NORML at The Eagle's Nest

Revival

2009-10-28T15:37:00.004-04:00

In Luke 3:9, John the Baptist tells us "...every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire." Lately I've been praying that folks involved in NORML will set ablaze with holiness and longing for Christ. Like the message of John, I want to see Jesus as the center of your life and every bad thing that keeps you from Christ thrown in the fire.

Some Christians would say I'm praying for "Revival" and I suppose it could be called that. But I'm not looking for you to come to church more... I'm looking for the Holy Spirit to do that supernatural thing that I cannot do for you -- transform your heart!

That will be our aim for the next several weeks. Join me as we "play with fire."

How do non-Christians view the Trinity?

2009-09-13T07:56:00.004-04:00

Our catechism questions have brought us to the topic of the trinity... a 3-in-1 God! So we are fully using this opportunity to contrast the views of non-Christian groups with Biblical Christianity. The two groups who differ with us on these attributes of God are "Jehovah's Witnesses" and "Latter-Day Saints."

One of our NORML folks, during a discussion of Jehovah's Witnesses, said out loud as though she was having an epiphany, "These people must have been taking mushrooms when they came up with their beliefs!"

This is exactly why we're taking a look at these two groups -- they tell us that they are Christians too, that they basically believe the same things we do, that maybe they just have a little more truth than we do, so we have something to learn from their group.

And it is easy for us to take a man at his word. It is easy for us to trust a member of one of these groups at face value when we don't know any better. People in these groups are often good people, people who make it easy for us to respect them. But when we contrast their group with Biblical Christianity we quickly see something is out of whack with what they think about God!

Wretched Sinners!

2009-08-09T03:09:00.003-04:00

In an attempt to learn what really is sinful and what are just bogus man-made restrictions on our liberty, we are taking a short break from "Charismatic Catechism" to look at what the Bible says about sin.

We have an entire bulletin board to use as our notepad! Come to NORML on Wednesdays and help us fill up the giant board with our list of sins (along with a Scripture reference for each sin). You may be surprised what will make the list and shocked at what is absent.

Road Trip! - August 1st

2009-07-14T19:10:00.005-04:00

See our event page on Facebook for more info.

We'll meet at The Eagle's Nest at 4:30pm for a quick time of prayer then load up the van and can you say, "Road Trip!"

At least three bands will be performing at Murray Hill that night:

Radio City Confessions (power pop)
http://www.myspace.com/radiocityconfessions

A Jasey Project (rock/ pop/indie)
http://www.myspace.com/ajaseyproject

Coming This Fall (rock/alternative/pop)
http://www.myspace.com/comingthisfall

NOTE: This trip is for regular attendees of NORML. It's not too late, we meet Wednesdays at 7pm. You'll need $10 for your ticket and some cash for Fast Food which we'll pick up on the way to JAX. If funds are tight see Jeff so that he can arrange to help you out.

HEY KIDS: If you are under 18, you'll need a waiver signed by a parent/guardian (you can pick one of these up on Wednesday).

We're growing!

2009-07-12T16:15:00.005-04:00

NORML has been meeting for several months and has seen a variety of new faces pop in and out each Wednesday night. We are still experiencing humble beginnings -- we'd be ten people strong if we had everyone show up at one time. We have room to welcome a lot more people!

The small-group atmosphere has allowed us to grow... spiritually speaking. After a few weeks of discovering who God would send us, we quickly learned that the young adults who came only knew bits and pieces about Christianity. So we started what we like to call "Charismatic Catechism" and are three weeks into learning the basics of Christianity. We still work in a few YouTube videos every now and then to provide an example or explore a unique point of view. But most of our time together is classic teaching. Jeff reads the catechism question and answer then teaches the young adults.

One example of a catechism question was last week's:
Q. 2. What authority from God directs us how to glorify and enjoy Him?
A. The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments.

Sounds simple... and it is! But we learned learned a lot of other information about the Bible like how it was written, what human authors God used to write it, how it is compiled, what the Bible has to say about itself, etc.

All this knowledge is important because it empowers us to be strong in the Lord, to resist the devil, and to bring the gospel to the world around us.

Would you like to build your spiritual muscles too? We meet Wednesday evenings at 7pm at The Eagle's Nest.

Will I be welcome?

2009-04-28T18:15:00.005-04:00

I got a call yesterday from someone who received a flyer for NORML and wanted to know whether or not his friend would be welcome. Apparently his friend got his hair shaved into a mohawk recently and also now has a few noticeable piercings. I told him to look at that little gray seal on the bottom of the flyer... the one that reads, "You will not be rejected." Once he found it I told him, "We really mean it."

This is going to be awesome... keep passing out those flyers and we'll see who comes on May 6th!

May 6th 2009

2009-04-25T06:01:00.006-04:00

WAYCROSS, GA -- NORML begins May 6th heralding the promise that all "You will not be rejected!" That promise echoes the Bible in 1 Peter 2, "As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious..." A church with a history of ministry to young adults, Norml is hosted by The Eagle's Nest. Jeff Fuller will be leading NORML. Jeff has lived in Waycross off and on since the 90's and works as truck driver for a local dairy company. "Since I was a teenage heathen", he says, "I've had a relationship with the Pastors of Eagle's Nest Church. They have the integrity to do the right thing. That type of integrity is important because it causes them to stand up to social pressure. When everyone else is against you, they stand with you!" Jeff came to Christ in 1996 while in the Air Force. When he returned home [to Waycross] he began attending The Eagle's Nest. "I was there from the very beginning. in a rented storefront on Elizabeth Street." Smiling he recalls, "And of all things they had me teaching children. I wasn't very experienced in the Bible so whatever details of the Bible stories I didn't know, I just made up!" Jeff is now schooled in theology, apologetics, and evangelism. He has preached more on streetcorners and in jails & prisons than behind church pulpits. "NORML will definitely be non-traditional like me. Don't get me wrong, I love our history and heritage as Christians! However, the Gospel trancends tradition and culture. Jesus Christ didn't die to transform us from tshirts & jeans to suits and neckties. He redeemed us from our sins. That powerful message of the cross is just as much for ganstas and goths as it is for religious people." God has big plans for NORML, but for now young people are invited for small group fellowship on Wednesdays at 7:00pm at the church. Download the flyer here. (PDF)

Norml has Got Talent!

2009-04-18T12:17:00.005-04:00

Watch the new YouTube video introducing NORML.

You'll find that prejudice isn't just an American thing, you'll find people prejudging others all over the world. Matter of fact, religious people often think they have everyone figured out just by the way they look or how they act. Prejudice can sometimes be found in Church too! NORML is coming soon to The Eagle's Nest and we'll do our best to accept those the Holy Spirit draws. Better yet... we'll do our best to show them brotherly love too!

A Framework

2009-04-09T22:46:00.000-04:00

Since NORML is still being developed and hasn't actually taken full shape, I want to share a few bullet statements and a brief framework of what I hope NORML will become:

+ There are many reasons God could reject us -- we’ve broken His laws and been satisfied in things instead of Him. But He doesn’t reject us! That’s good news. He adopts as sons & daughters all who come to Him (in repentance and faith).

+ While everyone in God’s family is unique, we all fit into some type of ministry or service to one another. God’s family is made up of people who serve Christ by serving others.

+ At times our lives are difficult but we have hope! We will not lose heart because Jesus has paid our sin debt so that we can freely enjoy eternity with Him in heaven.

+ Because of all God has done to accept us and give our lives meaning and hope, we have no good reason to reject Christ. The Bible is full of answers to life’s most difficult questions.

"NORML is a ministry to young people and their parents."

NORML uses the same Biblical methods as the rest of the Church (preaching, worship, prayer, & discipleship) but contextualized to a younger culture. It is an outreach to young skeptics & unbelievers, as well as a supplement to participation in a local church body for young Christians who are growing in the faith.

What makes NORML unique is that it provides opportunity for Christian adults to sincerely demonstrate extravagant love to young people! The same love Christ modeled for us on thecross. While we were sinners and our lives were messed up, Christ died for us. The Holy Spirit didn’t make us better looking, He changed our hearts. In that same way, NORML doesn’t seek to judge the appearence of young people... but is concerned with the heart. Pray God uses NORML as a tool to conform young people to the likeness of Christ!

Young people live in a variety of parental situations. While recognizing such diversity, the Bible teaches young people to honor their parents and love their neighbors. The Bible also holds parents responsible for their children. NORML encourages parents to participate and seeks mentors for children without parents.