Elu, Rosh Hashanah, A Time to Mourn, Northfield, DL Moody

To those who read my blog, Jonathan Frizz recently sent this email to me about what he is doing, the month of consecration leading up to Rosh Hashanah & the date for the next gathering at Northfield/DL Moody's home in MA.

Wisdom Way—getting organized and our new name



At the meeting we agreed on "Wisdom Way" as a name for the 501c3 we are in the process of incorporating. Wisdom Way will include the 10 Days of Prayer, A Time to Mourn, and eventually a permanent House of Prayer and equipping/educational ministries. We are starting small but leaving room for the various gifts and ministries that God may bring under the Wisdom Way umbrella. The incorporation papers should be turned into the IRS by October at the latest. This will allow us to receive tax-deductible donations very soon and also gives us an organizational shape. Our goal in all of these things is to bring the New England Church to her first love and equip the entire Body to "love one another" as Christ has loved us—the unity of the faith that we so earnestly desire.



We chose the name "Wisdom Way" for several reasons. First of all, it is one of the roads on the way to David's house. Last December at our first planning meeting, Josiah made a point of saying, "This (the 10 days) is the Way of Wisdom". That really stuck with me at the time. Our goal is to intentionally prepare the Church to fulfill John 17:20-23 and Ephesians 5:27—to be presented to Him "perfected in unity" and "holy and blameless" when He returns. We realize that we have a really long way to go, but setting our eyes on that goal, we are planning seasonal, rhythmic times of seeking Him that will keep us focused on our first love and give Him time and space to draw us further into the reality of His love. This is Wisdom—intentionally seeking Him first and intentionally resting and working for cultural changes in the Church that will bring all of us "into the unity of the faith, the fullness of stature that belongs to Christ", who "fills all things"! (quoting from Ephesians).



The Month of Elul—30 Days of Preparation, Sept 1st -29th



We also agreed to issue an invitation to consecration, especially to those who are planning on participating in A Time to Mourn this fall. In Jewish tradition, the month before the days of Awe (the 6th month "Elul") is set aside to prepare for the day of Trumpets (Sept 29) and the Day of Atonement (Oct 9). Together with the 10 days of awe, this makes a lovely, biblical period of 40 consecrated days. The theme of the month of Elul is "I am my beloved's, and He is mine", from the Song of Songs. The idea here is simple: because the fall feasts speak of the coming judgment of God (Jesus' second coming), get intimate with Him now, before it's too late. We want to invite you to set aside the month of September (Sept 1-29) to prepare for A Time to Mourn on this theme: "I am my beloved's, and He is mine". I will send another email out just before Sept 1 to remind and give further guidance.



Final Planning Meeting: Monday, Sept 15



Our final planning meeting will be held at the Moody house at Northfield on Monday Sept, 15. It will begin at 10:00 and end at 3:00. If you are coming from this side of the state, please contact me regarding car-pool options. Also, please bring your own lunch, although if I know Ethel, she will have plenty of PB&J for all.



If you have never been to one of the planning meetings, but would like to get involved, you are more than welcome to join us. Come expecting to meet with the Lord in an intimate time of prayer and worship right in DL Moody's living room! We'll also discuss the logistical and strategic aspects of A Time to Mourn, and you will probably leave with some kind of an assignment. Also, expect to have fun since the Joy of the Father always seems to infect us during these meetings—as the Proverbs say, "All the 'Ways of Wisdom' are pleasant." May it be so for us.



Details, Details…



We are still accepting applicants for A Time to Mourn. Our registration process is relational, please send me an email at 10daysofprayer@gmail.com and we'll get things underway.



NMH has really blessed us and we will be renting Hibbard Hall again this fall. Also, the New England Solemn Assembly that we will attend on October 4 will be held in Weymouth, MA at Harvest Ministries from 2pm-6pm. We will carpool from Northfield to Weymouth.



Churches and Synagogues: During the nights of Sept 30-Oct 3 and Oct 5-7, (7 nights total) we are inviting local pastors and congregations to fast a day with us at home and then come out as a church to Hibbard for our evening worship starting at 7:00pm. We are hoping that 7 local churches will join us during these nights at Northfield.



If you are a pastor and would like to participate, please email me. If you want your church to be involved, please contact your pastor. If you know of churches that might be interested, please email me.



Also, if you have Jewish friends, this is a great way to connect with them. In fact, we are hoping to have one Rabbi come and speak during the 10 days. Think of it, what if part of God's purpose in calling for A Time to Mourn is to reach out to the Jewish community.



I suppose that is enough for right now. As always, I thank you for reading and bearing with lots and lots of text in an age of images. I hope to write again before the end of the week to get us off on the right foot for the month of Elul starting on Sept 1. Please pray for our family as we make these preparations.



Much love in Christ,



Jonathan Friz



PS Announcements:



This Friday, August 29, there will be a Beverly-Salem wide prayer meeting from 8-midnight at the Bridge Church in the Cummings Center. This prayer meeting promises to be a quarterly "fifth Friday" prayer meeting just like what has been happening in New Hampshire (go to www.newhampshirealliance.us to read more about the amazing history and promising future of "fifth Fridays") This is yet another example of the unprecedented number of prayer and worship gatherings that God has been sovereignly calling for this year. Please contact Sara De Baere, a faithful sister and mighty woman of God, at saradebaere@gmail.com with questions. Please see that attached flyer.