed about what we wanted to do and how God might use our gifts and talents together our Dream together started to become clear. Jason and I started to dream about a place where people in need could come and get education, medical, emotional, and physical needs met. We started to dream about planting them all over the world. Like most Dreams the Lord plans in your heart he determines your steps and just asks you to trust him and learn as much as you can about your Dream through prayer and education.
Having that Dream in our heart the Lord ordered our steps here to NCC. We started to see how the Lord could use us in the Local church and we have started to gain love and knowledge from some amazing people here at National Community Church who have a huge heart for people and act on it daily. Our first weekend here was a great awakening to that with The Convoy of Hope. Jason and I were struck by a full day of our Dream in the Convoy of Hope we were able to walk up to people ask what they needed and take them there for free!!! What a amazing feeling. This week as we watched our Pastor talk about the Election and how we need to be the answer, WE THE CHURCH!!! Again I started to Dream in my seat.... wow what would it be like to have a place where people could come and........ my Day Dream was interrupted when Pastor Mark Announced that he believes along with many others that within the next YEAR we will be building a Ministry Center/ Dream Center/ Hope Center!!!!! Yes I am not kidding!! The Lord Directs a Man/Women's steps. Coming to NCC was always a big step of Faith for Jason and I raising support and moving. We have officially been here 2 months today, the Lord has not only blessed us for our obedience, he had more in store for us here then we ever imagined!! Thank you for your support and we are so excited to keep you updated on what the Lord is doing in our city and in our hearts!!

Catlatyst 2008

2008-10-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

This year is the first time I have been to Catalyst, LIFE CHANGING. Jason had been twice before so I knew with his level of excitement I was in for a wonderful two days. I did not expect the level of speakers and information we received in 48 hours. I enjoyed everything from traveling as a group over 20 of us on a plane together to every speaker. Each speaker had a point that hit me and moved my heart to Dream and Action. One speaker that really stuck out to me by the end of the weekend was Pastor Steve Flickman. He is a pastor in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a 28 years old, PK and in two years his church plant has grown to over 5,000 people. He was meaningful to me because he talked about Promise, Process, and the Promise Land. His message really hit me because he spoke the most about Process. He spoke about how the Lord gave him a promise when he was 16 years old and 10 years of the "Process" he went through before taking the step of planting this church. He talked about how the Promise was not specific, he prayed with a group where the church would be, how they would reach people, and when they would move. It rang so true for me with the stage of life Jason and I are in. We feel we have a promise but making it through the process is the hard part. Trusting the Lord with the promise he has given you and making it through the Process is the Key. Think about it how many things happen in the process. In the process you begin to dought, in the process you have to make choices that don't make sense of you can`t see have a happy ending, in the process you MUST HAVE FAITH and in the process you are totally dependent on Jesus. I LOVE THE PROCESS!! I know you are in the process so much longer then when you receive the Promise or when you get there! The process is what prepares you for the Promise Land. Wow it just really hit me!!

October Brings FUN!!

2008-10-16T06:18:00.001-07:00

October has brought so much to the life that Jason and I are living here in DC. We are really starting to get into the hang of things. Jason is in charge of a location officially, we went on our first Team conference in Atlanta, Catalyst, and we celebrated being married one year!! I don`t want to do a supper long post so I am going to try to break them all down.
This experience now only 6 weeks in has been on of the most stretching thing I have ever done. It feels that we are trusting in the Lord not knowing even what that day will hold. I love living in a place of full faith. A place where you don`t know what the next year could hold and the many things that is could hold are so different.

Starting to get plugged IN!!

2008-09-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

Jason and I are really starting to feel a part of NCC. It is week three and we are leading a bible study, Jason led his first service at Ebz this week and we are gaining more and more relationships. We are so excited about how God is bring His plan together in our lives. This morning Pastor Mark finished up a Six week series based on his second book "Wild Goose Chase" This week he focused on the "Cage of Fear" he focused on how we need to play offense in our relationship with Christ instead of what so many of us do and play defense. He made a point that I have been thinking about all day. "Why does the world know the church by what we are against instead of what we are for" I am excited that we are part of a church that desires to be known more for what we are Doing for Christ and the Community then what we are against and protest against.

This week Jason and I will start to lead a Alpha group at Ebz. Alpha is a place where people that are investigating the faith, have doubts about the faith, or just have questions that they want to explore before making a choice to follow Christ. It is a great place for people of all kinds to come and find out more about this faith that we live out everyday. We are so excited to have a chance to be on the front lines of getting to know people who are interested in getting to know Christ.

In the next few weeks Jason will be transitioning into the Point Pastor position at Ebz. It is a great opportunity as well as a great responsibility to be the Point Pastor at one of the four NCC locations.

One last think that I wanted to share that have started to make a big impact on me is the core values at NCC. When we do a event, a service, a plan, or even thinking of ideas for something new these values are used day to day. I just wanted to share them with you to get a glimpse of the type of community we are working within here at NCC.

Expect the unexpected
Irrelevance is irreverence
Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it
Playing it safe is risky
Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you
Everyone is invaluable and irreplaceable
Everything is an experiment
You cannot out give God
Maturity does not equal conformity
Go the extra mile
It's never too late to be who you might have been
Do it right and do it big

Thank you so much for following Jason and I and what God is doing in our lives. We are so excited to be a part of this plan that God has in DC and in our lives.

How should the church really look!!!

2008-09-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from the weekend.

The first pic is from Connection Cafe at Union station on Sunday. Once a quarter they have a connection cafe at each location to welcome new members and help get them plugged into a ministry or a small group. Like I already mentioned NCC has over 100 small groups THIS SEMESTER meeting so lots of ways to get connected. My favorite so far is a Tennis small group call "Enter His Courts" creative right...... that is just how things are here CREATIVE. As you can see the boxes of goodies for new people is a pop corn box (we do meet in movie theatres)

The next picture is from one of the three services at Union Station on Sunday mornings!! ALL three services were standing room only, it was awesome to see a movie theatre packed out for Jesus and not the newest movie.

The last picture is Jason (on the left bottom) walking to Ebz (the coffee house). It was so fun Union is only a block from the coffee house.

Today I am trying to put into words our first week at NCC. Jason has been on staff with NCC for a official week today and oh what a week. From Convoy, Alpha training, Services, Connection Cafe, and Catacombs well we are tired to be honest. Jason has been turning in 10-12 hour days on the regular and learning so much.

We had Alpha training this weekend on Saturday morning. It was amazing to me to see how much time and effort the church focuses on non believers. Alpha is a place where you can come with your questions and thoughts and be open and honest to talk about them. Jason and I are excited to be a part of it!!

It was great to connect with new people during Connection Cafe after services Saturday and Sunday night. What is so exciting is you meet people from all over the world in DC. People only there for a semester or a term and people with such influence in the world. I was really excited about the people that I met and what they were doing to bring peace and justice to our world!!

Catacombs is a time once a quarter where we have live, unedited, all out worship!! It is a great time to see the body of Christ at NCC come together to Worship God with no other agenda! That is a little of what we did this weekend. Keep the comments coming and let me know if you will be in town we would love to see you!!!

Beyond what you think or imagine!!!

2008-09-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

This verse has very strong significance for me. This verse is the verse that my mom quoted over and over it didn`t matter what you were struggling with or what you wanted she would say, "Shelly our God is going to give you more than all we ask or imagine!" Now if you know me at all I have a HUGE IMAGINATION, I think my husband might say the word REALITY honey more then he thought he would. So this verse it FIRES ME UP!!! It excites me to out dream God, not that I can but OHHH to try! I think of EVERYTHING.... from walking off a plane and meeting eyes with a child that I have been longing to adopt from another country to seeing my husband and our family in a place where the Lord is using all of our gifts to influence the WORLD for his call.
Today this verse keeps ringing in my head for several reasons. One we are starting to get a glimpse of what things are going to practically look like her at NCC. It looks like Jason will be "Point Pastor" at Ebenezer's. Ebenezer's is the Coffee House that NCC built that is one block from Union Station. It is open 7 days a week and people from all walks of life and Congress...lol... walk in and out every day. The bottom floor is a "Venue" of sorts, like what you would imagine a poetry reading to look like. On Saturday nights we have service down there at 5:00 Live and 6:30 with everything Live except the sermon. NCC has a total of 8 services between Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, three of those are preached live and the others have access to the same sermon to play at the other services, it is quite a amazing concept really. Ok sorry off topic. So Jason will be pastoring between 300-400 people from that location. It is so amazing to see where God takes you and how he promotes when you trust in him. Jason and I have gone from sitting on our floor 10 minutes before midnight on new years eve feeling God doing something HUGE in our hearts to MORE than we could have imagined. Don`t worry Jason will also be leading worship, not at the same location because it would be a little much to try to connect with everyone and play each night. Imagine Jason having One job at a service...lol!! He will be leading worship at a location on Sunday Mornings helping another Point Pastor at their location.
Another reason that his verse is going around and around in my head this morning. Before we left Salisbury the Lord gave me a word about discipleship for a dear friend. The Lord opened my eyes to two stories in the Bible and really brought them together. He showed me when Jesus fed the 5,000. AMAZING act of Jesus to show mercy and to feed the hungry. I think often times we are drawn to the big events. We are drawn to The Call, Convoy of Hope, Conferences, and when the Lord does healing. I am not saying that we should not be called to those things. We are doing things that the Lord has asked us to Pray, feed the hungry, Heal the sick, and meet together. What the Lord showed me for this friend, and I think for myself even more is JESUS poured his ministry of three years into 12. Not 12,000 but 12. He selected 12 to be with him through what the Lord was calling him to. And he even choose 3 to be even closer to him than the rest. It was through the life of those 12 that a nation, world, generation, PEOPLE were changed. Those that were fed on that day he fed the 5,000 they were impacted with a person need that the Lord met for them. THAT IS AMAZING. When we met at RFK last weekend to feed, pray, love on, provide for over 10,000 people. We were able to help the Lord answer prayers of his people. But my eyes have been opened to the impact that pouring your life into another can have. Jesus thought it worthy to select 12 to share his journey with the good and the bad. So during this time God was revealing this to me he was giving me a heart for Discipleship and the impact it has on the church. I would venture to say with out effective Discipleship in a church your church will die. I was moved and God has been pushing this on my heart. AGAIN, more than we could ever hope or imagine. This week Jason came home to tell me that the semester of small groups is starting this week at NCC. They have a plan for every person that enters the doors from a study for new believers or non believers to groups for those that want to give back and identify the gifts the Lord has given them. Jason said, "Shelly guess how many groups are meeting this semester?" I was like 20.... Then you know that Jesus more than you can imagine. NCC has 100 groups that will be meeting this semester for people to be DISCIPLED!! The bible says that God announces what he is going to do before he does it. I am so amazed and humbled that God can speak to me and prepare me for where he is sending me if we just wait on him and open our hearts to his Word.
Wow this was a long blog but it was just burning in side of me to get out!! Thank you Jesus for your love!! Leave a comment!!! Talk to you tomorrow!!

First Day for Jason

2008-09-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

Today was Jason's official official first day. Check out his blog and hear about about his activities today www.jtyost.blogspot.com !! I was excited to find out about all the missions trips finally. NCC has designed a booklet for all the missions trip for the next year. We are coming up with the cost for each trip we will need to raise for the trips we feel God calling us to.
Today was so exciting for me as a wife. I guess since your reading my blog you are interested in the perspective that I have as well as Jason's. Today I felt like I was sending my child to his first day of school and I could not wait for him to come home and hear all about it. Jason was no disappointment today when he got home. Full of the news from the day and has me so excited for even more things to come. God is so faithful months ago when Jason and I heard the Lord calling us to move and calling us somewhere we never thought we would end up in our nations capital serving the people of God that change our world everyday when they go to work.
This weekend was such a great experience getting to know those NCC that helped out with Convoy of Hope. It was amazing and exciting to start to get to know the people we will be serving here! I am in love with the heart of NCC already, they want to GROW to GIVE. The Pastors have made it clear that they do outreach to GIVE not to grow the church. It is amazing to me to be a part of a church thats very heartbeat is in sink with Jason and I, we feel like we have come home!! Please keep praying for us and the monthly support we will need to live on capital hill and go on as many trips as we can. Thanks!!

Washington Post Coverage

2008-09-08T05:00:00.001-07:00

http://tinyurl.com/56amj3
Check it out!!

and check out our head pastors blog he has more to share...

http://www.evotional.com/

Beyond Words......

2008-09-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a 1,000 words is a understatement today. I am sharing just a few with you today from the Convoy of Hope DC. Today over 1200 volunteers served over 80,000 lbs of groceries and over 10,000 people through different services and activities. According to Wikipedia a Convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support. Today a Convoy of Hope rolled in to the city of Washington DC and BLESSED THE SOCKS OFF OF THE CITY!! It is very hard to take today and place it into words... but I will try. The first hour or so that the gates were open it was hard for me to contain my tears people from all over the city starting to line up for jobs, hair cuts, games, food, and people pouring in for Prayer!! I was moved to see people within minutes of the doors opening people were being shared with about the good news of Jesus Christ. Jason and I were able to serve today with my sister Jaclyn and family friend Justin. It was great to join them hand in hand in being the Hands and Feet of Jesus. I am not sure about what we call Sunday Morning "Service" anymore. Today we had CHURCH like I have never experienced in the 25 years I have been walking with the Lord. Today we were Jesus to His people! It was really something I will never forget and am having trouble putting into words. As Jason said today we Loved the Lord Our God with ALL our Strength!!!

God Makes Things Grow

2008-09-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Today Jason and I are sitting at home during Hurricane Hanna. The Convoy has been moved to Sunday September 7th as a result of the buckets of rain and high winds we are experiencing here in DC. As was said last night at our volunteer training God's timing is perfect so tomorrow is going to be great. I wanted to share some thoughts with you this morning from my devotional time.
1 Corinthians 3:6-9
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

This morning sitting in the sun room reading and watching buckets of rain fall outside the window. I was moved to think, tomorrow we will be this rain to the city of DC. We will attempt to plant and water the lives for 10,000 people that are expected to turn out for food, games, hair cuts, medical aid and so much more. We will be working to the glory of the Lord. The amazing part is GOD MAKES THINGS GROW!! He takes the smallest thing that will be done tomorrow and He can change a life out of it. He can take a photograph of a family taken in the Family Portrait section and give a mother a new vision and excitement for her family. He can take a need for food and turn it in to a new job as we heard about last night at the training. I am so moved by the heart of NCC and the willingness to place themselves in the marketplace to help those that are broken. The Lord is going to bind up the broken hearted tomorrow!!! He is going to set some people free!! Praise God!!

First Offical Event

2008-09-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to go to the rally tonight to get ready for Convoy of Hope tomorrow. NCC (National Community Church) is hosting the Convoy of Hope (http://www.convoydc.com/) this Saturday September 6th at RFK statium. They have been planning it for months to reach out to the city of DC and be the hands and feet of Jesus. What a blessing to be a part of such a act that displays the heart of Jesus. Jason and I are starting to settle in here and we are excited to see what the next few months will bring. Stay plugged in here and at http://www.jtyost.blogspot.com/. Thank you for all your love, prayers, and support the past month. We know that God is calling us and what a great group of family and friends to support us along the way.