Empty By Choice

Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6

Fasting was never meant to be easy, that's why it works. Not only do you have a growling stomach to deal with, there is also an anxious mind with tangled intentions trying to focus on anything but ____________ (add favourite craving here).

It's harder know we're fasting for the right reasons in these times of crash diets and size zero hero's, who shun food for attention. Add to this a shaky economy breeding tortilla riots and a full blown rice crisis. Is it right to deny the basics we've been blessed with?

And what does fasting actually accomplish anyway?

Isaiah 58 addresses our different intentions for fasting, as well as God's attitude towards them. What may seem pious and spiritual to people can make God feel like gagging sometimes. On the other hand, many history-altering moves of God were proceeded by the food-less prayers of God's people.

Are you desperate for God to do something in a certain area of your life or someone else? Would you like a clearer connection to God's voice? Fasting is a time-proven way to get over yourself and under the chain breaking power of the Holy Spirit. It's just one of those things that can only be truly understood through experience.

Shut the cupboards and let's see what happens this week...

Bless you guys,
Brandon and Pamela
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

Join us this week as we FAST and PRAY for the upcoming Camden Pentecost Festival in Cantelowes Gardens. Here are some of issues that need to be covered in sincere and fervent prayer:

• People to hear,come and be touched by God's Spirit
• Enough hands on support to run smoothly
• Finances to be covered completely!
• A lasting impression made on the people of Camden
• The God would do more than we could ask, think or imagine...

Choose a day or two this week to where you can pray in the times you would normally eat. Thanks for your participation.

Just Add Water

"Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptised?" Acts 8:36

It was a sunny, but chilly day in November. The pigeons and tourists watched in confusion as two people walked into the ice cold fountains of Trafalgar Square to take part in something very holy. It had to be quick though, before security came.

Baptism is an ancient tradition that even Jesus took part in. What it means entirely, no one can fully explain, yet people have been doing it for thousands of years. As Christians, we believe this act identifies us with the death and burial of Christ, but something way beyond mere symbolism takes place when you add H2O to your faith.

Over the years, the baptismal waters has been given many additive rituals and rules that may confuse people who want to take part. "How old should I be?...How much water do you need exactly?...Does it count if I don't remember it?...I was only 3 months old after all."

The baptism illustrated above was as simple as you can get. One day after church, Brian asked if he could be baptised. He showed the genuine fruit of someone who loves God, so I told him I know a good place down the street. His friends form work came down to be there with us all. We went through some Scripture, prayed together, then splash...he came up a different man. We all celebrated together as he shivered with joy. I will never forget that day.

Today Brian lives and studies in South Africa, continuing to seek the amazing will of God for his life. He has since been on a couple missionary journeys in Africa and knows there are many other adventures ahead. His impact on a baby church called Freedomhouse is still felt today.

Does baptism have something to do with it? I'm sure of it.



Who's next?
Brandon and Pamela
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

PS: Join us this Sunday as we celebrate a Special Group Baptism at Freedomhouse Church. It will be indoors with much warmer water this time around. Bring a towel and some spare clothes if you would like to take part. As the excited Ethiopian declared in Acts 8, "What's stopping me?"

PSS: I won't be using the "choke hold manueaver" used on poor Brian in the picture ;)

Black Hole Christianity

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters...Gen 1:2

Ever feel pulled in a direction, emotion or state of mind you can't seem to escape? A black hole can suck the life out of anything in the universe, even light. Can your faith survive one?

Black holes are completely invisible. We can only observe their influence on the galaxies that surrounds them. Try to get in for a closer look and your a goner the nanosecond you cross the event horizon i.e. the point of no return.

A similar (unnamed) law of nature states that if you focus too much on your own problems, you'll get pulled in indefinitely. You can then become a walking black hole that starts sucking life from those around you. The polar opposite of a life-giving Christian.

The book of Genesis always blows my mind. Ever notice that water, light, seeds and plants existed before there ever was a sun (or black hole) in the heavens? (Day 4) The source of all life is completely and supernaturally found in God.

The Lord can speak light into your emotional black hole and pull you out of it's grip by the gravity of His will. A mature and rooted faith is one that's seen a few holes and survived. It's source of light is no longer found in the vacuum of circumstance, but in the unchanging power of the God.

Which force will your faith surrender to this week?



Looking to the Source,
Brandon and Pamela Munoz
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

True or False Fruits

You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16

Ever been fooled by a faker?

Imitations are all around us. Counterfeit clothes, bootleg movies and even synthetic spirituality. Like the plastic apples in the picture, we can settle for shiny, look alike experiences and teachings that are only a cheap imitation of the real blessings of God. In this age of overcrowded information, we need to quickly spot the imposter's and hold on to the truth with an abiding grip.

So how do we tell what's real or not? I recently shared an old Aesop's fable with my son Daniel that may help us. I regret that I can't act it out with animal characters for you, but the words should work just fine:

An ass, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the forest and amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he met in his wanderings. At last coming upon a Fox, he tried to frighten him also, but the Fox no sooner heard the sound of his voice than he exclaimed, "I might possibly have been frightened myself, if I had not heard your bray."

Clothes may disguise a fool, but their words will soon give them away.

Who are you trying to fool? Can you be the kind of person that God can bear some real fruit with? The kind that people can sink their teeth into the waxy aftertaste. Join us this Sunday as we discover how to know the difference between a well dressed lie and the naked truth of the Word of God.

What kind of fruit will you eat this week?



Your Friends,
Brandon and Pamela Munoz
www.freedomhouse.org.uk