The Call

WHAT’S BLOOMING AT THE VICARAGE 7-10-24

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It has been quite a week for the Lillies of the Vicarage. And I mean that for both the human Lillies and the flower lilies.

We have three new varieties of lilies blooming on the property.

Plenty of rain And lots of heat are keeping these flowers blooming and growing.

We humans have also had plenty of rain and heat in the metaphorical sense. One daughter had gallbladder surgery this week. My other daughter lost her beloved pet Picasso four days before she started radiation treatments. My sister discovered that her work in the Netherlands is going to be double taxed. She will have to pay taxes to the US and to the Dutch government on all income. Like I said, lots of rain and heat.

In the midst of all these things, we are standing on verses from the Bible, like the one below

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.1.6-7.NLT

My daughter Amanda’s word for the year is “bloom”. we are learning that blooming takes rain and heat. We are facing many trials but we know God will carry us through somehow.

Morning Glory

“I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. When I was prosperous, I said, “Nothing can stop me now!” Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.” You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭1‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.30.1-12.NLT

The Many Threads At the Vicarage

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I had this thought when I started “Notes From the Vicarage” that somehow we as a family were going to come to this year with all its craziness, all its transition, all its busyness and hullabaloo and still somehow we were going to be able to lay down all of that in an orderly and succinct fashion. I pictured our story at the Vicarage laying down in nice neat lines or perhaps even a beautifully woven tapestry, the design of which would be easily discernible by even the untrained eye. It hasn’t worked out like that at all

I am always talking to Pastor Dan (my lead pastor) about the prophetic threads flowing through our church. I somehow thought that “Notes From the Vicarage” would help me to see the order in the chaos of all the threads. I do believe it will still do that for me. Right now, though, all it is doing is showing me more threads. those threads have always been there, I just wasn’t seeing them before I started writing.

There are: threads of ministry, threads of personal health, threads of artistry, threads of aging, threads of family and family change, threads of mid life, threads of friendships growing and waning, threads of goodness, threads of evil and so many others which I have barely even touched on yet. This blog has helped me to see all those threads from new angles. I still cannot see that pattern they make, maybe I never will, maybe I am not supposed to.

I was talking to God about all these threads the other day and asking Him to help me understand them. I was striving so hard for understanding and then God came and told me to stop looking at the threads and to start looking at Him.

He said, “Son the nature of prophecy is not in looking at the world and trying to understand it. The nature of prophecy is in looking at God and allowing Him to explain what He wants you to know of the world.”

I still see all those threads. I’m just not looking at them as much anymore. At least that is what I am working at.

WHAT’S ITINERATION?

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It strikes me that I never explained why the Vicarage now has three ministers living in it. Perhaps some of you have asked the obvious question, “If Brenda J. Lillie is a missionary to The Netherlands why is she living at The Vicarage in the good Ole U.S. of A.?”

Brenda is a faith missionary. Which means she is a missionary who is responsible to raise her own funds from individuals and churches to help her do her work of missions. The process of gathering partners is called “itineration”.

In our denomination, missionaries serve in four year terms. That is three or four years on the field (depending on the stage of their work)and then 1 year back in the U.S. to meet with their partnering churches to raise funds for new missions projects, or to make up for money lost due to attrition (churches or individuals not being able to continue their commitments) and cost of living increase.

Brenda spent the last three years in Zaandam, North Holland, The Netherlands building Stagelife Theater in partnership with Icthus Church in that city.

Downtown Zaandam

Now she is home connecting with partners and forging new alliances to help her plant the next phase of the ministry which is The Bridge Artist’s community.

She has been home a month. If you have been following us you know it has been a busy time. She is currently in a season we are calling the “May gauntlet.”

May is the month in our denominations when many of our regions host their Network Conferences. A conference is like a combination church service-pep- rally and stockholder’s business meeting. Brenda is traveling to several conferences this month to connect with potential partners. At each conference she sets up a table, and ministers from that region are encouraged to stop by and see what she is doing. The hope is that those ministers will set up services with Brenda and then consider supporting her. Each conference is on Brenda’s dime. She pays for travel, lodging and set up cost, but the idea is you invest to reap a benefit.

Last week she preached in Worcester MA and then drove to the Appalachian Network Conference in West Virginia. This week she is in Syracuse, New York attending the New York District Conference.

She is also selling photos from her home on the farm in The Netherlands as a way to raise money for the project.

THE INTINERATION GAUNTLET

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The gauntlet began yesterday for Brenda. She preached at Living Word Assembly of God in Worcester MA. Her original plan was to preach, have lunch and then hit the road to get as far South as she could by 8 P.M. She was heading to the Appalachian District Council in West Virginia.

When she got to Worcester though she realized she had forgotten an essential bag of supplies for the council. So after lunch she traveled the hour back to the Vicarage for the bag.

She finally hit the road about 4:30 P.M. last night and made it as far as Bethlehem PA before stopping for the night.

She got a fresh start this morning and was to her venue sometime around 5 P.M. She has a suite!

It looks like a nice place to rest her head for the next few days. Be praying that she is able to make some connections with new supporters for the ministry.

If you would like to help Brenda with the building The Bridge Artist’s Ministry you can contact her at THE BRIDGE ARTISTIC NETWORK

Verloren

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This is a trailer for Brenda’s current show playing in The Netherlands. Her team is travelling and ministering while Brenda is here in The U.S. raising her personal support for the mission and capital for the next part of the project which is the Bridge Artists Ministry.




If you would like more information about booking Brenda at your church or information about how to support the ministry you can find it by clicking HERE

A Godly Heritage

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As I was driving to work the other day. I took a turn down Grove Street. After passing my old high school (now an elementary school) and upon coming to the outlet of Grove Street onto School St. I noticed that renovations had begun on the old Ready house. Mr. Ready was the postmaster in town when I was a kid. His wife’s name was Ruth. They were some of our first customers on a paper route my sister and I shared when Brenda was just nine and I was eleven.

Image result for toy town elementary school winchendon
Grampa Lillie actually broke ground on this school.

The reminiscence brought me to a realization. The ministers of the Vicarage are in a situation that is almost unique. We are ministering this year together in the town we were born in. I have made my career as a minister in the town I was born in. My daughter, Amanda is the fifth generation of our family who has lived in this tiny little town in North Central Massachusetts just on the New Hampshire border. One of our great-great uncles was on the team that built Clyde the Rocking Horse, the symbol of Winchendon (AKA Toy Town). My grandfather was on the board of selectmen. My Dad helped write the modern town charter. These are our people. We are ministering and fighting the spiritual battle for our ancestral home.

Image result for winchendon town hall

As I thought about these things an overwhelming sense of destiny came over me. The Vicarage is not unique just because three ministers live there in a very complicated intergenerational situation further confused by three dogs and a flerkin. The most amazing thing about our situation is that this year feels like it is being breathed upon by the breath of God. The scent of destiny if in the air. The world suddenly feels pregnant with purpose beyond our mortal intentions and as I write that I don’t fully understand what that means.

I am flabbergasted as I question why God has chosen us. I am honored beyond measure and I pray that at the Day of Reckoning we will be found worthy of the calling with which we were called, whatever that turns out to be.

Have you ever felt chosen by God for something? Have you ever felt you were in the midst of some divine plan?