The Stilwell Chronicles: email: cheynekat@truevine.net

It's been far too long since I updated this thing, but now I'm getting ready to hit the road again-- this time for work.

As some of you may know, I took a job with a consulting firm back in January 2006, and it's often a reality in the consulting world that you have to be on the road-- sometimes 100%. I've been very blessed these last 3 years with not having to travel extensively, because this has helped me to reform relationships with my family, and I've also formed strong relationships with the folks at River's Edge in Davidson. The fortunate thing is that this time, I don't have to be away from the family for two weeks at a time-- it's a Monday through Thursday gig, with Fri/Sat/Sun at home. (Also, Katrina and I are keeping some recent prophetic ministry in mind because there was an indication that this away time is by God's design to receive important information....)

Working in Financial Services is pretty hard right now in light of recent events-- failed institutions and declining stock prices have contributed to major clients holding on tightly to money, which means they may be less open to spending it on consultants for projects. Therefore, when an opportunity opens up to bill to a client, we have to be open to it regardless of what the travel implications are. To not be on an engagement is to be on the bench, where you're not bringing in anything for the company. In consulting, you're a lot less likely to be laid off if you're able to bill to a client project and avoid the bench.

Let's see-- our sons Josiah and Kaeleb are now 8 and 7 and are both in Cub Scouts. Katrina is assisting with the dance ministry at church and doing a bang-up job as one of the lower elementary Sunday school teachers. I recently obtained an internationally accredited Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (http://www.pmi.org), making me that much more marketable for potential engagements.

So where is Cheyne going? The engagement is outside Chicago. It's in a college town, and there's an organization there that handles pension benefits for retired clergy of one of the larger mainline denominations. I hear it's a nice town (lots of old money). There an IHOP (International House of Prayer) in the Chicago area, but it's way out to the west, about a 90 minute trip from where I'll be working. I'm hoping I'll get an opportunity to go there at some point, but we'll have to see....

For anyone reading this blog, please join me in praying for my family. I know they'll miss having me around as much as I'll miss being around 7 days a week. We recognize that there are much worse situations to be in, so we still consider ourselves blessed; however, no one enjoys being apart from family for prolonged periods of time.

Given the length of time that's passed since I last posted to this blog, and given that I'll be busy with work, I can't guarantee that I'll be consistent; however, I have it in mind to post things that God may reveal while I'm on the road, so hopefully someone will get blessed.

If you're going through rough times, always remember that those who wait upon the Lord shall [literally] renew their strength [which can include energy level], for the Lord is our strength and our song. I was reminded of this recently, and I wanted to spread the word to anyone in the midst of crazy times.


To those who've been rabidly waiting for a post, sorry it's been so long. Maybe some songs will come from being on the road. Who knows? Stay tuned....


Cheyne
castilwell@gmail.com

I'm having to do some serious digging now. Transience is hitting our church once again-- two families we were close to have decided to leave River's Edge for another church up the road. One of those families involved our able-bodied drummer and his artistic wife.

With Davidson being such an artsy town, we really wanted people like these to help reclaim this area for the Kingdom. However, they were feeling called to join this other church down the road, as it seemed to them to be a better fit for who they are and where they are. Not only did we lose a drummer and an artist, but we also lost our Webmaster as part of this last move.

This hit Jay particularly hard, as he and Roseann had poured a lot into this couple and shown much love and extended a lot of help their way. This also hit me pretty hard, as these people were among the few I felt close to. They explained that they labored in prayer over this decision, and so I'm confident that they truly sought God on this. However, that doesn't take away from the hurt, particularly since I had to hear all this second-hand.

So here we are at River's Edge, still working from scratch to build a worship team-- still trying to grow a church. We all know that it's ultimately not the numbers that matter, but let's be honest-- when after 9 years of laboring bathed in prayer, one begins to wonder if something's wrong when you're not seeing the numbers go up.

Meanwhile, my day job has become rather challenging-- for the last three weeks, I've had to work late. Fortunately, I have the flexibility to telecommute. Unfortunately, that flexibility comes with an expectation of doing whatever it takes to get things done. I have it in mind to talk with my manager about this situation. It's one thing when it's just the occasional 50-hour work week. It's altogether different when I'm being expected to put in several 50-60 hour weeks in a row.

I'll be honest-- I'm really beginning to hate this job situation. I know Katrina doesn't like to see me work these long hours. It leaves me with little energy to help her or to spend time with the kids, and this really bothers me. What's worse, the exercise regimen I was on has suffered because I don't feel the freedom to lay down what's expected by the client on this project. This is not a healthy work/life balance.

I'm really hoping for a reprieve soon. Please keep me and my family in your prayers. Please keep River's Edge in your prayers. If anyone from Grace gets the unction to come down here for a visit, let me know-- we always have a place for you. Actually, I'm sure our leaders would love to have someone from outside the current situation come and pray with us about it, to see what the Lord would say.

Despite all this, I know that God is good-- pray that we would have the resolve to trust Him in the midst of these trials, and that if He's so inclined, that He would reveal to us what He's up to with all these adjustments.

Above all, we need to be reminded that God is the one who sustains us at the end of the day (see April 2006 entry-- God is so good)

For anyone who may still be reading these entries, thank you-- we appreciate your prayers.

Take care,
Cheyne (for Katrina, Josiah (7), Kaeleb (5.5), and our THREE cats)
cheynekat @ truevine . net
(when you enter this email address, remove the spaces you see-- I just put those in there to throw off people snooping around on the Net looking to push junk mail on others)

All,

It's been a few months since I've updated everyone on the latest with us. Now that the holidays and the New Year are behind us, I've managed to find some time to do so. Quite a bit has occurred since my last post.

I am still working with Sungard Consulting Services. Katrina is still at home. Josiah is now in what is known as a "Resource" status with autism services, which basically means that the majority of his day is spent in a regular class environment. Aside from the occasional episode of unusual behavior, he appears to be handling things very well, and he's very communicative at this point. Kaeleb is in Kindergarten at the same school this year, and he's enjoying it very much.

As far as River's Edge church, we've had a number of changes in the relational dynamics, largely because of people moving out of the area. As part of that, I've now taken over the worship ministry at River's Edge. Previously, I was providing support to the person who was previously the worship pastor. His job moved him and his wife to Atlanta. It was hard to say goodbye to him and his wife, but several believe this worked out for the best for their family-- their children and grandchildren are down in Atlanta, which means they can now be close to everyone in an important season of life.

We've had a series of changes in our worship personnel, so I'm effectively having to rebuild the team from scratch. Counting Katrina and myself, we have two acoustic guitarists, five background vocalists, and a very capable percussionist. We're missing pianists, bassists, and electric players. It's not the result of broken relationships-- just the transient nature of this area. It's a daunting task, but an exciting opportunity at the same time. I have the full backing and the empowerment of the leadership down here, but the big prayer right now is for God to bring people with hearts to serve who have musical ability. I wonder what Ernest must have gone through when he first started building the worship ministry at Grace in Fredericksburg. It's hard when you feel like it's just you.

At times, it's frustrating because it makes it difficult for Katrina and me to minister together. Our church doesn't have very many stay-at-home mothers, so the arrangements Katrina was often able to enjoy while in Virginia don't appear to be available down here. As a result, it's hard to find opportunity to get Katrina away from the boys long enough to afford her an opportunity to minister with me. However, Katrina does get the occasional opportunity to build relationship with some other ladies in the church who do freelance work and have flexible schedules, which allows her to operate in her discipleship gifting. This is good.

My mom and Dad appear to doing OK. For a long time, Mom had trouble getting around because of a serious nerve problem in her left hip. She started doing therapy sessions involving a medical advancement known as "spinal decompression" (basically, stretching the spine to loosen up things like pinched nerves). Whereas she used to depend on a metal cane to walk, she's been able to walk freely for several months. Though Dad is retired and considered disabled by the government, he keeps himself busy doing projects at home, as well as at our house. This is great, because I've never considered myself to be an expert at home improvement. What a blessing to be able to lean on his expertise. We're in the middle of grading our back yard to put in some grass and give the boys a clear area to play.

Don't let the lack of communication fool you-- we really do miss everyone up in Virginia. Maybe you've had some interesting things happening in your neck of the wooods and have been meaning to tell us about it. Please know, once again, that our home is open to you should your travels take you through this area. Just drop a line at cheynekat@truevine.net and let us know when you're coming through.

Thanks once again to everyone for your prayers and encouraging words. We pray the Lord blesses you and your families abudnandtly.

Take care,
Cheyne, Katrina, Josiah and Kaeleb Stilwell

I just received the following prophetic word today:

"I think it was God's hand writing words, like a song. And He was just writing this song, and I believe that is your life. The encouragement that I receive from that is that you're on a journey. This is the journey that you're on, and you can't know the end of this "song"-- it's enjoying the process of the song, is really what I was sensing for you.

Father, we thank You that our life is a process, and our life is a journey. And you can't know the end until you get there. You can't know the process until you've gone through the process. Father, I just ask that You will bring joy to Cheyne's journey, that You will bring joy to the song that is his life, and that each note will be sung clear and true-- not worrying about how it's going to end, or what it's going to look like when we turn the page at the end of a line to start a new line. Father, that he would just enjoy the note that he gets to sing now, and that he would enjoy the process that You have him on.

I just saw what I believe was God's hand, and the encouragement in there is that's God hand writing your song. Don't worry about whether this is right, or is this wrong-- and I know that you and Katrina both can analyze and even overanalyze sometimes. So, maybe from that perspective, I'll just say, it's God. God's writing it. Don't worry-- just listen and play the note that you got today, and He'll give you the note that He has for you tomorrow. Don't stress and overanalyze the song, but enjoy the song, this beautiful melody that is your life, and the melody that God's given you to sing in your life. It IS beautiful, and it becomes MORE beautiful when you're not worried about tomorrow, when you're not as worried about the end of the song, but when you just enjoy the part of the song you're in right now. Have fun! Have fun in your song."

Those who know me well have heard me say that all of life is a song. It's ironic that this prophetic word should talk about MY life being a song, and that God's hand is holding the pen. Let my life be a love song, Lord-- not one that's filled with despair and lack of passion, but one that gives clear evidence of one whose heart is on fire for the living God, and when in the presence of the King.

All,

I'm in a lull between projects at work, and I thought I might just post an entry to this blog. I know-- it's been a while. However, the journal was originally put together to let you know what God was saying during the wait to get down into Charlotte. It was the easiest way to get you the details on how to pray regarding that situation.

Now that we've moved, and now that God's provided a source of income, what to write about?

I know-- worship, and the technology required to facilitate congregational worship in t1he modern era! Specifically, what's required at River's Edge Church. Anyone with a dormant RSS feed, please forgive me if this is complete Greek to you. However, there is a reason behind engaging in this madness....

Our Worship Pastor and sound guru is planning to return to Atlanta from whence we picked him up. While in preparation for this major change in the life of our church, we're now having to come up with a way to impart sound engineering knowledge and do it quickly. This actually plays into a wonderful opportunity to release the emerging generation into a creative way of serving the body.

If you read this and have any ideas for how to make this happen, I am ALL ears. Eyes seem to be on me to make this happen at REC, and it's been a long time passion of mine to learn more about audio engineering. No better way than to be baptized by fire, I guess. However, since I'm also one of the main lead worshippers, I can't be in two places at once, hence the need to start raising others up. I could really see this turning into a great opportunity to raise up a next gen worship ministry. Awesome stuff!!!

Katrina and I are looking to form a small group of young people around the topic of worship. I think it'll be very cool. It's encouraging to see that GCF in VA just recently did a two-parter on Worship. I may try to incorporate this into the teaching cirriculum for these Millenialists.

Stay tuned-- this should be a wild ride.

Again, remember-- the discussion thread is on worship and the technology/skills utilized in the corporate setting to facilitate intimate corporate worship. Pray and think before you respond-- it's not simply science, and it's not simply art. It's a God thing to make it all come together. Dream with us as we explore this area.

AG2G,
Cheyne

I've been meditating on a particular passage in Luke for some time, and I wanted to throw it your way to get your thoughts....

In Luke 4, starting in verse 17, Jesus begins to give indication that the prophecy of Isaiah 61 was being fulfilled in the midst of Israel that day because he had come onto the scene. After he left the synagogue that day, he went to Capernaum and started teaching with authority.
(Notice that we don't have an account here of what his words were.)

Not long after that, we see Jesus performing several works:

1. (vss. 33-37) He cast a demon out of a man. Word then spread about Jesus.
2. (vss. 38-39) He healed Simon's mother of a high fever.
3. (v. 40) He healed many of various diseases.
4. (v. 41) He cast out many demons.

After all this, Jesus then proceeds to tell people that He "must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, because it was for this purpose that I [He] have been sent." (v. 43, NKJV)

There weren't a lot of words coming from Jesus at this point, at least not that was recorded. Instead, we see a lot of acts he performed. I believe He was exemplifying the potential of the faith-filled Christian life. (It's not my desire to focus on "the stuff" exclusive of the glory of God or the love of God. Rather, He exercised love in the acts He performed, and He brought glory to His Father in heaven through those acts. His intention was not to bring glory to Himself, but to glorify His Father.)

Also, notice that most of the positive attention was occurring OUTSIDE the synagogue.

I reflect on this passage in light of what the typcial Sunday morning gathering looks like. Wouldn't it be interesting if we "did" stuff first, then held discourse about what just happened?

More later,
Cheyne

Last time, I mentioned how I was doing. Let's get a little bit into everyone else:

Katrina:
Most of you know she has always had a knack for looking at interior spaces and figuring out ways to use dead space. Well, she's been looking at our kitchen and has drawn up a plan to renovate it. We've gotten some quotes on time & materials from some people in town. Hopefully, before too long, we'll get started on that.

Josiah:
He continues to improve. We're able to interact with him much more than before we moved to North Carolina. He's developed friendships at school. He is learning more and more how to use the potty. He's still on a GFCF diet, but every once in a while we sneak in a wheat-based dinner without too many repercussions :-).

He's also shown that he can be strategic. A few weeks ago, I took him with me to a meeting in Charlotte about a 24-7 initiative that's started up (that's a whole other story), and one of the people brought a huge bowl of wheat-based chocolate chip cookies. We hadn't had dinner at that point, and it was clear that Josiah wanted one of these cookies-- his eyes got wide, and he was rubbing his stomach, going "Mmmmmm!". I asked him to sit quietly or play with toys in the back.

While I wasn't looking, he made his way up to the front row of the small meeting room, just close enough to reach the cookie jar, acting like he was about to take one. I whisked him away and outside the room. It was clearly time to find dinner, so I skipped out on the rest of the meeting.

Though it was inconvenient, that incident was also encouraging because he was very obvious in his facial expressions. Often, children with autism can't do this.

Kaeleb:
He's smart as a whip. He's now in the "Why?" stage. It's encouraging to see him asking a lot of questions about things. We're just working through the part where he asks "Why?" about obeying us at certain times ;-)

We're trying to keep educational options open with him. With where our finances are, we may have to keep him in public school. However, we're concerned that he won't be stimulated enough academically if we do that. The kid's reading and comprehending books by himself, and he's not even 5 yet!

If you want to hear more (e.g., the "female" version with greater detail), feel free to drop us a line @ cheynekat@truevine.net and let us know that. Also, we'd love to hear how you're doing.

Trying to stay connected across the miles,
Cheyne

I've mentioned to some people, but I felt led to start working toward recording a spontaneous worship CD. It may not be completely spontaneous, but the desire is to have most of it as spontaneous. Yes, I write songs, but those songs ultimately come of my times with God.

I've mentioned before my contact in Raleigh, Eric Terlizzi (http://www.ericterlizzi.com ). Well, I recently caught up with him over the phone, and we've scheduled for June 17th to do some recording in the studio!

I am responding to what I believe was the Lord encouraging me in this direction back in October before He accelerated developments with my new job. At that time, I received a word where He addressed the desire in my heart to make some CDs, and He confirmed that He placed that desire there. He also indicated that He would provide.

I anticipate it will be an all-day venture. I'm pretty excited because I have a drummer coming along who has toured with Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin (yes, he's THAT good) and even picked up a Dove award along the way. Even more important than all this is the heart he has to see God set people free. Also, Eric has agreed to join in on piano for this project-- Eric, who's opened for the likes of Lindell Cooley on worship-oriented cruises; Eric, who's played in the soaking room at Toronto; Eric, who shares the same heart I do for seeing people set free. This is the kind of thing I want to see happen with this CD, and I believe it's God's heart as well.

*** Did I mention that a good portion of it will be SPONTANEOUS? ***

That's right-- I'm very encouraged by the fact that others have gone before and done this. If you go out on the Elijah List website's shopping portal, as of last week the top two selling music products were both spontaneous prophetic worship sessions. With the exception of maybe two songs, it was the "song of the Lord" being captured on CD. I'm not doing it because someone else did it, but again, it's encouraging to see that the Lord has put this on others' hearts.

It also bears mentioning that the drummer's wife, who is a visual artist and professional graphic designer, is planning to join us by painting during the worship time. We're planning to use what comes out on the canvas as the cover art for the CD, so even that will be spontaneous!

I'm giving serious thought to doing an extended (possibly 40-day) fast prior to going into the studio, with the idea of being as "in tune" as possible to what God wants to do for this thing.

Needs include: finances to cover the investment (professional grade studio, paid "lead worshippers"), clarity regarding what/who else to include on the project, and overall clarity to receive divine strategy and discernment as to God's specific will. I anticipate that God will withhold at least part of this information to maintain the mystery, so I don't expect to have 100% of it. However, I'll take whatever He wishes to reveal to me :-).

That's all for now. I'll try to follow this entry up in the next couple days with more info about our family in general, but I wanted to make sure you knew about this recording situation so you can be praying.

BTW, if you haven't read this blog in a while, I invite you to look at some of the previous entries since the beginning of the year. It will help you to catch up on what's been going on with us.

As always, if you want to drop us a line, please do so: cheynekat@truevine.net.

Take care,
Cheyne

All,

I was considering all the various things we deal with in our lives. With all this pondering, there's a lot of questions that form in our heads.

Many of us have heard at many points in our lives the phrase, "Jesus is the answer." But how often do we really consider what we are agreeing with when we "Amen" that statement?

Let me give you an example:

Q: I've got deadlines breathing down my neck. What do I do about that?
A: Jesus. (Just to make sure you're with me on this, Jesus IS the answer, right?)

Q: I'm in a political situation at work, and I've never been in a position where I feel like the bad guy. What am I supposed to do about that?
A: Jesus.

Q: Jesus? That's it? I don't follow you-- are you saying I need to look to the Scripture to figure out "What Would Jesus Do" in this situation? I don't have that kind of time! Come on, what's the answer-- for real?
A: Jesus.

Do you see where I am going with this? This seemingly trite and obnoxious response to what we feel are entirely valid questions offends the natural mind. Yet, how can we deny that Jesus, in fact, IS the answer for life's tough questions? (Versus "42," which some satirists would have us to believe. :-) )

What am I saying? I'm saying the answer IS JESUS. Is this to say we don't deal with real life issues? Heavens no. That's exactly why the answer is Jesus. The real life issues we face are bothersome because our souls are not at rest. We think that if we could see them resolved, then our souls would be at rest.

But Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you SHALL find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Mt. 11:28-30, KJV)

I like how The Message puts it: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. LEARN THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

I think the reason Jesus is the answer is somewhere in this: we think we understand reality amidst the issues we face, but we don't. Not really. We're constantly looking for an answer to take care of our problems and challenges. When those problems aren't solved in a time frame convenient to us, do we stop to consider that maybe the PROCESS of waiting on Jesus to give us rest is more vital to our lives than the problems being resolved? Maybe the things we think are so important aren't that great a concern to the Almighty. How rude and insensitive that may seem, yet can we deny His insight, His infinite wisdom?

When God created the universe, the world and mankind in six days, consider that the first full day of Adam's existence was the seventh day. And what did God do on that day? He RESTED. Clearly, Adam's first day was not spent finding stuff to do so he could feel important. Imagine-- spending your first full day on the earth in unbroken, right-standing fellowship, in a beautiful garden full of life, with the Creator of the universe! What could Adam and Eve have possibly been worried about during that glorious day (however long it might have been)?

Another point to consider: in John 21, when Jesus returned from the dead and greeted the disciples, He said: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, now I send you." He commissioned the disciples, but not before proclaiming peace over them. He knew they had to be sent from a place of peace, a place of fellowship with the Lover of their souls.

It's true, He has work for me to do. But before I move out to do that work, Jesus wants me to know that I can relax and trust Him to be there. He doesn't promise to answer all my questions (I doubt my feeble mind could grasp the profundity of His infinitely wise responses, anyway). He DOES say that He'll give rest for my soul, which is the ultimate answer to the ultimate question: where can my soul find rest? Answer: Jesus. My soul's rest is not dependent upon all my questions being answered or all my problems being solved-- it's dependent upon whether I believe Jesus loves me despite the circumstances in which I find myself. As I do that, I can be confident that He will answer the REAL questions that need answering, and the path will be lit for me.

He doesn't lead me into seemingly tough situations simply to torture me. He leads me to a place of total dependency on Him because He desires that I be in fellowship with Him. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. In that place, I learn once again that He's my Shepherd whom I can trust implicitly to lead me down the right path. Eventually, I come to the place where I am no longer in want, because the environment has no hold on me. It's not about a physical place of tranquility so much as it is a spiritual state of my soul being at rest.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Question: Pick one.
Answer: Jesus.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and responses....

Take care,
Cheyne
cheynekat@truevine.net

Hello everyone,

I know it's been a while, but I guess as things slow down here, so does the frequency of updates to this page. However, it's good to know that I have a place to post updates so that you know how to pray.

The job situation? Well, on the surface, it's frustrating. However, Katrina and I are both learning to take all this in perspective of God's greater plan, which He has not completely revealed. It's all about faith and obedience, right? As the days go by, the events that transpire only serve to confirm that He doesn't have to reveal all of it up front, nor does He plan to. He's God, and we are not.

To describe the particulars, my company is still waiting for our client to give the go-ahead on the SOW. It's been drafted, and re-drafted, and re-drafted again. My project manager has been frustrated by this as well. However, I got a moment of what I believe was Divine inspiration that could turn this lemon into some serious lemonade business. The frustration has resulted from a very slow organization. It's apparent that they need an overhaul. We provide business process consulting services. Hmmm.... maybe another proposal in the works?

Now, understandably we can't put the cart before the horse, but this first project is looking more and more like a reconnaissance mission to get at least a partial lay of the land. In any case, I'd ask you to commit this business situation to prayer, because I believe God wants to use it ultimately to catch the attention of some for His Kingdom.

In other news, I'm reading a book called "The Breaker Anointing" by Barbara Yoder. I've had this thing spoken over my life so many times and in different forms ("the anointing breaks the yoke," "a breaker anointing"), but I'd never felt led to study it more in depth until now. I can't tell you how excited I am and how much this confirms the ways in which I feel driven sometimes. I desire to write songs that set the captives free. I want to be used to break bondages off people, to open up what was once closed, etc. I believe there are others God is placing this anointing on in this time, and I think this plays a part in the marketplace movement we've been seeing. It's very exciting, and I look forward to what God has in store in the coming years.

Katrina-- Recently, we decided that she should get away for a few days by herself. So, I took the kids (well, the grandparents did help), and she headed down to IHOP-Atlanta (http://www.ihop-atlanta.com )! "What? Atlanta?" That's right-- just a few miles northeast of the city off I-85, there's a 24-7 initiative going on. We felt like Katrina needed to be somewhere she could "bask in the Son", and KC seemed like a cost prohibitive option at this point. ATL, however, is only four hours by car from Charlotte.

While there, she also visited with our good friend, Betsy Thraves! Those who've had prior involvement with short-term trips to Latvia may recall that she was an assistant to Bob and Sharon Perry. Well, she has taken a staff position at an Every Nation (formerly Morningstar International (not affiliated with Rick Joyner or MorningStar Fellowship)) church there called City Life International Church. It was great for her to catch up with Betsy. When I was still in Virginia, they roomed together at the Vanguard 2004 Regional Conference and had a blast, so it was like a reunion for them. If only for a couple hours over coffee....

She went there "packin'." She took some of her craft materials to make things like streamers, tambourines, etc., knowing that she would receive inspiration as she spent time with Jesus. At some point, she even went to Stein Mart to find material for a dance outfit (you know how she likes to dance), and she ended up buying an outfit that worked very well.

On that Sunday, she visited Coweta Community Church, a sister church in the Vanguard network and like-minded in terms of wanting to see the Kingdom break out on the earth. She caught up with the Pete Mullins and his wife, who are the pastors of that church. She also received some very encouraging prophetic words related to entering a new season. (If you want the "female" version of this, write to cheynekat@truevine.net and put "ATTN Katrina" in the subject line.)

Overall, it was a great weekend for Katrina, and so she headed home with a renewed perspective on things. I'm glad she was able to get away before things got real busy at work.

Josaih--
Well, he's coming along in terms of his speech. He's not doing as well in the compliance department. Just recently, he experienced a teacher change-- the one who was there just moved to Utah, and a new teacher came in from the neighboring Charlotte-Mecklenburg system. (We live in southern Iredell County, where the schools are supposed to be better.) She has lots of qualifications and credentials; however, she doesn't express physical affection like the last teacher.

As you know, Josiah has trouble with transitions. One of the things Katrina got from the Lord from her time away was that Josiah's not going to learn to adjust except by adjusting. If he's going to learn to transition, he has to transition, aka "on the job training." We just have to get wisdom on how to coach him through this.

Of course, we also have to look at ourselves, too-- are we spending enough time with him? It's become apparent that he needs quality time. I know, some of you are thinking, "Well, duh! He's a kid!" Well, it's encouraging to see that he wants quality time-- this means that he wants social involvement, which is a sign of GROWTH for him. Autism is not only about speech, receptivity, and sensory systems, but it also touches the social aspect of the child's life because he or she may not have interest in being in social contexts. So, AWESOME, he wants us to spend time with him!

Kaeleb--
The kid's a sponge! He's reading and absorbing books at every turn. His preschool teachers have already indicated that he's a SMART cookie. Well, we knew that, we just didn't know HOW smart-- he's reading books to his preschool classmates while they're still working on phonic elements (more proof that phonics really works). Also when he saw Grandma and Grandpa this weekend, Grandpa asked him not to tear up the recliner because they wouldn't be able to watch TV together on it anymore. Kaeleb said, "But you could have our chair, Grandpa," indicating he's figuring out how to solve problems!

The question we have now is what the best schooling option will be for him next year when he goes into kindergarten. We don't believe home schooling is it, because he needs other friends beside his brother to develop socially. We just registered him for public kindergarten yesterday, but I don't think we're completely convinced about that option, either. Private school? We'll have to see....

River's Edge--
We're big enough now to where we need to start thinking hard about forming some home fellowships. We can still have those "potlucks" after church on Sunday, but as you know, that's just not the same as being able to minister to one another in each other's homes. We're thinking about having some sort of "cast party" for those who help with the pre-meeting setup. If you have other ideas, please send them in.

cheynekat@truevine.net

Also, we've begun weekly prophetic ministry. It's amazing to see the number of people who've "caught the bug." We have four teams on a monthly rotation, giving prophetic ministry to whoever needs it. As we're led, we also have times of prayer for healing. It's exciting to be "doing the stuff," as John Wimber used to put it.

And how about-- 24-7? We recently met someone in the arts district of Charlotte who is opening up a 24-7 prayer site (http://www.charlotte24-7.com). It's part of the worldwide 24-7 prayer movement, which IHOP-Atlanta is also part of. When I mentioned Kansas City to the main point of contact, she referred to it as "Mecca." So I guess we have kindred just a few miles south of our house here in Lake Norman. It's exciting to see an initiative starting up in Charlotte.

So, if you're ever down, check out that web site. Somewhere on there, you can find out how to get there. Or, just stop by our place-- we'll show you how to get to it. Heck, we may even go with you if we're not otherwise detained. :-) It's looking like it will be a great place to engage in worship-- one of the point people for that goes to our church and has toured with guys like Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin! I'm telling you, this guy is tight! I love playing with him.

May this be a year of breakthrough for all of us. Until next time (hopefully in April),

Cheyne

All,

I know it's been a while since I posted something. If you've been feeling left in the dark, I do apologize. After having taken the job, I've spent significantly less personal time on the computer.

1. Since having taken the job, I've been what the consulting world refers to as "on the bench" for about seven weeks now, which means I'm being paid out of overhead. Why is that? Mainly because our client hasn't signed off on the proposed start date yet.
In the meantime, it's been a good period for getting up to speed on the financial industry, not to mention building relationships with my co-workers. If I can wait 16 months for a job, it's not a real problem to wait a few weeks to get on-site with the customer.

2. Katrina is doing fairly well overall, but we're beginning to wonder if her hormone levels are dropping again. Those of you who knew her prior situation with that will understand what I'm talking about. For those in the dark, it seems her hormone levels took a dive after Kaeleb was born. She saw an OBGYN to see about a remedy, and it worked pretty well. She plans to visit someone local down here to get checked out.
Don't worry-- she's not going postal. We're just making sure she can get to a place where she feels better.

3. Josiah is growing up! He is now going through the potty-training process. We started him down this road over the winter break. It is slow going, but he is managing to learn self-control little by little. This is an accomplishment, considering that some children in extreme cases cannot master this until well into their teens or even twenties.
Also, Josiah's language is improving. He is also developing a greater interest in reading. He loves being read to. We're just working on the independent reading part.

4. Kaeleb is acting like a normal boy-- into everything. He's a smart one, though. His reading has become so advanced, he has been known to read a book to his preschool classmates, who are not learning phonics yet. He's also showing off the gymnastics and tumbling moves he learns during his Mon/Wed/Fri program.

5. The church at River's Edge is growing. We are large enough to where we need to start thinking harder about developing greater intimacy in our relationships. We recently started prophetic ministry on Sunday mornings after the message. We're incorporating the principles found in Steve Thompson's book, "You All May Prophesy." Those who engage in prophetic ministry to others know how fun and exciting it is to get something for someone that serves to encourage them.
******
******
Also, our church took some youth, and our SENIOR PASTOR, up to Awaken The Dawn, and the report we got back from them was that it was GREAT! I think it was a little edgy for some of the youth, but that just confirms for me that the Mars Hill crew is still going at it like there's no tomorrow in a campaign to take the Kingdom by force.
I am so glad to see this exchange taking place between the Grace and Vanguard networks. Maybe sometime soon the folks @ Grace will get a bug to come down and visit here in beautiful, historic Davidson.

6. Meanwhile, we are looking at possibly replacing the commuter car. We've already gotten an estimate from the dealer to fix a muffler problem, but their estimate is about 400% of the current trade-in value of the car! We're in the process of getting a second opinion.
The car's about 10 years old, so we're also looking at new or, preferably, certified pre-owned replacements. If you have recommendations for reliable vehicles, send 'em our way.

That's it for now. If you need more details than what I've described here, please don't hesitate to drop us a line:

cheynekat@truevine.net

Take care,
Cheyne (for Katrina and the boys)

King of kings
And Lord of lords
You are comin' for Your bride
You are comin' for Your bride

King of kings
And Lord of lords
With passion fire in Your eyes
With passion fire in Your eyes

All,

I have accepted a revised offer from SunGard Consulting Services (http://www.enform.sungard.com)! I received a revised offer letter Thursday with a base salary $3K higher than the original offer. Vacation and merit review situations remain the same due to corporate policy; however, that will improve over time.

I faxed my acceptance yesterday. Now we're going through the necessary formalities to getting me on board.

Many thanks to everyone for having prayed about this over the months. It's been a long time, but the prayers have payed off.

Based on the prophetic words we've received during this waiting time, I'm wait with great anticipation to see how God wants to use this position to further His Kingdom. King David, a song writer who also provided the sponsorship and direction for establishing the 24/7 tabernacle of prayer, was a businessman in his day and culture. This fact carries great significance in our time, considering the transformation that is now taking place in the marketplace.

God is setting the stage for a major revival, and many leaders in the church at-large have been picking up on it. Charlotte is #2 only to New York in banking, and the city has been ranked in the top 5 for places to start a new business because of the access to banks such as BofA and Wachovia. Prayer points would include the establishment of Kingdom-minded businesses in the Charlotte area, the establishment of God-honoring relationships within the banks, and for God's dominion to take place over the banks.

***********

Due to the holidays, it's been hard for Katrina to start anything with Tomboy tools. However, I anticipate she'll be heavily engaged after the start of the new year. She's already signed up to help with a Women Build project through Habitat for Humanity, which has a big presence in our part of the country. She's also looking to build relationships with various realtors in the area in the hopes of providing some welcome kits to new homebuyers in the Lake Norman area.

Josiah has been doing well with the transition to more exposure to a normal kindergarten environment. He's been doing this for an hour-and-a-half each day, the rest of the time being spent in an EC (exceptional children) environment. At home, he has maintained a mostly positive attitude about things. His difficult moments come when he has to transition to a new activity, but many of you already know about his challenges there. Still, he is making a lot of progress. God has been very gracious-- if things continue to progress, we expect him to be mainstreamed in time for 1st grade.

Kaeleb is thriving in his preschool programs. He is ahead of his peers in reading, and we believe a large part of it is due to his continued mastery of phonics. He is learning new Scripture verses, and we give him lots of opportunities to pray the blessing at our dinner table.

Our cat Leo was just neutered and declawed earlier this week. We just got him back yesterday from the vet, and he's been shaking his paws quite a bit and licking them often. It's premature to tell whether this will calm him down from the way he was before, but some of our friends in NC have told us not to expect that. I hope they're wrong ;-)

****************
In a few days, we'll be taking an excursion to Seabrook Island, SC, a resort-style suburb of Charleston. Katrina's aunt and uncle have moved from Winston-Salem to live down there. We plan to spend some time with them, Katrina's mom and stepdad, as well as Katrina's cousins. Plus, it'll be fun to see the boys' reaction to their first time seeing the ocean! Maybe if I can find Wi-Fi down there, I can send you a report from the scene. Hmmmm....
****************

Anyway, that's it. We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the joy and peace of the Lord be prominent in you this season.

Love,
Cheyne, Katrina, Josiah, and Kaeleb Stilwell
704.987.8132

All,

Though it took a couple days, my hiring manager has come back with a counteroffer that's increases the base salary by another few thousand. I was very pleased with this.

Once the leave issue is resolved, the hiring manager will call me with a verbal, and a new offer letter will soon follow.

Please pray about this. Despite the flexibility this new working arrangement will afford, it would still be nice not to take two steps back on annual leave.

Thanks for your continued prayers. It's almost cemented, folks!

Cheyne

PS
I've not forgotten that God has a greater purpose in all this besides income for my family. Our desire to see Charlotte transformed has not waned, and our prayer is that avenue of employment will lead to some Kingdom business connections being established. Pray for the "joints" in the army to be strengthened.

*** A thought ***
When we pray for God to "raise up his Davids", how often do we consider when praying in that vein that David was the head governmental leader of his time? Think about that-- a businessman was writing a large number of the worship songs in his day. A businessman provided the primary funding and sponsorship for a tabernacle of prayer, worship, and intercession to be established.

Some of you may recall 1993, when the format changed at 105.1 WAVA-FM changed its format from Top 40 to Christian Radio. Before the takeover, the programming included a lot of things that weren't of God. Since that takeover, many positive changes have happened. As an example, thousands of marriages (and people) in the DC area have been transformed for Christ because of the large support base ministry groups like Family Life have obtained through listener-ship.

Charlotte is a banking mecca (#2 only to New York City), and I believe that God is setting the stage for something big down here. Pray for some Spirit-led corporate takeovers, that the wealth of this country would become the fuel for God's advance.

All,

I'm waiting to hear back from SunGard regarding my negotiation meeting on Friday with the Charlotte Director. Soon as I get some feedback, I plan to send my paperwork in with acceptance of the offer. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Cheyne

All,

I just received a copy of a word from a recent conference in Black Mountain, NC. I wanted to transcribe it and post it here. As with paper-based journaling, it's neat to go back through previous entries and see God's faithfulness to answer prayers and validate desires that have been in my heart for a long time.

I went back to my entry from July 13th and noted different ways the word here seems to correlate with the one from that posting. I am a firm believer in confirming things based on the testimony of two or more witnesses, and this seems to do that:

************************
A prophetic word given by Mary Abernathy (wife of Rocky Abernathy of Cartersville, GA) on Saturday October 29th 2005 at the VG Fall Conference:

(NOTE: Rocky was about to deliver this word, but then Mary interrupted, saying "Nawww, that's mine!" She was getting the same thing, and told Rocky to go drink his water so that she could do some ministry, too! :-D I love how real these people are....)

"I saw the song of the Lord on you. What I saw was, the Lord was taking the gold of heaven, and He was POURING it out on you. As it came down, I saw these chimes, and there was music with these chimes over your head. And I felt like the Lord was saying that He was going to fulfill some dreams that He has put in your heart about some CDs that He has called you to make, and that that really IS God. It's not just your imagination. You have repented for that, saying 'God, I don't want to bring glory to myself.' God wants you to know that it really is Him, and that He will provide--He will make a way for that."

*********************

For those who've been praying along the lines of music, thank you for doing so. I still believe He wants to make a way for this to happen. It's not clear how that will be at this point, but I'm still holding out for God to come through. He's done it for this new job, and He'll do it for the CD(s), and anything else, in His plan.

With this new job, there will be new challenges for completing music related milestones, not to mention marriage and parenting responsibilities. Katrina and I covet your continued prayers for wisdom, as well as discernment for His greater purpose in the things we engage in.

I appreciate all of you continuing to come back to read this blog. As much as I am grateful for being able to keep everyone posted about our lives, I get tired talking about us all the time. I want to stay connected with everyone who reads this blog. Therefore, if there are things that you think would increase its value in your life, I invite you to let me know by clicking on "Enter Comment" at the bottom, and putting in your two cents. The more feedback, the better.

Thanks for helping me out in this way.

Blessings to you and yours,
Cheyne

HOUSTON-- WE HAVE A JOB OFFER LETTER!

Now begins some negotiating of vacation days, as well as seeing if I can get them to up the salary figure a little bit (you have not because you ask not). Once that occurs, I plan to accept SunGard's offer later this week. If you could continue to pray for favor regarding these final details, including an agreement over my start date (I'm hoping to wait until 1/3), I'd appreciate it.

Thanks to all of you for standing with us in prayer. OK, let's all breathe a big sigh of relief now-- ahhhhhhhhhh....

Cheyne

All,

The offer letter from SunGARD should be on its way in the next day or so. North Highland also sounds interested. It's great to be pursued finally.

Thanks for your continued prayers. Please keep it coming! I'll keep you posted with further updates.

Please read the last posting as well. I'd love to read people's reactions to the article.

Cheyne

All,

I'd love to get your reactions and thoughts wrt the following article. (To post a comment, click on "Leave A Comment" at the bottom of this posting.)

http://www.injesus.com/Groups/ViewMessage.cfm?MessageId=TB00791I&GroupID=3B005YVI&CFID=53509109&CFTOKEN=19347585&UCD=vv2

Posted by Os Hillman from the International Coalition of Workplace Ministries (ICWM) on November 22, 2005

Christian values in workplace go further than words By Lisa Foster

Special to The Post and Courier



St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel, and if you have to, use words."

In the workplace, exemplifying Christian values is a Christian business leader's best testimony, according to Kent Humphreys, president of the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International.

But to that end, in the 21st-century mission field, two powerfully effective evangelical words have emerged that perhaps even the patron saint of merchants had not thought of: increased profitability.

Humphreys said he sees the most interest in Christian business practices in South Africa and parts of Asia. "Even in China ... the Chinese government said, 'We've got to see what makes a capitalistic system work in the United States.' And what they found was a Christian biblical value system," Humphreys said.

According to Humphreys, the Chinese government is trying to convert to a more capitalistic system, but, he added, "They say, 'We don't want necessarily your religion; but we want your value system.' "

Nevertheless, business is opening doors to relationships in closed countries that traditional missionaries have been knocking on for years. "They actually have openings for business leaders to come into China, to teach in their universities, to teach in their schools and teach biblical values," Humphreys said.

"The world is becoming so small and we're doing trading literally all over the world," Humphreys said. But "people in the United States who want to take their religious beliefs into Arab countries cannot go in there, but business people are welcome in Arab countries. Business allows people to go in there with a legitimate vehicle to go into countries."

And business leaders with opportunity to share their faith in God in the normal context of business are the best emissaries, Humphreys said.

Mission fields aren't limited to foreign countries. Humphreys is encouraged by what he sees happening domestically as well.

He said he is "very optimistic" about America's progress toward returning to its foundational value system. The 59-year-old business executive said, "There's more interest in spiritual things in the workplace than at any other time in my lifetime."

Although he said he believes "the next great move of God will happen in the workplace," he noted that one of the stumbling blocks to change is the ten-dency to relegate spiritual matters to religious institutions. Change, according to Humphreys, will not occur in meetings about the workplace within the confines of church property. Change, he said, will occur as small groups of business leaders meet outside the four walls of the church, in their communities, for Bible study and to support each other.

This article was printed via the web on 11/22/2005 1:32:56 PM . This article appeared in The Post and Courier and updated online at Charleston.net on Sunday, November 20, 2005.

All,

Just got off the phone with SunGARD this afternoon. Looks like they'll be talking to me tomorrow regarding incentive packages and things. Regarding base salary, the hiring manager offered a range, and it was about the range I was hoping to get, so we were in agreement. Once the other negotiations are done, I expect to receive an offer letter shortly thereafter.

Thank you for your continued prayers. I'll let you know once things are finalized.

God bless,
Cheyne
704.987.8132