Life Changing Stories

Pastor Paul Atwater, North River church, Pembroke, MA.

"At North River Church, we appreciate the value of spiritual growth campaigns. Live Like You Were Dying is one of the best we have ever done as a church. The materials and suggested resources are high quality and the whole concept resonates with just about everyone in our church. One dear friend even allowed us to interview him about the lessons he has been learning while knowing he would die from his battle with cancer. Sadly, he died 8 days after we showed that video. But his legacy and the legacy of LLYWD is impacting our whole church." - Paul Atwater

Pastor Michael Cooper from Sonrise Christian Fellowship Church

Pastor Michael Cooper from Sonrise Christian Fellowship Church in Cedar City, Utah decided to show his congregation that he is ready to “live like he is dying” and enjoy life to its fullest. To do that, he had some friends visiting from Baton Rouge and they decided to take Pastor Michael snow skiing for the very first time. They got him some snow skis and off he went on his very first and scary adventure…he ended up enjoying it so much that he might take it up as his new sport…why not, it is Utah afterall! Pastor Mike will be launching the campaign to his congregation this weekend and he will be showing some clips from his “first skiing adventure” …these pictures will show his congregation that life should be lived to its fullest and to not fear what God has planned ahead for you.

Pastor Michael Cooper lives in an area that is not so in tuned to the Christian ministry and has to overcome many obstacles…he is a dynamic and enthusiastic person that has the love of Christ and wants to share God’s love to many people in that area…he has gone on the local radio station to publicize the launch of this campaign; and originally, he had planned to do the campaign only using the Sunday sermons, but when he saw and heard Gary Smalley’s 8 minute video lessons, he decided to put it out there to his congregation and have them embrace the entire campaign and use small groups. He will be calling us back to share with us some of the testimonies that, I am sure, will come from this wonderful, life-changing campaign.

Interview with a Pastor: Tim Adams of Florence Christian Church

This is an interview with Tim Adams the Pastor of Small Groups for Florence Christian Church in Florence, Oregon.

Q: When did your church start the Live Like You Were Dying Campaign?

Tim: We started the campaign on February 8th of this year.

Q: What were some of the goals for doing the Live Like You Were Dying Campaign at your church?

Tim: We are working on becoming a church of small groups. This was a way to get people to try out a group to see if they liked it. We are always very intentional about what we do at Easter and after. Because this song was such a hit in the secular world we thought it might bring people from the community out to see what this was all about.

Q: What are some of the results you have seen so far?

Tim: Three weeks into the campaign and we have 214 people signed up for small groups, our goal is 300! This is very exciting for us as a church of approximately 450 people.

Q: What have been some of the responses from your congregation about the Live Like You Were Dying Campaign?

Tim: Everyone seems excited. This week for the Sunday morning promo our Senior Pastor is interviewing two people from our congregation about how they have changed their lives after a scare with death, and how much this song meant to them.

Q: What is one thing you would recommend to other churches / pastors thinking about using this campaign?

Tim: Remember we are not trying to reach the people who have been saved for 50 years. We are trying to reach the lost. What better way to do that then through a secular song and then to follow it up with four weeks of good people doing life together. For us the best way to bring people to Christ is to get them involved with a small group of Christians.

One more thing. This is going to be life changing for the 214 people we have gotten signed up into small groups. These people are mostly believers. I am excited about adding the non-believers to the mix. On February 8 after the first meeting with my team we knew that prayer needed to be our top priority. So, every Monday night from 5-6pm we have invited our church to come and pray for Easter, for our community, and for the Live Like You Were Dying Campaign.

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If your church is interested in the Live Like You Were Dying Campaign our Starter Kit is a great place to start!

Messing with My Head

What could fire you up more than a radically sappy change of heart in a big, burly man?

At Woodland Hills Church in Branson, MO, Pastor Ted experienced just that.

After finishing a 6-week marriage class on anger and forgiveness, Larry (dressed in all Harley-Davidson gear) approached Ted and said the Live Like You Were Dying series had completely messed with his head. Not knowing what was coming next, Pastor Ted listened as Larry shared three great changes he had experienced in his life since doing LLYWD.

First and foremost, he received the forgiveness of Jesus!!!!! Isn’t that the goal we want to see happen?

Second, after a Sunday service, he reconnected with his 20-year old son after being disconnected for over a year. This resulted in meeting his 7-month old granddaughter for the first time the following night.

Finally, with tears streaming down his face he shared this last one…Two weeks ago he walked into his 12-year old daughter’s room and asked her, “Do you want to pray or something like that with me?” Then they knelt beside her bed and prayed together for the first time in 12 years!

This is what we dreamed and prayed would happen. Broken relationships being healed! Families have bee restored!

Question: why is it so hard for us to pray with those we love most?

Small Group Leaders Feedback from Woodland Hills Church

This is an email Ted Cunnigham of Wood Hills Community Church sent us that was sent to him from one of his small group leaders in response to his experience with the Live Like You Were Dying Campaign.

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Pastor Ted,

LLYWD is great.

Our age group is 19 to 25 years old with married couples from a few months

to 1.5 years of marriage with the exception of Susan and I.

We have found the study very interesting and getting into some deep subjects

like what does it mean to have God as your Highest Priority.
Who in our circle of influence - family, friends, employers, do we need to
be an example, to forgive, to say a kind word, repair relationships, to
encourage and love them.

What if one of us was not here next week or next month.

My group are all believers in Christ and at different levels of spiritual
maturity. I believe if ask, (I would encourage you to) they would say this
series is making them re-evaluate their priorities, relationship with Christ
and others everyday.

We all understand there is room for improvement in our lives - living for
Christ.

PS. Having a daily reading as part of the study is healthy and keeps us
plugged in all week long.

Rob

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