Tory Farina

Pray for our city...

I am standing behind the movie theatre we use as a church and believing in prayer for God to change our city. Homes to be restored, marriages mended, hearts healed, bodies free from sickness, people to come and meet Jesus.

Join me in prayer for our homes, city, neighbors, workplaces. Take some time today and pray for people by name or drive/walk by their home and pray a prayer of faith on their behalf.

Comment with what you are believing God for.

Second-chance offers don’t last forever...

Yesterday morning as I was leaving for my morning walk with the dog and kids, I walked out of my house to see three cop cars parked on the street. I was a bit shocked, assuming they were there to talk with me. However, as I was walking over to talk with the cops, my neighbor came out crying and informed me that her brother had been found deceased due to an overdose.

My heart broke. She had just found him and was reeling from the pain of it all. I am her neighbor and her pastor, so I thought about what I could do to comfort her. I thought for a few moments and prayed silently, “Lord help me know what to say and do.”

I offered her a cup of coffee.

She looked at me with eyes of sadness and said that sounded perfect. The kids and I went in and got her a cup and then went back out with the intention of praying for her.

As I handed her the cup I simply asked if I could pray for her. I offered the church’s services and my neighborly assistance. We prayed a simple heart-felt prayer and I took the kids on the rest of our walk.

My heart went out to her. I still cannot stop thinking about her and her situation. Later, as the police were finishing up, I went back out and gave her my number. I let her know I was available for whatever she needed and then we prayed again.

She asked me a question that I knew would come eventually. Everyone asks this question. She asked with tears streaming down her face, “Do you think he made it to heaven?”

My response was compassionate, but honest, “I don’t know.” As she cried I then explained to her who our God is. “God comes to those who are in deepest need. He hears the prayers of the desperate and touches the sick in mind and body. He can do more in seconds than we can do in a lifetime. I don’t know what happened in his life, but the Lord is compassionate.”

I think about this man and think about him being within feet of me for the last couple of months. I didn’t say much to him other than wave and node. They got the mailer for the church but I could have done a better job of inviting him. I am not responsible for what happened but I feel a sense of sadness and regret.

He needed a second chance. I don’t know if he ever got one, but I pray that he did. I do what I do so that people who are struggling with what he was struggling with can find Christ and be changed forever.

If you need a second chance or know someone who does, talk to them. Share your story. Invite them to High Point. Scripture tells us that our opportunity for a second chance has an expiration date. Get your second chance before it’s to late.

If you would, please pray with me for this family.

Mind Dump...

I want to get something out to you about what is happening in my life. Here is a quick mind dump to share with you.

·          Pastor Drew did an outstanding job teaching on the “Rich Young Ruler.”  The best line of the talk was his definition of RICH: “having more than you need.” We can all fit into that mindset in America.

·          Drew challenged us to look for things that might not be totally surrendered to Jesus. Areas where we may be out of alignment with his callings for our lives. This is an important thing to do every so often. The stuff of life can grow like a weed and eventually choke God’s best from our garden if we are not careful.

·          Sunday’s mailer dropped early... We are trying a new way of doing our mailer and it came a week before it was supposed to. I was a little frustrated. It’s kind of like when people come to your house an hour before they were supposed to. You are getting ready for them and the food is being prepared, but you are still in your cleaning clothes and the table isn’t set. Basically we have a few plans that were going to be implemented next week for the new arrivals. They were also sent before a major holiday, which isn’t ideal, but everything is ok.

·          We will to try to an add on Facebook to rekindle people’s memories about the mailer. So if you see them, hit the “Like” button and help us out.

·          Visitor flow was great. I met a lot of new people. I love hearing people’s stories. There was a group of guys from Sierra Leon and a lady who is a guardian for people in an assisted living home. So cool!

    ·      Welcome to the team. Alyssa Whitmire is joining the High Point Team as the Director of Children’s Ministry. Add her as a friend Facebook and watch for great things to come out of our Kids Department.

·          Next week is the beginning of “People of the Second Chance.” I am so excited for it to begin! The Lord is going to do powerful things in people’s lives.

         God of Second chances. I love this Song by "Carlos Whittaker". We will be singing it each week of this series enjoy it and see what happens when he takes the song to a park to record a video for it.

·          I am excited for football to begin. I like football but I don’t know enough about it, so sometimes I feel lost when they start talking about nickels and dimes. Being in two fantasy football leagues and not knowing most of the players is going to be a lot of fun. I play by the numbers ESPN gives me, so for me the fun isn’t because I am imagining myself on the field. What I am excited about is watching it with Olivia. She is at the age where she wants to do whatever Dad wants to do and maybe that thing might be football. I am going to get her a RODGERS jersey this year.

·          Elizabeth is still having migraines. It has been going on since Memorial Day. Going an entire summer with a massive pressurized headache is really starting to wear on her. Please pray for complete healing and for pain relief.

·          The air is crisp and I love it! I don’t wear shorts unless I have to and short sleeves are even a stretch. Why? Because it doesn’t look sharp (at least not on me). I see the ads of the skinny guys in their Bermuda shorts and think, “Hey, they look good.” Then I realize I will probably meet someone and start talking about church and Jesus and they will look at me and dismiss me because I look sloppy. Jackets, long sleeves, and shoes look much better, and now people won’t be wondering what it feels like to have a fur coat growing on my legs when I talk about church and Jesus.

·          Pray for me this week. We have a leader meeting, a wedding, and an important Sundays service. It’s a lot to pile on top of all the other stuff going on in the Farina house. I also feel as though I am staring a new job. You remember that feeling? As we move to a new level of church and family life so I must move to a new level of leader, husband and father. It's a bit messy but in my weakness the Lord is making himself STRONG! Thanks for praying for me.

 

Minnesota pastors kids...

Prayer for Fall...

It seems that when Elizabeth and I and the team work the hardest for Something with a great potential for gain in Gods kingdom all Hell breaks lose. We are gearing up for fall. Big things are happening! We are about to invite hundreds of people to experience High Point and Jesus for the first time in a couple weeks. We are moving to 2 services September 13th, which is a shift for our leaders, volunteers and me as we prep to make a "positive and lasting impresion of Christ and His church" twice each week. Over all im every area we are going to the next level as a church!

I feel a little hard pressed on every side these past couple weeks. Nothing over arching is wrong but a bunch of little things keep showing up and happening that are causeing some distractions. Things like unexpected car repairs, sicknesses in the family, people who have been apart of HPC forever stepping away, out of nowear, personal finaincial hits... Like I said nothing overtly ominous but when you put it all in a week and a half before the crazy stress/pressure of the looming fall I'm starting to realize it's all related.

I'm sharing this with you becouse I could use your prayers! James 5 says that your prayers Righetous one are powerful and effective! Elizabeth and I need it. Courtney and Kendall, Mike and Amy ad the leaders of High Point need your prayers! Will you drop us a line when you pray for us? It will mean so much and help so much! We in turn will give more specific details of need or joy as it happens and together we will acomplish great things this fall! Many will know Jesus after this fall is over and it will becouse we worked together and prayed together to make it happen.

Thank You so much!

Who Should WE Vote For- by Paul Stewart

By Good Friend Paul wrote this today. I thought it was timely and worth sharing. I pray you make your election choice with Gods wisdom.

Who Should I Vote For? (1 of 4)

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior - I Timothy 2:1-3

I am struggling with this election more than any other I can remember. I honestly have no idea who I will be voting for on November 4th. As I watch and observe the political ploys by the candidates, their surrogates and the talking heads in the media I quickly become cynical to the entire process. How could an honest leader ever emerge from a system so saturated in corruption?

When I sit down and listen to both candidates in more civilized forums, like Saddleback or the first presidential debate last week, I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with both candidates almost simultaneously. I often walk away with more questions than answers…

Is it best to protect the unborn by electing a candidate who will criminalize abortion or one who has a plan to reduce the number of abortions? Was the financial crisis caused by too much regulation or not enough? Is the best way out of Iraq through a series of objectives or a definite timetable? Will we be safer as a nation by continuing to display force or by increasing our standing in the world? Do we need a president who sees the world primarily through the lens of past experience or vision for the future? 

On top of all that, the evangelicals seem to be front-and-center (again) in this election - whether it be the old “moral majority” or “religious-right,” or the “new evangelicals” - this year even the “Pentecostals” have a stake.

Over the next few days I’ll be exploring how a Christian should “vote” in this year’s election. However, for the purposes of this conversation, I would like to expand the meaning of the word “vote” to “influence.”

Shane Claiborne puts it this way in his latest book Jesus for President:

"What is more important than how we vote on November 4 is how we live on Nov. 3 and Nov. 5… We vote every day with our lives... we vote every day with our feet, our hands, our lips, and our wallets. We vote for the poor. We vote for the peacemakers. We vote for the marginalized, the oppressed, the most vulnerable of our society. Ultimate change does not just happen every four years."

In other words, in the midst of the daily political melodrama with all of the familiar characters - liberals, conservatives, red states, blue states, independents, swing voters, and of course the crucial idgit voters - what is the best way to rise above the madness and gain influence in our nation and our world?

Pray For Jeff pt.2

I wanted to update you about Jeff Kirby. He has been apart of the church over the last year. I have loved getting to know him and look forward to when he gets feeling better so he can take me on his Harley he is planning on getting when this cancer is out of his body. Some of you know he has been battling ALL leukemia. It has been a rough road. Lots of ups and downs. I wanted to update you so you can pray for him more specifically.

• His Job has been a concern for the family. He is a police officer with the Minneapolis Parks Police. They lost a contract recently and were talking about laying off his team. His job was held with the Minneapolis police and they have told him that He has a job when He gets better. PRAYS the LORD!
• He will soon need to go on disability which is not what they want but his donated vacation and sick time has run out. Pray it comes quickly so they can afford this time on one income.
• His cancer has been very aggressive and his body has felt the effects of months of chemo and steroids and other medications. He is feeling tired and has no appetite. This week the doctors are going to put him through a bone marrow transplant. This will involve heavy chemo then heavy radiation, culminating in a bone marrow transplant. Pray all goes well and that his kidneys and heart take the intensity well.
• Jeff gets New blood DNA... this is supposed to help him create new cells that are not cancerous. The interesting thing is that it zaps his immune system to 0... newborn like state. That mean he needs to get his shots again and be careful of sickness and colds. Pray he can stay away from any sickness that might compromise his health after the transplant.

This is a serious event he is going through. He needs lots of prayer and support. Leave a comment or if you know him give him a call and let him know how you feel.

Pray For Jeff

I have been updating you on Jeff Kirby over the past few months. Things are not looking great for him and His family. I want you to lift Jeff up in your prayers. He needs a healing and He needs it now. Here is a note that Milly his wife posted on their caring bridge site.

Hello. We just got off the phone with Jeff's doctor. Jeff's case was presented at a bone marrow transplant (BMT) conference on Monday. The group consensus was that Jeff needs to go ahead now with a transplant. They do not feel that more traditional chemotherapy will do much more good than it has. There is a new experimental therapy they considered but Jeff would be the first human it is tried on and even the investigation's doctor does not think that is Jeff's best option.

So, we will await another phone call tomorrow from either Jeff's doctor or the BMT group regarding any preparations that need to be done and a timeline to get going with the transplant. The transplant protocol that Jeff will receive now will be different than if he were in remission. Basically, he will get higher doses of radiation to get rid of the last of the leukemia.

Prayer warriors, we need you! Please pray for the BMT doctors to do the very best protocol for Jeff, for the transplant to be completely successful, and for Jeff to fully recover.

Aside from all the above, Jeff has a fever tonight. He has not been feeling well and hardly eating. The doctor told us to watch his fever for now; it could be caused from the leukemia. Please pray that Jeff does not have an infection of any kind and for him to feel better.

Thank you for everything. We are so blessed to have your support.

For more information here is his caring bridge site. Leave a note letting the know you are praying for them here or at his site. Jeff Kirby