Tarzan is his yard name, or what they used to call him in his old life. The yard is a prison yard. His old life was one of addiction and violence. He was doing life in the sin yard of destruction. Christos Terzan and his wife Michelle visited Celebrate Recovery at Church For The Nations Flagstaff last Friday night. They brought new life with them and inspired a bunch of folks with their courage to surrender their lives to Christ.
          Violence was a normal part of Tarzan's life as a youngster. When the violence wasn't physical, it was emotional and verbal - it started at home. Eventually street life contaminated his character and he was immersed in thug life. Christos became a hardened man, a gangster and a drug addict. Mean and nasty are character traits for hoodlums who have a one track mind focused on self-survival. Gangsters are the apex predator and everyone else is just prey.
          Eventually all gangsters end up dead or in jail. Only by God's grace and mercy did Chris end up in alive prison. For three years after his arrest, even though he was alive, all Chris could think of was death. He planned to kill people when he got out of prison. One day, Chris wandered into a program called Celebrate Recovery. The guys were smiling, peaceful, content and happy. He wanted what they had, it was contagious! 
          Chris almost ran when he found out these guys were into Jesus, but God drew him in. One of the greatest things we can say about Christos Terzan is that he constantly works on his character in Christ. His speech is almost like one long litany of God's attributes. He gives God all the credit. He also gives God gratitude for his Wifey4Lifey Michelle. She's a Godsend! Lives are being redeemed from the pits of addictive hell because of what God is doing through these reclaimed children of God.
          As a master mechanic Chris used to build lowriders for gangsters and drug dealers. A lowrider is a customized car or truck with a body that's nearly lowered to the road. Chris is now a master preacher, humbled by Christ, whose life is lowered to the Way. From an apex predator out for prey to a lowrider in Christ looking to pray, Chris has become a Godsend. 
          "But God demonstrates his own love toward us and while we're still sinners Christ died for us."
The only reason Christos Terzan is alive today is because he did die; Tarzan died to himself and became alive in Christ.
          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

          Christos Terzan is the Arizona State Representative for Celebrate Recovery Inside - organization in prison that lead him to Christ. He wants other inmates to know the freedom from anger, violence, addiction and low self esteem that he found in Christ.
          He's also the Founder and Director of Dunamis Prison Ministries. You can help Chris and Michelle bring the message of hope and redemption through Christ to other people in prison and on the streets by clicking this link to donate. 

          The local Director in Flagstaff for Celebrate Recovery is Jennifer Leyland. You can reach her at [email protected]. 
                      Celebrate Recovery is held every Friday night from 6-9 pm at Church For The Nations Flagstaff, 755 N. Bonito St. 86001
          "A safe place to find community and freedom from issues that are controlling our life. We are a Christ-centered, 12 step recovery program providing healthy tools for anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind."
​

Greetings Prayermeisters!
           We hope your day is filled heart-smiles! Yesterday we held a Grill & A Prayer meeting and came up with our Flagstaff Area schedule for 2021. You will find that below the Statement of Faith at the bottom of this article. The locations are still to be determined, but we're happy to have these dates on the books. We want to be organized and pursue God's excellence in all we do.
          Each event will feature Prayer as the most important thing we do. We'll also have food boxes to give away along with Compassion Ministries grilled specialties! Clothing and other giveaways will be available as we receive them. Bibles, materials encouraging spiritual growth and community education information will be on hand.
          Prayer teams will be made up of men and women as much as possible. That's good protocol to make folks feel comfortable and a good safety measure as well. Amelia and Max have accepted roles of leadership. Most of the leadership will be behind the scenes and will in no way affect their gifts of praying for folks on Prayer Days.
          Marvin has graciously and energetically volunteered Compassion Ministries to take care of all on site food distribution. We urge all Prayer Team members to freely give feedback as we can always strive for more of God's excellence. Whenever possible we'd like to have folks give us contact information so we can keep them in the prayer loop. Church For The Nations Flagstaff does have a 24 hour Prayer Line and Prayer Email, 928-421-2050, [email protected].
          Several more items to note of importance came up at our meeting:

• Increasing event length from 2 hrs. to 3 hrs. - allotting time to set up and take down.
• Be aware of safety regarding drive up cars and pointing others toward parking spaces.
• Prayer Team is free to pray in the Spirit - we will not shorten prayers for traffic considerations. We may have to ask folks to pull to the side to free up the drive thru lanes.
• Whenever possible, we need to be respectful of COVID attitudes. Some folks wear masks, some folks don't and some can't.  I'll leave that up to your discretion.
• Our commitment must be rock solid. If we say we will be counted on to be at an event, we must be there or find an approved replacement.
• New Members - All new members must agree with the Statement of Faith as written by the Northern Arizona Covenant of Churches which you will find in its entirety below.

          If you have any feedback or comments, please don't hold back! [email protected] Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

          All members who actively participate in Grill & A Prayer Events as volunteers and prayer Team Members will agree with this Statement of faith as written by NACC.
          Northern Arizona Covenant of Churches (NACC) exists to provide a clear, unified presentation of the Gospel through the diverse and distinct expressions in local churches. NACC is a strong and committed network of relational pastors, churches, and ministries that recognizes our responsibility to one another and to our community, in order that we might be a conduit for the Grace of God in this world. Further, we exist to fulfill the Life–Giving Call of God that we believe He has for Flagstaff and Northern Arizona. The NACC Statement of Faith derives from the Association of Related Churches, a global network existing to plant life giving churches around the world.
     We believe the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient Word of God. The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Old and New Testaments pointing to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. 
     We believe that there is One God, eternally existing in three persons and revealed to the world in God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. By Whom all things were created.
     We believe that God the Father sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem all. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life on this earth, performed many undeniable miracles, was crucified for our sins, buried and was raised from the dead for our justification. By the name of Jesus Christ, and His name only, can humanity be saved. Jesus Christ sits at the Right Hand of the Father and will return personally in power and glory to receive His Church unto Himself.
     We believe all human beings are created in the Image of God and therefore have inherent value and dignity. God invites humanity into the vocation of faithful stewardship over God’s creation and to function as mirrors of our loving, eternal Creator.
     We believe that humanity is sinful by nature and will perish without the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as revealed in His Gospel. That God wishes that no one should perish, but that all would come to this saving knowledge and personal belief through the presentation of the Gospel to a lost and broken world in need of hope.
     We believe that sexuality is given to humanity as a gift for our flourishing and joy. Therefore, we maintain that sexual activity is reserved for husband and wife. Marriage is a holy monogamous union between one biological man and one biological woman. This means that man and woman are two distinct genders willed by God their Creator in their respective beings, which reflect the Image and Nature of God. 
     We believe in the multi-faceted work of God the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin, revelation of the truth of the Gospel of Christ, drawing of the sinner to God, adoption of them into the Body of Christ through regeneration, and the distribution and administration of the Gifts and Fruit of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. Jesus Christ is the “baptizer in the Holy Spirit” for the empowerment of the Church.
    We believe the local church provides purpose to its members as well as encouragement, interdependence, fellowship, correction, and discipline. The local church is a place where Christ followers gather together for edification, teaching from the Word of God, and ministry to and through each other according to their spiritual gift, in order to most effectively love our neighbors and communities for the Glory of God and advancing of Christ’s Kingdom.

After March the Prayer Calendar will follow a 1st Wednesday & 3rd Saturday format, except in circumstances where we want to avoid competing with other community events.
March 17 ~ April 7, 17 ~ May 5, 15 ~ June 2, 12 ~ July 7, 17 ~
Aug. 4, 21 ~ Sept. 1, 18 ~ Oct. 6, 16 ~ Nov. 3, 17 Dec. 1, 18. 

Greetings Prayermeisters!
          Thank you for allowing God to make you hungry for Him and sharing your hunger with others. I this note you will find our agenda and Zoom link for Prayer Outreach Planning meeting on March 10, 2021.
          We are on to something big for God. Please know that I believe a Holy Spirit explosion will take place - first in us as we surrender completely to Him, and then in the folks we minister to. Our meeting is on March 10. Here are some interesting facts from history that happened on March 10,
March 10, 1748: John Newton, the captain of a slave ship, converts to Christianity during a huge storm at sea. He had been reading Thomas a Kempis's The Imitation of Christ, and was struck by a line about the "uncertain continuance of life." He eventually became an Anglican clergyman, the author of the famous hymn "Amazing Grace," and a zealous abolitionist (see issue 31: The Golden Age of Hymns).
March 10, 1880: Commissioner George S. Railton and seven women arrive in New York City to establish the Salvation Army in the United States (see issue 26: William and Catherine Booth).
March 10, 1898: George Mueller, English philanthropist and evangelist, dies. He, in his 93 years helped more than 10,000 English orphans.
March 10, 1913: Harriet Tubman, known as "Grandma Moses" for her work rescuing slaves and guiding them to the north on what was dubbed "the Underground Railroad," dies. Her 19 rescues (of about 300 slaves) were successful, she said, because God showed her the way. "'Twant me, 'twas the Lord," said the diminutive woman who herself escaped slavery. "I always told him, 'I trust to you. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,' and he always did"

March 10, 2021: A group of prayer warriors assemble in person and in spirit to seek the greater ways of revealing God's truth and glory. We don't know where to go or what to do, but we expect God to lead us - and He always does.

4 PM      Opening Prayer
4:05        Opening Remarks - Our Purpose: Connected In Christ, Engaged In His Service,
4:07        What We Believe
4:10        Thorns, Buds & Roses

1. What were the problems that we had?
2. What seeds were planted that need to be nurtured?
3. What were the highpoints?

4:40        Possible Locations
4:50        Possible Dates, Suggestion: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month 4-6 PM.
5:05        Adding Prayermeisters - Who do you know?
5:10        Comments
5:20        Closing Prayer

ZOOM Meeting Details & Link
Time: Mar 10, 2021 04:00 PM Arizona

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77345432441?pwd=VGZ4ZUNqTHlSSVFJc1pYSktTU2RkUT09

Meeting ID: 773 4543 2441
Passcode: 57q9FU

          Sometimes ministry flourishes in families. YWAP Director Linda Kuebler's niece and her husband, Susan & Brett VanderMolen are the Directors of an Orphanage in Cambodia called the Train Up A Child Children's Home. Children - anywhere in the world, are always in our hearts at Youth With A Purpose. 
​          Susan and Brett spend most of their lives as Mom and Dad to children in Cambodia without parents. They come home to visit family and friends every few years. Being a missionary is a heart condition that's contagious. Children in need of love find it when Christ-centered people enter their lives.
        Children are sometimes left on the streets or put in prison if there's no one to take care of them. Babies are left in the garbage or left on a beach. Susan and Brett have dedicated their lives to loving discarded children.
          We spent several days listening to them share stories. Some were gut wrenching and while others were heart warming. Either way, the compassion and empathy just poured out of these two Missionaries on a Mission from God.
          Pastor Daniel Williamson from Church For The Nations Flagstaff was gracious enough to allow Susan & Brett to share the stories of orphaned children during the Sunday Service on February 28, 2021.  Click here to watch the video. Susan & Brett come on at about the 32 minute mark You will love their story - even through Susan's tears!
          Pastor Daniel's sweet spot is prayer. He also has a heart for missions. Last week his church launched missionaries with YWAM to Brazil, this week it's Cambodia. He also started a 52 Day Devotional program for church folks that helped to raise money for a Pastor's motorcycle in Africa. His heart supports God's love wherever there are people!      
          Here in America Youth With A Purpose regularly serves children in need. We gave Susan & Brett a bunch of Jesus Wristbands to take back to Cambodia. We've made a commitment to become monthly financial supporters. Collaboration is a holy alliance among God's people that enlarges His Love throughout the world. From Buffalo, NY to Flagstaff, AZ to Cambodia, God's love has no boundaries.
           If you would like to learn more, please visit the website or check out the Directors information to learn more about the story of Brett & Susan. 
          You can easily sponsor a child, a project or commit to being a monthly supporter by clicking on DONATE 
or using your phone camera to scan the QR Code below.   
​Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we,    

          Most folks like to brag about their successes and there's nothing wrong with that. Unless of course they get obnoxiously prideful about it. We're all pretty much happy when we succeed, but I learn more from my failures. Failure is not finishing what you set out to do.
          For the second year in a row, I blew my New Year's resolution. It's not a big deal, nobody will die, a business won't close and a war won't start. It was important to me, but now it's done - I blew it again. My goal was to walk 10,000 steps everyday for 365 straight days in 2021. On March 2, I fell asleep 218 steps short of my goal. Last year I fell asleep one step short of my goal. One step!
          After last years failure I began again and lasted for 250 straight days before I failed again. I came up with a plan to defeat my failures. I bought a calendar book and put it by my bed with the intention of writing down my step count every night before I went to sleep. The calendar book became an appointment book and left my nightstand. Once again, I failed to do what I said I would.
          One of the last things that Jesus said before He died on the cross was, "It is finished!" To the world, Jesus looked like a total failure. Folks mocked Him by saying, "He saved others, but he can't save himself!" What looked like a failure was only one small step toward the ultimate success of His resurrection and our gift of eternal life. When we believe in Christ, He takes away our moral failures. Following Christ means we form new habits and let go of our old ways.
          I know how to form new habits - come up with a solid plan and stick with it for at least 30 days. The actions you take on a repeated basis will become second nature. Yesterday I started my new plan and today I made one step to ensure it will happen.
                    I asked my wife for a small pocket calendar and put it by my bed. It will not leave and I will write my step count down every night before I go to sleep and fail again. You might be thinking that Bob is making a big deal out of nothing. Here's the problem, I said I would do something and I didn't do it. That bugs me and it's a crack in my character. If I can't find a way to always keep my word - that makes me a liar. I will not be known as a liar, to myself or anybody else.
          Working on your character is hard. It takes self-accountability to the next level. Some folks describe character as what you do when no one's looking. The bigger picture is, God's always looking. Here are some learning points that have helped me work on my character.

1. When you fail, go the extra mile to find out why.
2. Failures are stepping stones to success when we seek wisdom as to why we failed.
3. Spend more time on the most important things in your life. Doing too much depletes your energy and focus leading to a greater possibility of failure.
4. Write down your plan to succeed and tell others about it. Ask them to hold you accountable.
5. Forgive yourself for failing. Grieve if you have to, and start again quickly.
6. Ask God to reveal parts of your character that aren't reflective of His more excellent Way.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. 

          It doesn't take much effort to make a difference in someone's life. One smile, one good word, one lending hand, one text message, one step - just do one thing. Step into someone's world and leave a trace of love. It only takes one step to create a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
          Churches are good places for one-steppers, but you can take one step on your own. Sometimes church folks step outside church walls to smile, pray and serve people on the streets in city neighborhoods.
          Guys from the Sunshine Rescue Mission are top notch one-steppers. They stepped into a mentoring program  that helped them leave their neighborhood and step into an orphanage. The leaders of the NAOMI House take many steps everyday to act as fathers and mothers to kids experiencing hard times.
          The YWAP Ministry took one step into partnership with a local business to make Police Officers feel valued and appreciated. It didn't take a lot of effort to do something that has the potential to bless a lot of people.
          Everyone is hungry for love, but sadly many folks are living love-starved lives. Can you take one step and show somebody love?
          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.          

          There are many ways to welcome someone into your hood. It's cool beans when you enter a neighborhood and someone smiles and says, "IT'S GOOD TO SE YA! Would you like something to eat? Can we pray for you?"
          A sure fire way to create beautiful days in your neighborhood is hosting "A GRILL & A PRAYER." We've smile and prayed in a few Flagstaff neighborhoods and we're just ramping up our prayer Planning Priorities for the rest of 2021.
          Our prayer Team is made up of folks from Christian Churches in Northern Arizona. We affectionately refer to them as prayermeisters. The Compassion Ministries Team grills up a great meal and serves freely with thanksgiving. We always have giveaways like clothes and books and some opportunities to grow your faith in Christ. Maybe you don't know much about religion and have some questions - we like questions!
          As we plan our next day to welcome folks into the Prayerhood, we'll post it on social media. You can also call our 24 hour Prayer Line and leave a request for information. We'll get back to you fairly quickly. Text or call the Prayer Line at: 928-421-2050. You can also email: [email protected].
          We look forward to seeing you as we stand shoulder to shoulder and say: "WELCOME TO MY PRAYERHOOD!"
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.