A tool for deepening relationships in families and churches

Maree Watson has been leading a LK10 Apprenticeship (called the Foundations Course this fall) in Australia.  In the video below, Maree interviews two members of the Course, Sharon and Annette, about a simple tool (called SASHET) that they have learned.  Around the world, God is using SASHET to deepen relationships in marriages and in house churches.  In the video, you will see the enthusiasm that these ladies have for what God is doing.

Interested in learning some of these practical house church tools?  Registration for the next Foundations Courses will open in the next week.  Stay tuned!

How do you find "people of peace"?

One year ago, I interviewed Maree Watson from Australia at the National House Church Conference.  Maree shared how she found a "person of peace" who became her CO2 (church of two) partner.  See the video below.
  
Since that time, Maree has become a LK10 Coach and has just finished leading a Foundations Course (previously called The Apprenticeship) where she is teaching others become practitioners of CO2 rhythms.  She also regularly prays the prayer in Lk 10:2b which, we believe, is our part in finding "people of peace".  See below for a recent story where Maree was surprised to find an answer to her prayer right beside here in an Organic Market.


For more on the "10:2b Prayer", see the posts collected here:  http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/10%3A2b%20Prayer




















This is a photo of my new friends at the Organic Market where I have a stall on Sundays. After 18 months spending most Sunday mornings at my stall where I sell my shampoo and ask God to show me people of peace and pray for the harvest of mostly hippy, health conscience, new age types, my last Sunday before heading off on holidays was an overwhelming experience of PREVENIENCE.  ("Prevenience" means "before" as in God is at work in each situation before we show up.)


To my great surprise my regular neighbour "the coffee tent" was not there but instead a group of harvest workers come to offer Jesus as an alternative to the fortune tellers ,tarot, and crystal ball readers. These guys were low key and covertly offering dream interpretation and spiritual encounters and healing.

I witnessed some of the regular characters agreeing to be prayed for after being listened to and loved. God in action right in front of my eyes! I joined them in prayer and was blessed by a healing word from the Lord. The leader thanked me for preparing the way for them and for ushering them in, I felt like I was passing on a baton for the next season. 


I know now first hand the power of praying LK102b. Oh yeah, Mark, the smiley Man in the photo, wondered if I knew of any courses that were good for establishing small groups, the Lord has told him to prepare for a big harvest in his area!!! Just so happens I do. Praise God!

"The power of two"

I want to continue to give you snapshots of the Apprenticeship. (Perhaps God will want you to be a part when we begin new cohorts in January.)

The following is a post (shared with permission) from Sharon Hutchinson in Queensland, Australia. Let me point out a few aspects of the Apprenticeship that are illustrated in what Sharon writes...

• Each cohort has 10-12 members who connect with each other in multiple ways. One way is a private online discussion group. What you will read below is Sharon's post to that group last week.
• Each week there are Learning Assignments for the cohort. Sharon is sharing with the group her reflections (which are excellent!) on last weeks assignments.
• Every cohort member is in a "church of two" (CO2). Sharon's partner is Maree Watson who lives in a whole different part of Australia. (What this illustrates is that distance in no deterrent to effective CO2s!)
• Every cohort connects via period conference calls. From Sharon's response you can see that relationships are already forming.
• This cohort is already becoming a community after 3-4 weeks even though it's members are around the world (Australia, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, the US)

So, take a moment to enjoy Sharon's post below.

John

Hey everyone, I'm Sharon checking in for the first time. Please forgive me as I was away on a camping trip in the rain with my dog in the red mud!!! Taking me a while to recuperate!!

Have a day off today and have been catching up on all 3 assignments - Maree and I have been CO2ing and listening most days and I have listened to the phone call you had yesterday. Wow, I feel like I know you all already!

God has been revealing so much to me over the past 4 weeks about 'the power of 2"! Maree and I had 2 days together recently (we live 1000kms apart) - I notice that our listening time is much more powerful when we are physically together. He started then speaking about this 2 concept and creating culture.

This is an excerpt from my journal from then, "Unity - not loneliness or aloneness. Isolation is a tool of the devil in mind, body and spirit. We were designed to live, love and work together. There is power in 2, not 1. Laughter comes where there is 2, joy and passion also. I created 2 to stand alongside each other, to be helpers, to bear each others burdens. This is My heart, to bring people back into unity, groups of 2 - to break the cycle of depression and addiction"

After reading through assignment 3 I feel that God is reinforcing this "Power of 2", there is a huge spiritual key here. I absolutely loved what Eugene Peterson had to say about the Song of Songs - " ... the lonely isolation of the solitary person must be invaded. Life to be meaningful must be joined; intimacy is a requirement of wholeness"

I look back into my own life and realise how alone I have been, how there has been a misconception of mistique and strength over the "lone ranger" type ... women especially made to feel isolated in their jobs or through suburban neurosis. I have been asked to pray for quite a few people this week with depression or some sort of addiction or neurosis and I just feel that the Lord is saying "this is the answer" .... I am flat out excited that God is revealing a key to fighting off all these things that have been plaguing His people all these years, and whats more - offering a real solution to those who are yet to become part of His body!

Sharon

The C02 Virus Spreads to Australia

I (Tim) recently received a very encouraging email from a woman in Australia named Maree. In the email, she she shared some of her own journey with practicing C02 and how impactful this experience has been for her and her new friend, Sharon. I asked Maree if I could share her email with all of you and she gave me permission.

Hi Tim,
I'm responding to your blog post from April 5th about telling stories.
I've been watching the emergence of C02 with interest, reading the blogs and checking out the LK10, House2House and simple church websites since about July of last year when I decided (and was led) to leave my traditional Sunday Church.

Since then I've had a pretty incredible awakening and many, many stories to tell of God's great love and kindness to me during this "detox "phase.

I kept praying "What should I be doing??? Should I start something???

To which the reply came "I am building my church."
OK Lord, but I must have to do something????
"I am building my church."

So I relaxed and started C02 by myself, I'm pretty good at having conversations with myself !

I earnestly wanted to hear Gods voice. One day after a rave from me about wanting to hear his voice, "How can I be sure?" "How will I know it's you, etc. etc.,I heard very clearly, "YOU HEAR WELL ....JUST BELIEVE."

Well how AMAZING is that! It completely shifted my mindset and belief. Heaps of stuff has happened and I feel so empowered, motivated, humble and privileged to be on this new trajectory and journey with my Lord.

Interestingly, every time I've gone onto the LK10 site a little voice has told me "You're not a church planter, what are you doing signing up here, this is not for people like you, what do you know about church planting."
Recently I heard another voice tell me, "You Daughter will be a church planter, 2 by 2."

Any way it's several months down the track, I recently met Sharon, we were camped next to each other at a Easter Music Festival. I was telling her and her husband Jim about C02 and before I could finish she jumped out of her camp chair grabbed my hand, shook it, and said "I'll do it with you!"

So for the past 3 weeks we have been C02'ing even though we are about 1,000 km's apart. We have both been incredibly blessed and excited about what God is doing. Sharon and Jim have had a church at home for a couple of years.

We want to start a blog and we would like permission to use the C02 videos, etc. We would like to put it in an Aussie context and generate some "local" interest. I have yet to sign up for LK10, I will do it soon but in the meantime I thought I would share a bit of my story. Sharon has some great stories too, and together we are very thankful to you guys and our Lord for this amazing, simple idea that is so fresh and uplifting .

We look forward to the days ahead, hearing God's voice and seeing his Kingdom Come!

Cheers,
Maree
P.S I am going to attend the annual conference in Dallas, a side trip for me from a holiday with my 3 sisters. I'm very excited.

What a great story, thanks for sharing it Maree. How about you? Know of a story that "must be told?"

If so, drop me an email at Lk10andc02@gmail.com