Canaan Fellowship - A family church located in the mid-Hudson valley near Clermont, NY.

Church Notes Feburary 21st 2010

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:23:26 -0800

Bruce Hempel

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Dr. Bill Teubl

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Scriptures:

Bruce Hempel – being needy and being rich

Psalm 40:1-3, 16-17

In our lives we have times when we are in a major trial, and other times when we have much joy.

When we are in times of trial, we should remember that God has taken care of us through past trials and He will take care of us with this one. If we are going through a trial it is ok to be needy. Rest in the idea, “God has thought for me”.

Luke 6:20-23 (recounting of the beatitudes)

There is a richness that comes to us through our poverty. This is why the poor are blessed – it is not better to go through our lives without the times of need. If having the worlds riches keep us from gaining godly riches, then we are poorer.

Job is another example of going through hard things making us richer in life.

Kyle: Luke 7:41-42 - Our tribulations bring us to value God’s love for us.

Dr. Teubl

We have had a couple years now where the Lord has nurtured a desire to reach out. I feel now that God wants to work a further deepening. “Lord will your deepen my faith, my love for You?” As we do this God will further the work around us.

Church Notes February 14, 2010

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:09:55 -0800

Dr. Bill Teubl

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Bruce Hempel

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Dr. Teubl – peace:

The faith that we have tends to vary by area (perhaps strong faith that we are saved and weak faith in the area of conflict)

Nature of Spiritual Warfare: 3 major realms: mind, community/church, world

To be successful in the realm of the church, we must first have success in the realm of the mind. And to be successful in the world, we must have success in the church.

As a man thinks, so he is – Proverbs 23:7

Recap on strongholds: See: notes on strongholds from youth retreat and Dr. Teubl's teaching on December 27th

Mind: When it comes to the issue of living at peace, we have strongholds like “I’ll never be able to live at peace with so and so”. The way to overcome these kinds of things is to list the things you believe and reference them with scripture verses. One by one you take down the false thoughts and replace them with biblical beliefs.

Community/Church: We need to take down the strongholds regarding inability to have peace with others.

What is reality? Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will remain. God’s word is the true reality. When we see our current experience conflicting with the reality of God’s Word, we can say to Him: “Lord make this area conform to the reality of your Word.”

Bruce Hempel:

What makes a stronghold strong is that its members are interlocked. Lies are a web, they get connected together. God wants to blow up these strongholds with the Word of God. We then build a stronghold of truth with the truths we find in God's Word. Just as the stronghold of lies was strengthened by many interconnected lies, the stronghold of truth is made strong when we meditate on many interconnected scriptural truths.

Psalm 81

Praise is a weapon of battle. Often we think backwards: "I'll praise the Lord after He has removed this trial from my life" – but we should praise Him before we see His deliverance in response to our faith. There are battles in your heart that will be won by praise. We need to calculate based on the size of God – He is bigger than any of our problems. When you come to the hard place in your life, instead of groaning and complaining, calculate on Him.

Mr. Strickland:

Discouragement is full of self, Repentance is emptying self.

Church Notes February 7, 2010

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:34:20 -0800

Bruce Hempel

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Scriptures:

Psalm 62:58, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21

It is good to know that you are receiving a spiritual education, to know what classes God is teaching you, and to recognize that when you have a hard “class” you should not be discouraged, but know that you are learning. You may not be the best student, but be assured you have the world’s best teacher.

Classes I am in: Fear of God, Faith, Trust, and Neediness

1 Samuel 1:1-2:21

God want you to be sensitive to problems in your family.
How often do you go on and on with a problem in your life without going to God first.
There are problems in your life that are there to build our Faith
Hannah is an Old Testament example of the New Testament verse “believe that you have received it and it shall be yours”
Eli is fairly passive towards God – Hannah is not passive. We not be passive, but press in to God.
God is birthing something in us to pray and not give up.
We need to learn that our resources are not enough to meet our needs – we must rely on God.
If we are going through a trial and feeling that we are just coping, that is a sign that the trial is one where God is teaching Faith, and not something we should have patience and just suffer through.
Hannah gave her one son (type of God giving Jesus) – worship is sacrificial.
The Lord gave her a blessing beyond what she gave – 5 children
What came out of this is a man of God (Samuel), who was used of the Lord to fulfill His purposes all the way down to a messiah.
When we live for God what results is far bigger than us.
When God sees that you are willing to do whatever He wants, then he can work with you.

4 points

God is able: The bible has things we are told to do (communion, read the word, etc) – these are sometimes referred to as “means of grace”. We need to hold onto the thought that “anything I need God has the means to meet”. If God wants to change you, His means of grace are greater than you – the blacksmith is greater than the iron. God wants you to have great faith that He has the means to change you. He also wants you to have Faith that as you continue in the faith, you will change.
Deadlock: A is waiting for B and B is waiting for A. This happens all the time between God and the people. The way deadlocks are broken is by continuing talking
Neediness and weakness: God has designed it so that the older we become, the more neediness and weakness we experience – and the more we rely on God the more spiritual we get.
Desire: When we put desires on the altar, God is able to fulfill it and make it a blessing. Otherwise we grab and don’t get the best. When we put it on the altar, God will fulfill it to His glory.

Count Zinzendorf: A rich young ruler who said yes.

Homework: 1 Samuel 1-4:22 – look for fear of God, Eli’s passivity responding to Lord’s reproof

Church Notes 01-31-10

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:16:23 -0800

Bruce Hempel

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Scriptures from Testimonies

John 17:20-21

Psalm 119:40,50,88,93,107,149,89

Matthew 11:25, 28-30

Numbers 33:55

Bruce Hempel

Pray for Kairos ministry – planning to go into a new prison in one year – pray for God to raise up what is needed for this to succeed.

Blessing – how can I be a blessing?

Mathew 10:24-39

A disciple is someone learning to be like Jesus – do you want to become like Jesus?
Jesus is very clear, that He is Lord, He isn’t just Friend or buddy. He has a claim on your life.
He is very clear that following Him will bring division, rejection from friends and family. He wants us to count the cost before we say Yes.
He is saying “I am the central thing” – we must decide to live our lives that way.
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life will find it.

John 12:20-27

When I see my own life, if I love it I will lose it
People see Jesus when someone dies and rises again in new life. (compare to seed in passage)
Our lives are to be seeds for Christ
When we find sin in our lives, if we have faith we will be glad and see it as part of the process of being cleansed from sin. (If we never saw it we would never be free.)
Where is the frontier in your life (the border between where we have victory and where we don’t) – where are the areas where we find our own life?
It is a good thing when we find our own life (not the sin, but that we found it) – we then have an opportunity to die to ourselves
Brother Billy Wade said to pray “Lord where am I wrong?”
If we live loving our own life we will lose it.

Mark 8:31-38

The carnal side of your life is allied with Satan. You must not preserve it.

Luke 14:25-33

Do you want to be His disciple? Then you must be willing to take up your own cross.
Have you counted the cost of being His disciple? Or are you just hoping that you can get the blessings, and avoid the cost?

Dr. Teubl

Psalm 37: A related word to ‘fear’ is ‘fret’ – this is another thing that should be cast out of our lives.

Church Notes 01-24-10

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:00:59 -0800

Dr. Bill Teubl

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Bruce Hempel

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Dr. Teubl — Blessed is the Man

Psalm 1:1-3 — blessing promised to those who meditate on the Law of God.
- How is it with me? Do I feel blessed by God?
- The basis of the blessing — how am I doing with that — am I meditating on the Law of God?
- If you are having trouble knowing what to read, read and meditate on verses from previous Sunday.
- Benefit/Fruit: In all he does he prospers.
Ps 84:4 — blessing for those who dwell in the house of God
- Am I aware of the Lord’s presence in my life?
- Do I enjoy being with Him?
- Cultivate a sense of awareness of God’s presence &emdash; God wants us to dwell with Him and enjoy Him.
- Benefit/Fruit: We learn to sing praise.

Mr. Hempel

Thoughts from visiting Maryland:
- The body of Christ has persisted for 2 millennia now, and it is very critical for the health of the Church that the relationships in the Church be strong. When the bonds of love are strong, there is willingness to work together even when there is strain.
- When we travel and visit other fellowships we are like red blood cells in the natural body, and bring great blessing to the body.
Luke 11:53 - Luke 12:12 — Live your life from God’s point of view, out of devotion to Christ rather than selfish desires (parallel passage: Matthew 10:24 - 42)
- Are there areas in your life where you are a hypocrite — areas where you might give the correct answer, but do not live it?
- Go to the Lord with the fear of God, and say "Lord I want to live my life for you".
- Do not fear those who can kill the body — do not be afraid of anything — fear God only, and live asking "God what do you want me to do?"
3 paradoxes
- Smallest is the greatest
- Weakest is the strongest
- Lowest is the highest

Church Notes 01-17-10

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:25:29 -0800

Dr. Bill Teubl

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Anger

Cause of Anger	Inward effect	Means of overcoming	Outward result of overcoming

Fighting (Gr mache) associated with questioning or contentious discussions (2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9)	Justifying yourself (Luke 10:29) Wanting to appear important to others	Knowledge that the Lord loves, justifies and honors you (Isaiah 43:4, John 15:16)	Speaking slowly (not questioning quickly or contending in a conversation) out of a true inner rest (because of the reassurance of God’s love and honor toward you)

Passion or pleasure (Gr hedone)	The desire to kill to get the pleasure you desire (James 4:2). Consider Jezebel who desires the pleasure of Naboth’s vineyard on behalf of Ahab and kills Naboth to get it	Learn to rejoice because of the presence of the Lord or His people (those who have come from death to life) (Luke 15:32 - make merry - Gr euphraino - and be glad - Gr chairo)	Enjoying focused times with the Lord (times when we are consciously seeking Him) and with others

Envy or desire (Gr zeloo)	Forcing our will on another person and fighting if they object (James 4:2)	Earnestly desiring good for someone – especially that they should be reconciled to God and obey Him (2 Corinthians 5:20)	Time spent asking the Lord to turn someone's heart Making an earnest appeal to someone out of a loving motive

Summary thought:

The causes of anger above are all motivated by love of the world (James 4:4). This love can be displaced by the love of the Father (1 John 2:15). Love for the Father grows and we consider the depth of our own forgiveness (he who is forgiven much loves much) and remembering He loved us first.

Church Notes 2010-01-03

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:14:50 -0800

Dr. Bill Teubl

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Bruce Hempel

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Winter Youth Retreat 2010

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:33:45 -0800

Friday - Morning Meetings

Rory Misiewicz

Introduction to Spiritual Warfare

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Notes

I am going to break it down into spiritual and warfare.

Spiritual:

Spirituality is looking at the world in a certain way. The world is necessarily spiritual. There are things that we perceive and then there are other things that are “spiritual.”

Tolkien goes into great detail whenever he describes a people. The Bible is not as direct in its approach. There, in the scripture, is an assumption.

Dichotomous reality – there is the spiritual aspect and there is the physical aspect. Both realities are real and we are directly able to experience them.

1 Corinthians 15:40 – There is not one aspect that is lacking.

We are living in the midst of this dichotomous world. Participation is mandatory, in order to exist, we have to participate.

1) There is a danger of being religious, acting in suspense of the spiritual realm. Leads to religiosity
2) Epoche – suspension of judgment.

This creates a Christian who is pulled in two directions, because he/she does not want to participate.

Wisdom:
Not according to flesh
Mysterious
Concerned with things of the spirit

We have to be careful with religiosity and superstition. You cannot be concerned with only one of the realities (physical and spiritual).
Being concerned with only the spiritual leads to sorcery, divination…
Being concerned with only the physical reality leads to materialism.

Warfare:
Definition – binary competition for acceptance of a party’s agenda

We see that the world is caught up in this struggle. Since we are part of this world we are inside of the competition. There is no bench-warmer; we are on one of the sides.

There are different sides:
1) The Lord and the heavenly host. He enables our spirit. We can have confidence with his purposes.
The angelic realm:
The angles are (in Greek and Hebrew) messengers. We see them involved in God’s armies. They aid us and they are in great number. They have names (Michael and Gabriel). There are different classes.
The OT shows us that they offer services. They have the ability to sin (fallen angels). They give divine messages for authors who write it down.
In the NT – they minister to Jesus and announce his birth and resurrection. They will participate in the second coming and final judgment. They see what is going on in the world and they help, yet they are NOT to be worshiped. They can sin (they have a free will of some kind) and they will be judged by God’s people. They watch over God’s people.

Satanic realm:
In the OT - one main occupations he takes is the accuser. We see this role in Job and Zechariah especially.

In the NT - He’s is chief in his domain. He can persecute he tempts, and he seduces. He is participates in punishment within the church. His end is the lake of fire.
Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy; however, his power does not enable him to destroy us. (1 Peter 5:9. Rev. 15)

He is not God’s opposite (1 John 4:4).
Demonic realm
OT - Demons are often referenced as evil spirits
NT – fallen angels. End is the lake of fire. Idolatrous acts during the feasts in the church. Demon possession (they can inhabit people in different forms). They teach false doctrines. In Revelation they are gathering rulers for a great battle.

Powers:
There is something that is not specifically angelic or demonic (Eph. 6)– something that is constructed by people (political systems, law, human tradition…) Powers are manmade conceptions that are not necessarily demonic or angelic.

Weapons of warfare – 1 Cor.

That which we speak, prayer, different aspects which the spirit enables us (word, breast-plate of rightousness).
Psalm 84:1,6

3 battlegrounds – mind, church, in the world.

Ingorance, submition, pride, problems of committement, cold love, fellowship, false teaching

Worldliness, segregation, our own definition of reality.

Dr. Bill Teubl

Spiritual Warfare in the Mind

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Notes

Spiritual warfare in the mind:

It is important not to think that if you ignore the spiritual realm, then Satan will ignore you – he won’t.

2 Cor. 10:4-6

The warfare in the mind is bringing down strongholds. What is a stronghold?

When trying to understand something you must have two steps. 1st - You must define your terms. 2nd - relate the terms or conditions with which you are familiar.

Stronghold – series of lies or deceptions or misunderstanding of a particular area that are closely related and that can be demonized.

Stronghold example: I am not loved.
Where do we accumulate lies/deception with which a stronghold is made? TV, books, other people are all ways in which the lies are accumulated.

One of the things that makes the stronghold strong is that there is a small bit of truth to the statements.

Lie – you are not precious
Truth – Isaiah 43:4
Lie – God accepts me because I do good works
Truth – Ephesians 2:8-9
Lie –
Truth – Psalm 103:8-12
Lie – I cannot approach God
Truth – Hebrews 10:19-22

If I replace these lies with truth, I have built a different stronghold – a stronghold of truth.

Every stronghold has a door. Who stays and leaves through the door is your choice. Lies are places of demonic influence and strongholds of truth are places of light.

The demonic has the power to reinforce the lies. We have authority over demonic powers in our lives.

You cannot set yourself free from a demonic stronghold if you harbor unforgiveness in your heart.

To forgive in the mind and not necessarily publically. Sin in your heart is between God and you. If you involve others, however, you should apologize or address the situation in public.

An adulterous attitude is wanting anything that is nothing for you. When we have attachments to our strongholds (they are advantageous for us) then we have an adulterous attitude.

Deut 7:6 –
There are objects which have spiritual and hold demonic powers. Music, pictures, jewelry, toys, and other objects can be open doors.

We mustn’t be fearful, but we should be vigilant.

Proverbs 18:21 – another thing that opens a door to the demonic is through our words. You can open things into your own life and into the life of others. This doesn’t mean there isn’t room for joking and fun, but we shouldn’t be foolish

Exodus 21:5 (FINISH)

Confessed their sins and the sins of the fathers. A curse is carried to the 4th generation, but a blessing is carried to the thousandth generation.

If there is something that we have confessed and something is still not right, a generational curse might be considered.

1st – is there a stronghold that I need to deal with in my life (not all strongholds that need to be dealt with at the present time)
2nd – If God identifies a stronghold, then start to identify lies. Make a list with two columns, one with lies and one with truths. For the truths try to find verses that counter the lies and that you can turn to when in temptation.
3rd – If you have done all this and there is still territory that is not won, take the name of the stronghold and rebuke it in Jesus’ name
4th – continue to meditate on truth (you must fill the stronghold with church).

How do you confront strongholds in others’ lives?

1st – we must identify our attitude (are we compassionate and want to help?)
2nd – is the person you want to help ready to receive help?
3rd – if you can label it and name it, then you should try to illicit from them the stronghold/issue (A good approach is to state that their behavior and see if they are ready.)

You must commend the person into the Lord’s hands. It is important to only address the situation at the right point in time.

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Friday - Evening Meeting

Bruce Hempel

"The Wall"

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Saturday - Morning Meetings

Jonathan Teubl

Spiritual Warfare in the Church - False Teachers & Fellowship

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Notes

Overview: I am going to talk about the battlefield of the church. James and I will split the session. There will be three topics I will hit:
1) False teachers
2) Fellowship
3) Cold love

James will speak about cold love.

False Teachers:
I am going to give some passages and tell some stories about what I have seen. This isn’t something to be scared of, it is a call for us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
1 Timothy 4:1-10, 16
Vs 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
Vs 16 Take heed to yourself and to your teaching; hold to that, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
I anticipate in 20 years many of you will not be here. You may marry, go be missionaries, or go to other churches. As you look to pick a church, my hope is that you will be thoughtful as you look at that church. Watch your life and doctrine closely. “Some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” This is true, and we see it.

I Colossians 2 it says “see that no one takes you captive by hollow arguments.” This means that you could be taken captive.

Matthew 24:24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” So keep this in mind: it is possible to be deceived. Watch your fellowship. Be careful who you spend time with.

Not that we should be afraid: John 10:1-5, 17 “my sheep hear my voice.” Here is a story from one of the churches I fellowshipped with. They had a bunch of people from California randomly come and join them. At first everything seemed wonderful. Then there started being rumblings of, this is weird and there is conflict. In retrospect it turned out that the group that had come had some false believes and were probably a cult. There was one guy in particular teaching a lot of lies. The pastor said, “We couldn’t put our finger on it, but we knew something was false.” It is important to know the shepherds voice. The pastor knew God’s voice, and he knew this was wrong, it was different, not God’s voice. It talks about how the sheep will run away from a stranger. That is what happened.

There are two ways people can get in trouble in church. One, they can just show up to church and go through all the motions but not have the right things in there hearths. The other way is when the people honestly desire to seek God, but they are not circumspect and are deceived by false teachers.

Hebrews 5:13-14 “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil” What is it saying here? What God really wants us to understand is how to distinguish good form evil. This is the most difficult theology. You need to decide if what you are hearing is right or wrong. Remember, we are called to be priests:

Ezekiel 44:23 the most difficult thing is to learn to distinguish between good and evil “They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” We are the priests. We are teach both ourselves and each other how to distinguish between holy and common.

How do we learn what is good? Mom: I worked at hearties. I was a cashier, handling lots of money. Once there was a counterfeit bill. I knew something wasn’t right. This was because I had handled a lot of real money. Jonathan: in the same way, when they want to teach a teller at a bank how to recognize counterfeit money is to have them handle the real thing. So in being able to recognize false teachers, we aren’t going to study false teachers, we are going to learn the voice of the shepherd.

So learn to distinguish good and evil. The mystery of good and evil is the mixture of good and evil. This is like the parable of the wheat and tares. Learn to hear God’s voice.

How to distinguish good and evil? Constant practice. Learn what evil is. The goal should always be to advance God’s kingdom.

Fellowship:
James 3:13-18
This could also be called commitment to one another, stiff-neck-ness, vain conceit etc. The other type of person through whom conflict can come is someone who doesn’t have a heart of caring toward others. “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” (vs 16). There are people who serve trying to advance their own agenda. First of all, don’t let that be yourself. Serve for God’s glory and His alone. He will not share his glory with another. Selfish and ambition and vain conceit bring with them every evil practice. There is nothing such people won’t do for themselves. But the wisdom from heaven is different. In Corinthians, Paul tells the Corinthians to open wide their hearts to him. We need to have our hearts open to each other. We need to watch out for each other. You should have guardians of your soul. Be careful who you open your heart to; seek out people you want to emulate. This can’t happen where there is selfish ambition.

This selfish ambition can be a poison in the church. Titus 3:9 says not to argue about genealogies. Paul says to warn a divisive person once and then have nothing to do with him. Let me tell you one more story. When we talk about people wanting to get ahead in church or life, there are people like that. Just this summer I was in the Philippines. There was a man I worked with there who had a powerful ministry. He had a very strong personality. He would go out into the jungle and bring medical supplies to people. He had very meaningful relations there. Someone back at home became jealous as him because he was drawing many followers. This one other gentleman “Matt” grew jealous. He started saying none of the students could go out with this guy. Matt called this fellows supporters and started saying he was no good. And so this guy had to leave and go to Cambodia. There were people whose faith was devastated by this. This was an example of leadership failing because of selfishness.

Don’t be devastated when leadership fails. Leadership will fail. Have faith in God. Don’t lose that. Keep your eyes fixed on God, and when men fail, have faith in God.

These are two things you will see in the church.

1 Peter 4:7-8
One final story: this is a beautiful story about keeping the bond of love strong. There was a time when there was a lot going on and Dad was busy. He decided not to go to the Summer Retreat. Brother Babu and C.C. Uncle drove down and asked him to come. C.C. uncle said “we feel it is important for you to be with us.” The came to meet with him specifically to appeal for him to come. It took a lot of money to fly and visit. Then we went.

James Williams

Spiritual Warfare in the Church - Cold Love

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Notes

Revelations 12:10-11
Cold love:
This is a topic that has been on my heart for almost a decade now. I am going to read some familiar passages:
1 John 4:7-21 I open this topic with these verses because if we don’t know the basis of love, how can we distinguish what cold love is? Cold love is hypocritical. Cold love is the opposite of caring for someone. It is caring for someone in an ingenuine way. True love cares about the spirit, soul, and body of someone else.

Revelations 2:1-7 “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” The LORD clearly showed me once “you need to look through my eyes when you see someone else or you will always see someone in judgment.” I a short time the LORD showed me how serious the spirit of judgment was in my life. I was in the prison and all the guys started coming from the cell. I looked around and started judging them. And the LORD said, “you need to stop.” I broke. I started praying. I was so ashamed. I had the realization how serious this was in my life. Since then, the LORD has opened my eyes and I see people as God’s creation and the apple of His eye, beautiful. That is how the LORD wants us to see everyone around us. When we are close to the Father’s heart, we will see others through his eyes.

Snares and temptations we fall into:
Matthew 12:22-30 “Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand;” There is a lot of division in the church. I encourage you to go visit other churches. It gives you the benefit of fellowship and helps you see things from a different perspective. If there is division in the church, how where there ever be revival? If there is not love, only cold love, we can’t act in unity.

Hebrews 10:23-25 “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” One of my goals in life is to see how I can be a blessing to others. We should not give up meeting together. This has two meanings: one, don’t give up going to church. Two, it can also mean let’s not give up doing things together. Let’s not give up meeting with one another. The caution in this is spending one on one time with each other is: one, doing something with someone of the opposite gender. There needs to be a caution.

Ephesians 4:1-3 “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” An example of what this means is carrying someone because they can’t walk. The other side of the coin is, what is really involved in that? It is really agape love, unconditional love. Sometimes it is one-way love.

Gal 5:13-14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."” Wow! Here are a few scenarios we might fall into that might keep us from loving one another: one is judgment. Another is not having in common. Another is “I don’t want to be disappointed.” Getting to know someone, loving someone, takes time. You might think I it is not worth your time or effort. Give the other person someone am opportunity to be involved, an opportunity to be encouraging to you.

Romans 12:9-11 “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.” The “theme” for this passage is “behaving like a Christian.”

Do you genuinely have love for others in the church? John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Brian Wilson

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Matthew 24:12 “And because lawlessness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold.” Lawlessness could be said Torah-lessness or Bible-lessness. The contest in the end is between the lawless one and those who love the truth. This is in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10. So the Lawless One opposes those who love the truth. I had a picture of a dead body in a coffin as opposed to a live body with breath, life, and heat. I don’t touch dead bodies, but a dead body is very cold. It is dramatically different between a dead and life body. This is kind of the picture I get with cold love.

Dr. Bill Teubl

Spiritual Warfare in the World - Spirit of Jezebel

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Demonic Influence	Inward	Outward
Jezebel	Meekness Matthew 5:5 Psalm 37:10-11 Psalm 110	Shepherding John 10:10
Babylon	Humility in possessing riches 1 Timothy 6:17 Confidence Hebrews 11:26	Liberality from abundance of grace 2 Corinthians 8:2
Antichrist	Come to the conviction of the sacrificial work of Christ 1 John 4:1-6	1 Cor 1:20-25 declare the truth in the public square.

Notes

The spirit of Jezebel
If you are in a church where there is real love, then it is a real church. A church without love is not how God would have it.
What are some lies in the world and society as a whole that would keep them from hearing Christ. We will talk about three: Jezebel, Babylon, and the Antichrist. Then we are going to talk about what needs to be in the church to overcome these spirits.

Satan is here to cause trouble and interfere with the work to redemption. He is not here alone. He has a kingdom with many fallen angels and demonic forces through whom he exercise dominion. Satan is looking for those who will form an allegiance with him through whom he will do his work. This word “cosmos” refers to this system which Satan has set up through which he is trying to work. In the New Testament “the world” (“cosmos”) is something bad. (Not so in the Old Testament, in the OT it generally means the people in the world).

Not all demons are the same. If there is a demonic oppression in our own lives, we as an individual have we have authority over. There are other demons that have powers over nations. Scripture says that Michael has authority over Israel. There is also a Prince of Persia (modern Iran). These powers are great, and we as Christians can’t simply rebuke them. There are certain battles that need to be fought on different realms. We personally fight battles in our minds. Parents fight battles in the home. Mature believers and elders fight the battle in the church. A mature, united church can fight the battle in the church. This is for those in the church who are gifted and willing, gathered in agreement, laboring in prayer. These people will defeat the demonic powers in the community. The church is maturing. If the church is united, we will see change

Jezebel: who is Jezebel in the Bible? These three I have chosen have specific names in the Bible. Jezebel is spoken almost exclusively in first Kings where Jezebel is the wife of Ahab. Jehu killed Jezebel. There is one reference to Jezebel in Revelation. I King 21, Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab is King and Jezebel is his wife. Ahab wants a vineyard that belongs to a man named Naboth. Naboth refuses to sell it. Ahab pouts. Jezebel finds him and asks what is wrong, and he tells her. Jezebel comes out with a scheme to get Naboth stoned. After he is dead, Jezebel gives the vineyard to Ahab. After that there is prophecy from Elijah about how Ahab and Jezebel are going to die.

One of the primary influences of Jezebel in the world is to proclaim this lie: happiness is found by getting what you want by means of death. There is also an element of sensuality. Jezebel goes beyond sensuality, though. Many of the perversions we see in sexuality have as their goal the cutting of raising up a generation. Why is Satan so opposed to this? When godly seed is raised up and there is agreement across generational lines in the spirit, there is a special power in that to oppose sin in the world. That is the fundamental element of Jezebel’s influence in the world.

What does all this mean to the church? The way we oppose evil in the world is by standing against in with the opposite level. The church needs to battle the spirit of death by standing for life and welcoming life. There is a spirit necessary in the church for this to happen.

Matthew 5:5 “blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” when you look at Jezebel and try to characterize her, there is a brazen element to it. She acts totally out of any authority. She is not really the authority, Ahab is, but she manipulates him. She acts out of an aggressive spirit; she takes what she wants by force. The opposite of that is to be like Christ and to have a meek spirit. Meek does not mean mild or weak, it means submitted. Jesus speaks of himself as “meek and lowly of heart. So we need to learn to act in a submitted way, not out of our own thoughts and feelings
Psalm 37:10-11 “Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look well at his place, he will not be there But the meek shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” Think of Jezebel. She is gone. The promise is that the inheritance will ultimately belong to the meek. Even though the evil can strong things by force, the meek will in the end inherit the earth.
Psalm 110:1-2 “The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes!” This is the right attitude for the church to have in the midst of the world that is ruled by Satan. John says “we know the whole world is in the power of the evil one.” Why does he say this? Doesn’t the world belong to God? He not only created it, he redeemed it. Satan is still operating this structure that he has in the world because God hasn’t taken it away from him yet. Say, for example, there is a house in Hudson that is being used to traffic drugs. Say one of us goes and buys it. Now he owns the house. Then we go up there and someone is trading drugs. Someone is going to have to go in there and say “you can’t stay here anymore, it is my property.” That is what the world is like. The job of the church is to go to the world and say ‘this is not yours anymore; it has been bought with a price.” We don’t do this in one sweeping motion, we do it one at a time, person by person. We also do it in areas, like by praying over specific places. What is psalm 110 telling us about how to do this? If the spirit of meekness is nurtured in the church and God’s people learn to sit at God’s right hand and we learn that from that position we have authority in the church and we understand that God speaks a word that goes into the church, then God can do a cleansing work.

What is the outward manifestation that the church needs to do? John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The spirit of Jezebel tries particularly to kill. But Jesus came that we might have life. In him was light and the light was the life of men. So the church needs to oppose the work of Jezebel. What is Jesus talking about in John 10? He is talking about being a shepherd. So the church needs to be shepherd, this is the opposite of the spirit of Jezebel. The church teaches husbands and wives to love one another and to care for their children. This shepherding role of the church in the wider community can come when we are learning meekness and giving us authority to come against the spirit of Jezebel in the world.

Interlude: when we approach a large subject, try to pick some themes, things you are hearing, that help to thread together what you are hearing and help it stick in your mind. Then when you hear it again, you connect the old things to the new things. This is how we build good strongholds. One of the themes is if we had to put in a few words what spiritual warfare is about, for me it would be it is about Jesus Christ. Why do I say this? When we talk about spiritual conflict and facing an enemy, sometimes it takes a while for people to be convinced there is an enemy. When we accept being a soldier, we can err by becoming overly focused on the enemy and the battle. The most important part of the battle has already been done: Jesus has died and risen from the dead. We need to be focused on that. What enables me to fight against the enemy? The enemy is not more powerful that Jesus. The key to all spiritual warfare is getting the person of Jesus Christ in the face of the enemy because the enemy is terrified of Jesus Christ. The end purpose of spiritual warfare is to make a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. When this happens, the enemy will flee. So keep your focus on the LORD, not the enemy.

Evening Meeting

Spiritual Warfare in the World - Spirit of Babylon and Antichrist

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The Spirit of Babylon:
The Old Testament and the New Testament speak extensively about Babylon. What is the spirit of Babylon? We will read the parable of the sewer in Matthew 13. Vs 22 “As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Another translation says the “deceitfulness of riches.” We all have cares in the world. This is natural and not wrong. The cares become problems when we handle them wrongly. Babylon says that the cares we have for ourselves should be solved by having riches. That is the basic message of the spirit of Babylon. Another way to put it is that the key to happiness is having all the riches. If you look elsewhere, (revelation 18), at the end of Babylon, there is a lament. Why are the people weeping? They weep because there were so many riches in Babylon and they are all burning up. What is the deception in this spirit? You can never spend enough money to get rid of your cares.

How does this show itself in our lives? Dan 12:4 “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” This is a description of busy-ness. This is the way the spirit of Babylon most subtly influences us. It is subtle because someone who is busy seems successful. But this running to and fro to gather as much as we can so that we do not worry about the cares of this life is deceptive. Riches will never fully relieve our cares. This means that as soon as we think we have enough, we realize there is something else we need and so we run more. This creates an environment in which the word is choked inside us.

What does the church need to do to fight this attitude? First, there needs to be humility in possessing riches. 1 Tim 6:17 “As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy.” So those who have riches are not to be haughty. When we learn to hold riches with an open hand, we can be stewards of God’s riches.

Second, we need to have the attitude of confidence. Hebrews 11:26 “He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward.” If we have a need in our lives, we have to have this confidence that God will meet the need in our lives, and if we have to forsake riches, God will make provision for us to do what he wants us to do.

What is the outward manifestation of this to the world? (if you want to meditate on this, read all of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9). The first concept is liberality: 2 Cor 8:2 “for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part.” So in the Macedonian churches there was “wealth of liberality.” This needs to characterize the church. This makes sense to a lot of Christians. However, this is a constant battle. The deceitfulness of riches is very powerful. There is one other thing in here that is much more profound: “there abundance of joy and their extreme poverty…” How do you give out of extreme poverty? Vs 1 “the grace of God which has been shown in the churches” Grace is making itself known. So the key to the liberality is to have an abundance of grace. Any good work you are given to do is enabled not by what you have physically but by grace. This flies in the face of what the spirit of Babylon says. The grace starts with a stirring in our hearts to be liberal, to give.

The spirit of Antichrist:
1 John 4:1-6 antichrist is a term used specifically in John. Vs 3 “every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.” Why is it important that the spirit confesses that Jesus came in the flesh? The teaching of the NT is that our salvation is based on the fact that there was a sacrifice for us. Specifically, that blood was shed. If you want to deny the sacrificial work of Christ, one way to do it is to say that he did not come in the flesh. The main work of the antichrist is to deny the sacrificial work of Christ.

How do we see this in the world and how do we combat it? 1 Cor 1:20-25 “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom” The religious world says: show me some sign, some manifestation of power. The intellectual world says: show me a rational argument as to why that is true vs 23 “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,” What does the church need to do? The church must declare the truth of the cross in the public square. The opposition is that it is silenced. How do we see this? If you are in a discussion in a worldly setting and you say “Christ can change someone’s heart,” people will not allow the discussion. They will say, “it is okay for you.” This silencing of the gospel in the public square is the main strategy by which the spirit of the antichrist is at work in the world. This doesn’t mean that the way to break through this is to be belligerent. However, we need to remember that the key thing we are proclaiming as a church is how Jesus came and died for us.

This is the final spirit. It is perhaps the one we are most aware of.

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Winter Youth Retreat

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:49:13 -0800

Start: 01/01/2010 - 9:00am

End: 01/03/2010 - 1:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-4

Body:

Dates: January 1st – January 3rd (Friday – Sunday)

Subject: Spiritual Warfare (following the topic of peace in the home covered in NY youth group)

What is it: Youth retreat; time to study the Bible, fellowship with believers, praise/worship

Who attends: usually 80-100 youth (ages 12-adult) from Canaan Fellowship, other NY churches, as well as churches in Ohio, Washington, and/or Pennsylvania.

Location: Germantown activity building, off Route 9G in the town of Germantown

Host homes: people who live more than an hour or so away are encouraged to stay with a family in the church (having people over has been an incredible blessing to each of the host families so please you folks who live an hour and a half away, don't feel obliged to drive home in the evenings!)

Cost covered by the church (if you feel that you want to give you may speak to Mr. Teubl or Mrs. Hempel (Wendy)

Format:

Thursday afternoon/evening - out of towners arrive at host homes

Friday and Saturday morning:

9:00 meeting/teaching (Spiritual Warfare) (everyone, musicians especially, encouraged to arrive early so as to have time to grab some coffee and still start the meeting on time)
Break mid morning/poster groups/presentations
12:00 Lunch at church
Afternoon: activities
5:00pm Dinner at host homes
Evening: usually praise/worship and or testimony/prayer time

Sunday morning:

10:00 church (entire church, not just youth)
1:00 lunch and fellowship

Poster sessions: we break up into groups of 6-8 and make a poster presentation discussing/illustrating what stood out to us from the teaching. This year we may be integrating skits into presentations rather than just posters.

Host homes for dinner: there will be 3-6 host homes that everybody is encouraged to return to for dinner so as to cut down on commute time to farther away homes; also, having dinner together is awesome fellowship time

Afternoon activities: we usually do some sports (ultimate Frisbee, football, etc), play inside games at host homes, nap (if you're one of the late nighters;), and Friday some of us go to the Thompson House (nursing home in Rhinebeck) and do some Christmas caroling (that's also generally a really incredible time to get to talk/share the word with some of the people who live there).

Church Notes 12-27-09

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:14:30 -0800

Bruce Hempel

Psalm 84:1-7 (tears)

Jerusalem is spirit of giving, Babylon is spirit of gaining – we have been brought into the kingdom of God.

Hannah (Samuel’s mother) prayed in the tabernacle in great distress – the Lord granted what she asked.

It’s good to pray aloud, there is something in the spoken word that brings faith. In the present, because I have faith, I can have a testimony. God does not want us to have fear, to be held back by worry of what people will think, etc.

Luke 1:67-79 - Zechariah (John the Baptist’s Father) – what strikes me about this is how he speaks of being free from fear. God does not want us to live in any fear. Fear has torment. Americans are fed, through the media, a steady diet of fear.

1 John 4:4 – greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. V18 – perfect love casts out all fear.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Back to Luke 1. Verse 74: Grant us that we, being delivered from our enemies, may serve Him without fear. From this say 2 things: 1. I am the Lords servant; 2. I should serve Him without fear.

God want to get rid of health fears, family fears, fear that I cannot change.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Previous verse talks of how Paul has learned to be content in all things – Paul does not fear poor and hard times.

1 Sam 17 – the meaning of “my soul will make its boast in Thee Lord” – God wants us to have this boast in our hearts.

Dr. Teubl - Stronghold of fear:

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2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We must take every thought captive. The kingdom of heaven is not taken in passivity, rather activity. Although we should wait and be partly passive as we wait on the Lord. We are active, however, when we tear down the strongholds of the enemy.

Stronghold - we build a stronghold by collecting thoughts (though they are lies, they will hold an element of truth).

How do we build a stronghold of fear? As we gather ideas of fear, we build a stronghold of fear.

How do I bring down a stronghold of fear?

You must identify the stronghold (a stronghold that is demonized, is hidden). Some of the things used to build a stronghold are built over time.
Ask yourself, "why do I believe what I believe?" You have to take the stronghold down, not denying the truth, but taking down the fearful elements.

If you think that you have a fear (or any stronghold), make a two column list, one of lies and one of truths. The truth should include verses that state truths. Whenever you come up against that fear (or stronghold) declare that verse.

What does this have to do with the demonic?

When we build strongholds, they are not simply errors. Many strongholds become demonically occupied. When we rebuild the stronghold, we must be ready to be active in the spiritual.

When we can find verses that can address the specific issue, then we are enabled to be effective against the enemy. Praise is another way that strongholds are brought down.

Pick your battles, but plan to win them.

Church Notes 12-20-09

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:33:03 -0800

Bruce Hempel:

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Church Notes 12-20-09

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:00:48 -0800

Bruce Hempel

The ministry of encouragement: We must have faith for our trials, everyday situations, and what God is doing inside us. We can go through life with joy! God wants us to have a song in trials. Just visiting another fellowship is an encouragement to them. Visiting a nursing home is an encouragement to the residents. Making a phone call to a friend or relative is an encouragement.

Romans 5:1-11: It is good to read the same passage of scriptures day after day for a week; it helps make the passage "sink in". Notice how much hope is in this passage. We should absorb this spirit of hope so it is part of who we are. The seminar I took last week in Ohio taught faith, hope and love. Mankind is in need of the Savior. During the flight to Ohio we had a conversation with a man. I had the impression that many were listening all around.

What are the fruits of the Spirit? (Ans. - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.) If someone meets you, are they struck by the fruit of the Spirit? If you are lacking joy, ask for Christ's life, the life produced by the Spirit, to produce joy in you. The scripture says, "Christ in you the hope of glory." (Col, 1:27) The glory of God is His character. Faith is believing that God is working in my life to bring me to the full stature of Christ. Often what we think is humility is actually unbelief -- "God can't make me like Him." God is bigger than the garbage inside of me. God's word is true. If God has done something in me so far, he can certainly do a lot more. Believing this can fill our hearts with joy. Without faith we have fear and doubt. If you have faith and hope you will have joy.

The joy of the Lord is our strength. In Nehemiah 8 Ezra read from the law and the Levities explained it. The people began to weep; they were deeply convicted that they had failed. Ezra told them not to weep because the day was holy to the Lord; instead, they were to rejoice and celebrate God's feast and give a portion to others. We learn from this that we should rejoice even when we have understood our failure! When we see we have failed God wants us to have joy because our faith is in Him to change us, and He has promised to do that.

Psalm 19:4-5: The bridegroom comes forth from his chamber with strength. He is focused on running the race with joy. Sure the race will require giving his all, but he fully expects to win.

James 1:2: Count it all joy regarding the trials! Have we ever groaned about a trial? The Lord wants to take the groaning out and give you joy. People also notice if we are joyful. Don't resist going through suffering. A broken heart and contrite spirit brings joy. Joy comes from nothing between us and God.

Psalm 51:8 "Make me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones which You have broken rejoice." Godly sorrow produces joy; worldly sorrow produces death. God lifts us up as a parent does when a child falls. God wants you to get up when you fall. He is the God of encouragement.

Psalm 117 and 118: Have you been in a trial where you have felt this is the end? Many verses talk about a trial in the past and God's blessing afterwards (example: Psalm 23 and Psalms 103). We may go through something hard but God brings us through to a wealthy place. The trial is temporary. Also see 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.

Psalms 118:17-20 "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous shall enter." The gate of the Lord is the trial we are in. Let us go through the trial! May the Lord give us strong joy and praise. Psalm 27:13-14 "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"

Church Notes 12-14-09

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:05:06 -0800

Jonathan Teubl:

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Bill Teubl:

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Church Notes 12-13-09

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:55:34 -0800

John Teubl

Communion is a deep subject.

1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Why do we do communion?

God and me:

1 Corinthians 11:29

A man should examine himself. “Is there anything between You (God) and I?” and make it right between one another as one is able.

“As much as lies with you live in peace with all men.”

Don’t take the cup when there is something wrong with your heart (in an unworthy manner). If we take communion when we know there is something wrong, we are pretending we can do ok without the power of God.

Leave your gift at the altar to make it right with your brother. Do this quickly.

Be honest with God and yourself about your relationship between yourself and God.

Lord thank you for dying for me. The table of the Lord is a memorial of God making peace for mankind. We also proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again.

God died to make us one body. It is significant that we take the bread together. We will be roommates in heaven! Look around the room as you take communion. They all are saying “thank you for dying for me.”

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 one loaf=one body. We cannot be a Lone Ranger Christian.

It is humbling to think we are made worthy to take communion with others whom God has drawn to Himself.

Taking communion may make you sick but it is better to be sick and have God deal with you than to not take communion and not have the problem in your heart dealt with. Communion is for setting us free. We try to give time for people to think and examine.

Dr. Teubl

As a man thinks in his heart so is he. If you stay before God he will answer you.

Tasks in life

If we didn’t learn it God can make up the difference. Repent, forgive, God brings restoration.


Foundation Phase                   Decision Phase-What will I do who will I do it with?
                                      Marriage or not-fellowship 
______________12_____________________20____________________________________35_
_________________________________________60___________________________________

Ages 0-12: Obedience to parents

Ephesians 6:1

This is a discipline that is built upon for obedience to God

Ages 12-20: We are filled with the Spirit and hear God’s voice.

Galatians 5:16 Walk by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Establishment (ages 20-35) and building (ages 35-60) phase - basic skills in relationships and life are not enough to get the full anointing of God Ps. 84.1 Your skills and relationships should be a dwelling place for God in your home.

Age 60 onwards: This time is the established point of influence in the community. This influence resists evil in the community. This is because by 60 most children are adults and energy can be spent outside the family.

God has grace and has good answers for you.

One of the battles is coming to faith in the answers.

Psalm 32:8

We need maturity in the Body of Christ to deal with difficult starting points.

Having done all we can stand as a church. Influence is a factor in every stage of life but largest in this older phase. If a few people have a vision and don’t drop the ball there will be success.

How do we sit in the gates in our community? The church should be influencing the community.

Red Hook Residential

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:47:34 -0800

Start: 12/20/2009 - 2:00pm

End: 12/20/2009 - 6:30pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-4

Body:

Visit to Red Hook Residential