Servers Click HERE

What is Encounter God?

Encounter God is a weekend retreat that provides an opportunity for intense spiritual growth. The goal is for you to experience Christ’s healing in every area of your life. Because the retreat focuses on surrendering to Christ’s lordship and receiving His wholeness, the theme verse is James 5:16 “…confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”.

The Encounter God Retreat also emphasizes John 10:10 where Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” As you bring different areas of your live to the Lord and receive prayer, God will bring freedom and life abundant.

Bring with you:

· Bible and pen

· Sense of expectancy

Who can Come?

Anyone who desires to pursue more of God

Limited registration. Sign up early!– ONLY ROOM FOR 25

The cost for 1st timers is $35.00 Sign up here

Weekend Information:

Location: Restoration Fellowship of Sarasota 5614 Richardson Road Sarasota, FL 34232

Time: Friday evening around 6:30pm until after the celebration service which begins at 10:30am

This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the leadership staff, as well as learning the vision and history of Cornerstone: why we do what we do and what we feel that God has called us to.
We would love to have you get involved because after this training the doors open to your for Alter ministry, small group development, Leadership and much more.

July 23-24th Friday evening through all day Saturday. Cost is $30

Please sign up by clicking the buy now button below by Wednesday, July 21, 2010.

Warnings were raised as long as a year before the Deepwater Horizon disaster that the area of seabed chosen by the BP geologists might be unstable, or worse, inherently dangerous.

What makes the location that Transocean chose potentially far riskier than other potential oil deposits located at other regions of the Gulf? It can be summed up with two words: methane gas.

The same methane that makes coal mining operations hazardous and leads to horrendous mining accidents deep under the earth also can present a high level of danger to certain oil exploration ventures.

Location of Deepwater Horizon oil rig was criticized

More than 12 months ago some geologists rang the warning bell that the Deepwater Horizon exploratory rig might have been erected directly over a huge underground reservoir of methane.

Documents from several years ago indicate that the subterranean geologic formation may contain the presence of a huge methane deposit.

None other than the engineer who helped lead the team to snuff the Gulf oil fires set by Saddam Hussein to slow the advance of American troops has stated that a huge underground lake of methane gas—compressed by a pressure of 100,000 pounds per square inch (psi)—could be released by BP’s drilling effort to obtain the oil deposit.

Current engineering technology cannot contain gas that is pressurized to 100,000 psi.

By some geologists’ estimates the methane could be a massive 15 to 20 mile toxic and explosive bubble trapped for eons under the Gulf sea floor. In their opinion, the explosive destruction of the Deepwater Horizon wellhead was an accident just waiting to happen.

Yet the disaster that followed the loss of the rig pales by comparison to the apocalyptic disaster that may come.

A cascading catastrophe

According to worried geologists, the first signs that the methane may burst its way through the bottom of the ocean would be fissures or cracks appearing on the ocean floor near the damaged well head.

Evidence of fissures opening up on the seabed have been captured by the robotic submersibles working to repair and contain the ruptured well. Smaller, independent plumes have also appeared outside the nearby radius of the bore hole itself.

According to some geological experts, BP’s operations set into motion a series of events that may be irreversible. Step-by-step the drilling team committed one error after another.

Congressmen Henry Waxman, D-CA, and Bart Stupak, D-MI, in a letter sent to BP CEO Tony Hayward, identified 5 missteps made by BP during the period culminating with the explosion.

Waxman, chair of the Congressional energy panel and Stupak, the head of the subcommittee on oversight and investigations, said, “The common feature of these five decisions is that they posed a trade-off between cost and well safety.”

The two Representatives also stated in the 14-page letter to Hayward that “Time after time, it appears that BP made decisions that increased the risk of a blowout to save the company time or expense.”

Called by some insiders investigating the ongoing disaster a “perfect storm of catastrophe,” the wellhead blew on the sea floor catapulting a stream of mud, oil and gas upwards at the speed of sound.

In describing the events—that transpired in a matter of seconds—they note that immediately following the rupture the borehole pipe’s casing blew away exposing a straight line 8 miles deep for the pressurized gas to escape. The result was cavitation, an irregular pressure variance sometimes experience by deep diving vessels such as nuclear submarines. This cavitation created a supersonic bubble of explosive methane gas that resulted in a supersonic explosion killing 11 men and completely annihilating the drilling platform.

Death from the depths

With the emerging evidence of fissures, the quiet fear now is the methane bubble rupturing the seabed and exploding into the Gulf waters. If the bubble escapes, every ship, drilling rig and structure within the region of the bubble will instantaneously sink. All the workers, engineers, Coast Guard personnel and marine biologists measuring the oil plumes’ advance will instantly perish.

As horrible as that is, what would follow is an event so potentially horrific that it equals in its fury the Indonesian tsunami that killed more than 600,000, or the destruction of Pompeii by Mt. Vesuvius.

The ultimate Gulf disaster, however, would make even those historical horrors pale by comparison. If the huge methane bubble breaches the seabed, it will erupt with an explosive fury similar to that experienced during the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens in the Pacific Northwest. A gas gusher will surge upwards through miles of ancient sedimentary rock—layer after layer—past the oil reservoir. It will explode upwards propelled by 50 tons psi, burst through the cracks and fissures of the compromised sea floor, and rupture miles of ocean bottom with one titanic explosion.

The burgeoning methane gas cloud will surface, killing everything it touches, and set off a supersonic tsunami with the wave traveling somewhere between 400 to 600 miles per hour.

While the entire Gulf coastline is vulnerable, the state most exposed to the fury of a supersonic wave towering 150 to 200 feet or more is Florida. The Sunshine State only averages about 100 feet above sea level with much of the coastline and lowlands and swamps near zero elevation. [

Elevation map] A supersonic tsunami would literally sweep away everything from Miami to the panhandle in a matter of minutes. Loss of human life would be virtually instantaneous and measured in the millions. Of course the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and  southern region of Georgia—a state with no Gulf coastline—would also experience tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of casualties.

Loss of property is virtually incalculable and the days of the US position as the world's superpower would be literally gone in a flash...of detonating methane.

See these links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=8z2Rq31N2Fw

So what do you think?

For three days, we will be seeking God, training and equipping, praying on campuses, and ministering in the city. God wants to see cities in America completely saved, and He is raising-up young people who are passionately in love with Him, know how to pray, and walk in the power of God.

details
JULY 14-16
Cost for 808′ers– $150

Here is some knowledge earned through experience given to me by 2 very important people. It’s really important so I wanted to make it available to you.

1. Be rooted and grounded. A picture was shared about how a potted plant will still grow in its environment but it will not reach its fullest potential. If you compare it to a tree with deep roots connected to the water source in the ground, this tree has no limit to its growth. You will still grow as a potted plant, but you will not obtain the strength as a tree connected to the water source with no limits.

2. Be teachable. It’s not about being right, but bringing life. Jesus didn’t say, I am the Way, the Truth and by the way I’m right. He says, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

3. Be obedient. In walking out your obedience, you can’t expect everyone or anyone else to come along. Some people might follow you but you cannot base your outcome by who is following or not. If you find yourself in disobedience, go back to where you heard God and start over from there. When you make a mistake, know that God is big enough to take care of you.

4. Spiritual gifting and spiritual maturity are 2 different things. A person can be gifted but have a lack of maturity. It’s important to be rooted, teachable and obedient so that your gifts can be used with maturity.

5. Do not lose focus. Keep your eyes on God. Don’t focus on the enemy because God has already won! Just as is says in scripture Submit to God first, resist the enemy and he will flee! Don’t focus on the fruit issues, deal with the root.

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC) asked the stacked deck a simple, telling question: Would they support abstinence funding if it were proven to be as or more effective than comprehensive sex ed?

Why are we allowing these people to make decisions that will “benefit” teens, when obviously they enjoy the cycle that causes abortion. Maybe they just like to kill babies.

Watch this I think that you will enjoy:

Hi my name is Dai,* I’m a survivor of human trafficking and exploitation. I have experienced the harm that these forms of violence inflict on those of us who have been sexually exploited. Let me tell you a little history about my life. I have been an American for nearly 21 years. Abused as a child, I made a promise to myself that I would never be abused again. As I continue with my speech, I’m here to share my story specifically regarding my traumatic experience in the sex trafficking.

One question that has always perplexed me is the need to share my experiences, and what I witnessed in Las Vegas without exploiting myself. An integral part of my story is that I, and many other minority women, whether American or not, were shipped from state to state in order to provide specific services for men. It has been stated by many that the sex industry has been divided into two distinct classifications: prostitution and trafficking. I encourage you to listen to my story as I reveal to you why I believe they are one and the same.

In 1995, I fell in love with a military man, who persuaded me to move with him to an undisclosed remote area. There, I was raped and beat continually while handcuffed to a door of an abandoned house. Eventually, through circumstances, I made my escape, but not before he had confiscated my naturalization papers, driver’s license and social security card. With no proof of my identity, I could not acquire adequate shelter. I felt like an animal that has been cast into the street. My life became a scenario of sojourning from one homeless shelter to another.

One day, I was approached by a middle-aged woman who had been watching my every move. Unaware that she was a (Female Pimp), she insisted that I come and work for her in the Escort Service (she assured me that it was only a dating service). My unawareness of this proposition was so overwhelmed by my need for food, money and clothing that I desperately accepted her offer. After several weeks I found myself well provided for and economically stable. Then the unthinkable happened: a client bargained me for sex. After I refused his offer, he grabbed me by the hair, forced me on the floor and raped and beat me. In terror, I fled to the police to report the violence. To my astonishment, the police informed me that I had no rights because I had attained the status of a “street-walker”.

Eventually, the female pimp who recruited me sent me to this gentleman who worked in Nevada where my experience in Human Trafficking began. To this day, I am still haunted by flashbacks regarding certain smells, as well as cold floors which numbed my bare feet. Many times, panic ensues when I find myself in a line of women; it resurrects the nightmares of all the humiliating inspection line-ups I had to endure. We were constantly paraded before a potential client; their lustful eyes examining and perusing us before we became final choices for each predatory customer.

Being Korean, I remember the time when a prejudiced ‘john’ demanded that I dress as a Japanese prostitute/geisha. My vulnerability was made complete when I was taught to speak broken English, fulfilling the racist image of exoticism. Although, I was one of the few that spoke and understood English, my required masquerade as a foreigner brought more money to the Master through harboring of immigrants.

There is no difference between trafficking and prostitution when innocent women and children are being harbored for the sole purpose of the commercial sex trade. Exploiters and pimps are always violating the rights of these victims who are pursuing their freedom to escape from harm.

In reality, no female desires to be a part of this nightmare. Most of us were incarcerated in basements, underneath casinos and in abandoned warehouses. Our desperate cries for help were silenced by the walls, which separated us from the rest of the world. While tourists roamed the streets of Las Vegas admiring the architectural beauty and the celestial lights, which permeated the night sky, we, the victims, were in perpetual fear for our lives.

The Master, knowing full well that I was an American, forced me to work both the Escort and the Trafficking. If I refused or didn’t comply, I was taken underground and sentenced to various methods of punishment. The vividness of this maltreatment brought back such childhood nightmares of the times I was locked in a closet. Each of these two scenarios mirrored the same cries for freedom; after all, I was the submissive little foreign girl who was threatened not to tell anyone. In both cases, my guilt-ridden confessions of bad behavior resulted in my temporary release. On my knees, I had to convince my Master that I would be on my best behavior. After hours of interrogation, I was given permission to return to do what I did best; being a concubine, and deluding myself into thinking that I enjoyed it.

I was involved in trafficking for more than six months. I compare that time to being held hostage in a timeless existence where my mind engaged itself in disassociation with my soul. This mental state was the only way in which I could keep any sanity. Repeatedly, I witnessed the beatings, rapes and murders of innocent women. At times, my tears of hopelessness would drown me into a pathos of my own execution. How could my own country not be aware of these cruelties? How could this kind of discrimination and slavery be given the power to blind immigrant and American women of their rights? The frustration of these and other questions echoed within my catatonic mind.

Most of the time we were transported by trucks with drivers who were not naive to our purpose, and well informed of our identity. After months of these transports for trafficking our self-images had been reduced to cattle being loaded on a cattle car. Thousands of dollars were exchanged on these cross-country trips which kept us silent and our existence a secret. There were times that the warehouse truck would stop, the tail gate door forced opened, then two or three were summoned out.

We were given shoes and clothing so we would not appear as homeless refugees. We had to walk a block down to a near by truck stop, given fifteen minutes to bathe ourselves, then return to the truck. In degrading humiliation we had to beg for toiletries and other personal items. Sometimes, a policeman would appear on the scene and I would be so tempted to cry out for help, but fear of jeopardizing my life and the lives of the other women prevented me. The quick shower and change of clothing signaled our soon “rendezvous” with the ‘johns’ who requested for us. The women were released a few at a time so as not to raise any suspicion.

Selections of adult-aged women and minor girls (who were under the age of sixteen) usually numbered between twenty and fifty. The adult women were expected to resemble a late teen. If they would not comply they were discarded, cast-out, and some were never heard from again. We were constantly monitored, forbidden to make eye contact with anyone in public areas. When we arrived at our destination, the women were separated into motel rooms. We traversed the very rural area of Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Florida, and New York. We were never paid directly, however, later on I discovered that it would turn more money if clients were deceived into thinking that all of us were immigrants.

After months of ongoing physical and mental agony I became apathetic regarding my life; I did not care if I lived or died. With convincing death threats from my Master, I remained silent. If he suspected that I was going to expose him he would verbalize threats against my family and friends. It was at this time that I soul searched an alternative way to reveal this horror to the public.

Anyone can locate escort services, brothels, bathhouses and strip clubs in the yellow pages, newspapers, and brochures which detail the variety of girls they have to offer. As for the Trafficking business, they sought out clientele by word of mouth, on the Internet, personal references and very powerful people who were involved on the inside. This creates a distraction for the sex trade businesses, which continually harbors immigrants as slaves. The sex trade pimps are incredibly organized, know how to blend into society and stage criminal activity as though it is “business as usual.” The scary scenario is not the every day casual clients, but it is the established businessmen, the upper echelon trustees and the government officials which are also clientele.

America needs to have its eyes open to this reality which is happening twenty-four hours a day. People need to understand that the master minds behind the sex trafficking are very clever, creative, deceptive and cautious regarding their services and the way in which they enslave women against their will. It is important to understand that pimps emerge from diverse social backgrounds. The majority of the ones with which I had contact, (who were responsible for the trafficking recruitment) had attained status and wealth.

Even though language barriers prevented my communication with these women, we shared the same relentless fears. Somehow, we also shared the dim ray of hope that maintained our survival. I remember, at different times, holding each of them in my arms letting their tears stain my clothing, while all along, sharing the same pain. Though English was my one advantage, I was just as lost, confused and terrified. However, within the depths of this hell I was experiencing, my will to survive was the fire which kept alive my vision of exposing trafficking to the public.

Finally, I was able to escape from my master through a wealthy client who bought me for an undisclosed amount of money. He was an older gentleman with considerable influence. Through his kindness I planned my way of another escape. He admired my oriental beauty and encouraged and coached me to be a (female pimp). He bought my companionship with jewelry, money and expensive cars: He never physically abused me. With ulterior motives he taught me how to make my own money as a Las Vegas Madam (Female Pimp). Therefore, to escape the daily abuse of the sex industry, I found myself recruiting women and leading them into the same vile profession which had terribly traumatized me. I was deceived and controlled by the power it gave me.

Down the road, I got to the point where I could not stomach what I was doing; repeating the very pattern which held me captive for so long. I may not have abused these women the way my Master did to me, but I did sell them. I used large amounts of narcotics to escape the reality of my immoral empire. When I realized I could not escape the recurring nightmares of women locked in basements, warehouse trucks and cheap dirty motels. I was hurled into a major mental breakdown. Coming to terms with my situation, I ran away from the ‘john’ who bought me. Fearing the possibility of being kidnapped and returned to Las Vegas, I began to seek refuge in churches, seeking their assistance in my quest for deliverance and freedom.

Upon leaving Nevada, I was constantly on the run from former pimps. My life resembled a fugitive fleeing from one location to another. In the fall of 2000, I made contact with an advocate through the Internet, she advised me to relocate to a different state. Since then, I slowly began to heal, trust, and reinvent myself to return to society to make positive contributions. I long to reach out to those who are still imprisoned in the revolving door of sexual exploitation. Truly, their shackles can be broken by people who are willing to tear down the walls of silence, and offer them the hope of freedom. They robbed me of five years, they thought they could break me. Yet, I am still standing and I will stand and voice my experience for the victims who are still held in captive of human trafficking.

*Names have been changed for security purposes.
http://www.dreamcenter.org/outreach/RescueProject/story2.html

Love is in the Air:

Motivated by love:
Have you ever done anything Really Really stupid for Money?
Have you ever done anything really stupid because you loved some one.
Did it pay off?
did you regret it?
What was the driving force to do that thing?

Love
What really is love?
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
sexual passion or desire.
a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.

B. Love quotes:
1. There is only one happiness in life — to love and to be loved.
George Sand
1804-1876, French Novelist

“When you are in Love you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.”
Dr Seuss
4. Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves.
Henri Frederic Amiel
1821-1881, Swiss Philosopher, Poet, Critic
The best thing about me is you.
Shannon Crown
God is love:
1st John 4:7-8
Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. He that loves not, does not know God for God IS love.
How can that be?  How can he be love?
    – Isn’t that an emotion, a feeling, an experience.  NO.
    – Love is the very Character of Who he is.

Motivated by Love:
When we really believe in Jesus Christ, we trust in the God of the scriptures and all that they say they (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are.  We receive this Love into us as we receive the Salvation of our souls, because really that is the same thing.  IF God IS love then when we receive him we are receiving a love that is prefect.
This love impels us, It motivates us to be better than what we were, or ever are.  
    – We begin to establish his nature in us
    – we begin to change in to what he is 
    –how we were really created  (the creation of man)
Everything God did was motivated by love to motivate us to love:
    What truly are good works?
    – Acts of service
    – Acts of Love
    – Acts to help some one else.
We don’t do these selfishly, you can’t or they are not really good works.
They don’t come as a desire to perform, they come as a by product of our desire to Love God and obey his love to us.

This is a heart level Action.  Not the head, because the head cant love, it can only reason, but the heart can love.  The head is to keep the heart balanced.  The head is the action behind the motivation of the heart.
Not what I can do for or even with God, but what can I love with  him.  If God is Love that is the nature of his Heart.

We have the right to choose this Love:
John 1:12
“but to as many received him. to them he gave the right ( authority ) to become children of God, to those who believed in his name.  Who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Not of Blood– Birth right Family
        not of the flesh– Sin nature and desire
        not of the will of man– Purpose and determination
        But of God– Grace, Power and love.    
            v16 — “ and of his fullness we have all received and grace for grace”
As we choose this Love we get to be the New Testament sion of the Tabernacle.
v 14:
    14And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.
We get to be the Tents that contain the fullness of the epic treasures of the Heavens.  All the fullness of God, the spirit with out measure for just as fast as we can give it out he wants to give us a double portion of what we just delivered.

Our problem is we get in the way of the Love.
We worry about the works, and our fear, which is cast out by his love we put our eyes on the things that are not his love and we get emptied of the Love that is our life line to the father.
this is a discipline to keep our eyes on the father. all the time.  Keep our eyes on what Dad says, and wait for what he is doing.  WHen we stop the flow we lose the ability to be like him and we go to an empty tent.  no good for anything.

Two Divisions A and B
A- Cash Prize of $400
B- Various Prizes

Register with this form click here!

Pay Online:
No team is completely registered until all funds have been received

This will Appear as a donation to 808pm.com because this is a church fundraiser. Once you hit send you will be taken to a confirmation page then to paypal to pay the registration fees.

I often wonder, wow did I see every opportunity, did I look in the places that God had for me, Did I miss it more than I caught it?  This year, I can was one of the busiest years of my life.  I went like crazy doing and going and there were times that I fell like a rock ( hence the reason last weeks sermon is not on the net…;0) and there were times that everything went like I saw it happening.  Praise God for those times!

Was is the most important for me is that I stay true to the call and vision that God has put me under.  With all the opportunity that there is out there for people who are younger and talented (that is most of you out there reading this blog post) there is so much to take you away from the call of God on your life.

So many choices things to experience and see and all of them fairly good and wholesome.   There are the exception to that but there is a lot of Great opportunity there for you.  But the question remains.. Are you going to plant in the vision that God lays out or will you wait for the BBD? (bigger better deal)

Whats funny is that we live in a culture that refuses to engage in anything because they are waiting for the BBD.  People tell me all the time they will be some where if something better does not come up.  I do my best not to take up the offense.

See that can be part of the startegy of the devil.  Don’t do what is in your heart now because there is coming a BBD that will be there if you wait.  Often, when we move out in the plan that God has for us we are the BBD.  See we become the BBD when we burn enough for something to take steps to see it through.  There are a lot of talkers out there who have good ideas.  My challenge to you is to do more than talk.

6 years ago there was no Flood Youth. Now that group has notional influence.  1 year ago there was no 808.  Now we are making an impact here in Sarasota, and I am working to impact the bay area and beyond.  It just takes the time to respond to the call of God.

You might say you were older than me… well I started at 24 with little college.  But I love Jesus and have a passion for Him and His works. I have put time in coming under Restoration because the vision that comes from Kenton Slabaugh is bigger than me, and him and most of those who are part fo the church now.

In fact I am part of something that has vision to be bigger that it can even imagine.   My slice of this massive pie, at Restoration Fellowship, has started to mobilize. I am super excited because after 6 years of being here the things we have worked for are starting to come to pass.  I have worked to see the BBD and now I am realizing it and I am able to share with those who have come into the work ministry with me.

Here is some of the BBD coming to US:

Plans for the Next year:

Plant a church in Bradenton

– This will open up spots for people who want:
a) leadership roles in :
–Youth ministry,
– Worship teams
– Childrens areas
–Any type of Church related fields
b) To be part of something new.
– Maybe you want to be part of a plant because you are just itching to have adventure

Encounters Every Quarter

Both here and with the flood all over the nation.

School of Ministry / Worship  Starting

How do you want to be involved?

Just ask… there is lots of room for all sorts of things. What do you want to do?  What will YOU do about it?