Dear Friend,                                                                             April, 2012

            Kyleigh is here and without question this is one of the most special months in our family’s history.  Most of you who have been following our journey remember that just about two years ago our daughter Kristen was pregnant with baby Elle.  Because of all of the struggles we had just been through with the loss of the ministry’s new business and Cindy’s mom Ada, this little girl was so very special and highly anticipated.

            Baby Elle went to be with Jesus exactly one day before her scheduled delivery by c-section.  Of course we were devastated.  Kristen and Mark have two precious little boys and so desired to have a little girl.  You can imagine their thoughts and prayers at this time—do we try again?  What if we experience the same outcome? With all of that in consideration and through much prayer they decided to go for it.  We are so glad they did.

Kyleigh Joy McWilliams

April 26, 2012

          As the Papa I can remember praying every day during those first few months—“Lord, from one Papa to another—you can do this—you can make this a very special little girl.”  While we were all prepared to rejoice no matter what—we were also hoping that Kristen and Mark would have their dreams fulfilled.  The news from that first ultrasound was so special.  Now, it’s the hard part—the waiting—the anticipation—the battle against negative thoughts and ultimately the complete reliance upon our great God.

            Not very far into the pregnancy Kristen decided to Google the name Kyleigh to see what would come up.  When she read the results she immediately texted us that Kyleigh is an Australian name meaning boomerang—when you let it go…it comes back.  When I heard this I could not believe it—what an amazing idea and how incredible it is that she would pick that name not even knowing the implications.  Of course we know that God knows—I think He has a sense of humor, don’t you?

            Kyleigh was born the morning of April 26^th and weighed in at 7 pounds 6 ounces.  She is a healthy and beautiful little baby and we are so filled with joy over her arrival.  For all of you who have been traveling with us and faithfully praying for this little one—thank you so much!

            On a ministry note I am preparing to leave tomorrow for a speaking assignment in Ontario, California at the Inland Empire National Day of Prayer Breakfast on the 3^rd.  Their theme this year is United We Stand and I believe the Lord has given me a powerful and timely message for these days we are living in.  Please see this month’s TargetPoint for more on this important message.

            As we head toward our summer season please prayerfully consider a generous gift to help us through this very typical financially challenging time.  Also we have a tentative date for this year’s golf event of July 30th.  Please hold that date and plan to join us if you are able.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and financial support

Serving together for the Kingdom,

Vince D’Acchioli

Founder, On Target Ministries

April, 2012

“United We Stand”

Inland Empire National Prayer Breakfast

Vince D’Acchioli

2 Cor. 10:4  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds…

On May 3^rd I have the privilege of speaking to the Inland Empire’s National Day of Prayer Breakfast in Ontario, California.  Their theme this year is United We Stand.  As I was praying about what to share I had this strong sense that God wants to say… You are standing on a thousand different theological hills with the wrong weapons.  In other words, as followers of Christ we are neither united—nor are we effectively standing.

You are standing on a thousand different theological hills with the wrong weapons

Luke 6:46 Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 

1 John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.

Amos 5:21-24 (NLT) I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.  I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings.  Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is.  Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry.

I believe the above verses leave little to be misunderstood when it comes to our call.  Jesus himself in John 12:47 said that He did not come to judge the world but to save it.  Could it be that as Christians we need to understand how futile are our attempts to change culture using the world’s methods?

My friends I am persuaded that we are not going to have an impact upon our cultrue until we get this.  Until we understand that we do not have any critical mass when it comes to living righteous lives that our world can see and respond to. That it’s the lives people see—not the words we speak—that carry real power.

Like the prison guard responding to Paul and Silas, who he had witnessed and heard singing all night, falling at their feet and asking, sirs, what must I do to be saved?  Why?  Because he observed something in those men that confounded him.  As a result the Bible tells us his whole family accepted Jesus.  Like Paul and Silas, you and I are called to live a life that demands an explanation.

As followers of Christ what if:

·        We all took a good look in the mirror?

·        We allowed our lives to be shaped more by God’s Word than our political perspective?

·        We stopped judging others and looked at what Jesus is calling us to do?

·        We stopped complaining about prayer being taken out of our public life—and just prayed?

·        We were to hang a copy of the Ten Commandments in our own homes and lived by them?

·        We actually prayed for the people in leadership we are unhappy with?

·        We asked God to help us see people through His eyes and love them like Jesus does?

·        We were more taken up with being a disciple and actively discipling others than our political posturing and maneuvering?

I am ashamed to admit how many of these I fall short on.  It’s not the time to start beating ourselves up on past failures in these areas—it’s time to change.  It’s time to get God’s perspective on how to approach our world and make a difference for Him. 

Worldliness is not the trap that most endangers us as Christian workers; nor is it sin. The trap we fall into is extravagantly desiring spiritual success; that is, success measured by, and patterned after, the form set by this religious age in which we now live. Never seek after anything other than the approval of God, and always be willing to go “outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb 13:13). In Lk 10:20, Jesus told the disciples not to rejoice in successful service, and yet this seems to be the one thing in which most of us do rejoice. We have a commercialized view — we count how many souls have been saved and sanctified, we thank God, and then we think everything is all right. Yet our work only begins where God's grace has laid the foundation. Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God's sovereign grace, and our work as His disciples is to disciple others’ lives until they are totally yielded to God. One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit. As workers for God, we must reproduce our own kind spiritually, and those lives will be God's testimony to us as His workers.   –Oswald Chambers April 23rd

2 Chr 7:14   If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

“Presence &Perspective vol. 3”
Vince D’Acchioli

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
--Ephesians 1:18

Last month I shared the second message in this series talking about obedience.  This month I want to unpack ways in which we can be made more aware of God’s perspective for our life.  I know I may sound like a broken record here—but another reminder that you will never truly gain God’s perspective until you first experience His presence.    

In my book Wired to Work, answering the two most important questions in life, I deal specifically with how to discover God’s unique purpose for our life.  It begins of course with an understanding that God is real, we have an intimate relationship with Him and we believe He wants us to discover His purpose.  When all that is in place than I believe we can start looking for how He may be speaking to us.

Our ministry’s three un-alterable facts:
1. God knows you and has created you for a special purpose
2. God gave you special gifts toward satisfying His purpose
3. God wants you to discover His purpose for your life

So, how can I truly know the hope to which He has called me?  Through personal life experience combined with all I believe God’s Word teaches on this subject I have come up with four things that I believe need to line up before you can be sure God is leading.  First, is God speaking to you through His written Word?  Next, are you hearing it by His Spirit?  Then, is it being affirmed through wise, Godly counsel?  And finally, is it consistent with current circumstances?

Let’s unpack these important ideas.

Is God speaking to you through His written Word?
Ps 119:105 says Your Word is a lamp on my feet and light unto my path.  There are two powerful promises here.  First, as we read His Word it will illuminate my daily steps.  But the greater promise in my view is the second part—a light unto my path.  In other words, God will shine a bright light on the path He wants me to walk as I am in His Word. 
Recommendation—as you prepare to read the Word every day pray for God to reveal something special about His direction to you.  Make notes regarding passages that may speak to you and review them often.

Are you hearing it by His Spirit?
1 Corinthians 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit…
Sometimes I question the voices people claim to hear.  For me a good way to know that I am actually hearing God is to test what He may be saying against the other three areas we are discussing here.  If it seems what I am hearing is inconsistent than I need more evidence He is speaking.  For me this is the most difficult area.  My mind is usually so active that it is hard for me to be quite enough to really hear Him.
Recommendation—spend some quiet time just praising Him and giving thanks.  Perhaps put on some soft worship music in the background.  Then, just quiet your mind and listen.  Remember the definition of listening is wanting to hear.

Is it being affirmed through wise, Godly counsel? 
Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed…
I cannot stress enough the importance of wise, Godly counsel.  Oftentimes the mistake we make is in looking for people, anyone really, who might have a tendency to agree with our pre-conceived ideas about something.  I have made this mistake all to often.
Recommendation—seek out Godly men, women or couples who you know to be mature and who will go to God in prayer on your behalf.  Then, listen to them and weigh it against the other three areas to see if it is consistent.

Is it consistent with current circumstances?
If I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God.   Oswald Chambers
Sometimes we may believe all or most of our criteria for knowing our direction may be lining up but our current circumstance may be difficult to see through.  It could be financial hardship, a physical handicap or even relational issues.  When this happens we especially need God’s help in seeing Him in the midst of our circumstances.
Recommendation—deliberately place God between you and your circumstance and ask Him to show them to you through His eyes.  At the end of the day if your circumstance seem to be standing in the way of God’s direction He will be like that river that ultimately persists and finds a way around.

And finally—BE PATIENT!

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. --Habakkuk 2:3 

One of the highlights of this month was reading a letter from an inmate in a Federal prison in Florida.  It was several pages long and went on for some time explaining how reading my first book Wired to Work had transformed his life.  I had forgotten how many inmates throughout the country have been exposed to that book.  Through Library of Hope it is in hundreds of prisons throughout the country.  Yet another example of how each of our lives can affect people in ways we may sometimes never come to understand.  God is so good.

On the 27th I flew to a little town outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada called Chauvin.  Pastor Corey Randell of Chauvin Gospel Center invited me out for a series of meetings.  It started with pastors and leaders from most of the churches in town gathering for our message on The Six Structural Elements of Effective Churches.  God richly blessed our time together as we talked about the challenges facing His Bride in this next season of ministry.

On that Friday night I began our Men on Target seminar for about 75-80 men from the area and we finished up on Saturday afternoon with about 5-6 men asking Jesus into their heart.  I am always amazed at how God has used this powerful resource to bring men to Jesus over the years.  I am guessing somewhere around 10,000 men have answered its powerful call.

I am always amazed at how God has used this strategic
resource to bring men to Jesus over the years.  I am
guessing somewhere around 10,000 men have
answered its powerful call.

On Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at their church service where another 5-6 people accepted the Lord after our message Armed…Ready for Battle.  In all, it was another powerful ministry trip and the folks there are talking to us about coming back with Cindy for a couple’s event soon.

As I write to you Cindy and I are in Temecula California with our daughter Kim’s family.  We are here until April 9th for various meetings and to conduct a wedding for our nephew, Kevin and his lovely Bride, Allison which we did on April 1st.  Our whole family came in for the event except for Kristen and Mark.  As you may know, Kristen is pregnant with a new little girl, Kyliegh Joy, due in about three weeks.  You will be hearing much more about this wonderful new addition in next month’s letter.  We are so excited.

So far our time here has been very productive.  I received a call the other day from Water of Life Church inviting me to be the speaker for this year’s Inland Empire Prayer Breakfast on May 3rd.  This is a big event and such a great honor.  I am looking forward to coming back here for that event and spending some more time with our kids.

As we enter into this beautiful springtime season Cindy and I are sensing God’s hand preparing us for some exciting new ministry opportunities.  As we continue to pray for a heightened awareness of His presence we are beginning to better comprehend His perspective regarding our future.  Please continue to pray with us as we seek His glorious will for our lives and future ministry.

In closing we want to thank you again for your prayers and financial help.  We could not do this work without you.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support

      Serving together for the Kingdom,

                                                                                                     
      Vince D’Acchioli
      Founder, On Target Ministries

“Presence &Perspective vol. 2”
Vince D’Acchioli

Last month I asked Ted Heiden, Cindy’s brother, to begin the process of unpacking how to experience God’s presence by talking about obedience.  Ted did a masterful job of helping us understand what true obedience is and developing why the Bible makes it so clear that obedience is better than sacrifice.  He reminded us that sacrifice assumes this position before God:  That I have something worthy to offer but always accompanied by the distinct possibility that I am blind to the true requirement that would make the sacrifice acceptable.  Obedience on the other hand establishes a position before God: Assuming nothing of my worthiness, only His.  

Everything in my human nature is working against this compelling idea.  From the time I was a little boy it has been ingrained in me that you must work hard and live up to some rigid set of standards in order to gain anything.  When I view obedience to God through that lens it is difficult to escape the performance trap. So here is the big idea, you will never experience God’s presence simply because you obey a set of rules or have been a good person.  1 John 1:7 does not say walk in the light of my mind or some sense of duty, it says walk in the light as He is in the light.

From the time I was a little boy it has been ingrained
in me that you must work hard and live up to some
rigid set of standards in order to gain anything

This begs the question how?  How can I practice this kind of selfless obedience to God in order to better understand and experience His presence?  I believe there are two things we need to consider.  The first, and most important, is total and complete surrender to your own way.  It requires our coming to the end of ourselves and recognizing God’s way is the ONLY way that makes sense and our human nature is always going to be in opposition.

The second thing we need to do is practice going to God every day and all day seeking His counsel.  This means not only seeking him during your quiet times of worshipful prayer but during the ordinary circumstances we face throughout the day.  It means saying a short prayer for God to be present in that phone call you are about to make or that meeting you are going to have.  It means going to God for everything not just when you are in over your head.

This kind of relationship with God not only blesses Him but establishes a much needed habit in our lives that will insure a greater awareness of His presence everywhere we find ourselves.
I want to conclude with some powerful words from a devotional by Oswald Chambers:

 “We were buried with Him ... that just as Christ was raised from the dead ... even so we also should walk in newness of life.”   Ro 6:4
 
No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a “white funeral” — the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a “white funeral,” a death with only one resurrection — a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose — to be a witness for Him.

Have you really come to your last days? You have often come to them in your mind, but have you really experienced them? You cannot die or go to your funeral in a mood of excitement. Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. We avoid the cemetery and continually refuse our own death. It will not happen by striving, but by yielding to death. It is dying — being “baptized into His death” (Ro 6:3).
 
Have you had your “white funeral,” or are you piously deceiving your own soul? Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day? Is there a place in your life to which you go back in memory with humility and overwhelming gratitude, so that you can honestly proclaim, “Yes, it was then, at my ‘white funeral,’ that I made an agreement with God.”

 “This is the will of God, your sanctification ...” (1Th 4:3). Once you truly realize this is God's will, you will enter into the process of sanctification as a natural response. Are you willing to experience that “white funeral” now? Will you agree with Him that this is your last day on earth? The moment of agreement depends on you.

For me, I can vividly remember the day of my white funeral.  It was Super Bowl Sunday, 2010.  On that day a doctor at St Anthony’s Hospital in Denver looked me right in the eye and told me my wife was going to die—there was no hope.  It was on that occasion that the kind of obedience Ted was talking about last month began to germinate in my soul.

The kind of obedience not born out of complying to a set of rules but rather resulting from complete and utter brokenness to the point of recognizing you have nothing to bring to God that is Holy and acceptable other than your total surrender.

So, you want to experience more of God?  Then consider obedience not in the ordinary behavioral sense, but more in line with what Ted and I have shared in these two TargetPoints.  I believe you will see tremendous results when you do.

I want to begin by sharing one of the most special blessings we have received in our ministry. It came via a FaceBook post just the other day. Cindy and I believe this is but one of multiplied hundreds of testimonies that are out there as the result of God's wonderful grace over our 18 years of ministry. You are such a special part of all this and without your prayers and financial support none of this would be possible - rejoice with us as you read this:

Dear Vince,

On March 5, 2008 my husband gave his life to Jesus at Warm Beach men's advance. That night he was delivered from the slavery of drug addiction/alcoholism and next week we will celebrate 4 years of sobriety in our household. Last October we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, by Gods grace. Pedro shares his testimony often and your name is always mentioned. God used your stories at men's advance to penetrate his lost heart and bring him home. Our lives will never again be the same. I pray for you and your ministry when the Lord brings you to mind. I am so thankful for the miracles that have happened in our household over the past four years. We have four beautiful kids who know the power of God's grace personally. Your service at warm beach four years ago resulted in immeasurable joy in our home, our extended families, and our community. I just wanted to say thank you. May the Lord richly bless you as you continue to impact the lives of men for the Kingdom!

In Christ Jesus, Shelley Sandoval

What made this even more special is that Cindy and I were talking at the time about how we were going to navigate the next two months financially. We are experiencing an extraordinary dry season right now which really presses our human tendency toward fear and anxiety.

Shelley's kind note was a powerful reminder of where we are to keep our focus. This is the same God who miraculously healed my wife when the doctors thought there was no chance. The same God who has come through for us time and again throughout the 18 years of this ministry. He is mighty and faithful indeed!

This month I head back to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for some men's events and church services at Chauvin Gospel Center. Cindy and I will also be traveling to Southern California to conduct a wedding for my nephew, Kevin and his lovely new bride-to-be, Allison. While there we will spend some time visiting with our daughter Kim and her family and be meeting with some strategic church and ministry leaders.

As I close please be reminded of the importance of reading this month's TargetPoint. It is volume 2 in a series unpacking the two powerful words God gave me entering 2012, presence and perspective. While speaking to a small group of Christian CEO's the other day, I was able to share the implications of these words as I apply them to my life and most there resonated and fully admitted to a need to align their lives with these ideas.

God is reminding all of us that we cannot obtain His perspective until we first experience His presence. I long for more of Him and want to encourage you to join me in a concerted effort to experience His presence.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support!

All for the King,

Vince D'Acchioli
Founder, On Target Ministries

January, 2012

“Presence”

Ted Heiden

Last month I shared two words God gave me going into this year, presence and perspective. I talked about the importance of experiencing His presence as a prerequisite to understanding His perspective.  For the next several TargetPoints I want to unpack these two important words.  This month I have chosen to ask Ted Heiden, Cindy’s brother, to begin the process by talking about obedience, the starting place for experiencing God’s presence:

Obedience is better than sacrifice, the Bible says, and does so for a very specific reason.  Sacrifice assumes this position before God:  That I have something worthy to offer but always accompanied by the distinct possibility that I am blind to the true requirement that would make the sacrifice acceptable.  Obedience on the other hand establishes a position before God: Assuming nothing of my worthiness, only His.  And if that idea doesn’t make you a little warm behind the ears, you should read it again.

The truth is that this may take years to understand because our old nature will stubbornly cling to the idea that Everexisting God needs something from us.  And if you think about that for even a New York minute, the preposterous nature of such an assertion should become obvious.

Sacrifice assumes this position before God:  That I have something worthy to offer but always accompanied by the

distinct possibility that I am blind to the true requirement

that would make the sacrifice acceptable

After having his self-ignorance accosted by the prophet Nathan, King David had a breakthrough moment with God.  It is recorded in Psalm 51. For you have no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.  The sacrifice acceptable, O God is a broken and contrite spirit.

In the heyday of animal blood-letting, it was only a broken and repentant king who could recognize that his hands were empty of anything worthwhile and was then prepared to be obedient to something greater than his own heart.  And in turn, it is only those who are obedient to the commands of Christ who can have the slightest insight into the nature of God and thereby find immunity from all the lies of religion and human opinion.

God is revealed to us as a Son who is obedient to His Father.  I only do what I see my Father doing, Jesus said.  And without His obedience we would have no idea what sonship actually looks like.  The most uncomfortable truth:  In the absence of obedience “everything is just opinion.” And if that’s as true as it obviously is, any claim to faith without obedience is a claim to a lie where every false and dishonoring idea about the Father not only becomes possible but acceptable although our soul innately rejects the falsehood.  Then caught in this terrible predicament, we will be forced to erect flimsy theological barricades around these beliefs before quickly setting out to enlist others to defend those very lies from whose power we ourselves are unable to escape.

Now maybe for this reason alone, the things that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount will never be embraced by religious people or religious systems. “The bar is set too high,” they will say in full retreat to something more debatable like the rest of the New Testament.  But this is because brokenness precedes any possibility of obedience, and not having been broken, we are unable to obey that we might enter into a lifestyle that is completely counter intuitive.

All our devotion can produce is a shrunken version of what God requires, all the while protesting, “My life needs protection.”  But Jesus’ contradiction to this type of human rationale is brutal. If you seek to save your life you will lose it.  If you lose your life for my sake, you will save it.  These are wonderful words of invitation, but they will hang over our heads like a Damocles Sword until we have discovered that true living can only be found on the other side of our human resources. Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, the Master said, it cannot bear fruit but remains alone.  Dead and resurrected, this kind of faith does not run from the battles of life.  It is not tenuous or fragile, ready to wither at the hint of conflict and testing.  True faith in Christ is robust and unafraid.  Religion however, will settle for much less than that. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, the Lord said, and then added all the other “Blesseds” He could immediately think of.  But how wrong it is to think that He is telling us how we should act, when no one can act like this without having their insides rearranged.  So yes, the bar is set too high.  And it is only when we are finally forced into this impossible corner, that we will ask along with Jesus first disciples, “If this is so, what makes obedience possible at all?” (“Then who can be saved?”) 

The answer is simple.  Obedience is possible because it is not a method for modifying our behavior according to current social or spiritual standards, but rather an inescapable response to the revelation of God’s grace.  And if this makes any sense at all it will be easy to see that these beatitudes are not prescriptions for a better or more spiritual life.  They are a description of the life that is hid with Christ in God, because one would hardly think of instructing an oak tree on how to grow or a peach pit on how to produce peaches.  How silly that sounds even putting it on paper.  But the foolishness of such an idea only becomes clear when we come to realize that the life that Jesus is laying out before us is the fruit of being connected to the vine, not instructions on how to grow a vine.

Can you imagine how ineffective it would be to tell someone that they had to be forgiving although forgiving is a basic command of Christ? “Just forgive them!” we might say.  But it would do no better than making our children say they are sorry when they aren’t. “I’m sorry,” these little ones will repeat to avoid punishment as their hearts remain unchanged.

So it is good to remember that while Jesus commands absolute obedience, it is not the same obedience most of us require from our kids.  Our desire is to teach our sons and daughters right from wrong.  His, to lead us from death to life, and there is of course, a huge difference.

January was a quiet month after all the special celebrations with family and friends came to a close.  I must admit that this year’s holiday festivities were so special there was a little loneliness that did set in.

I spent most of the month working on our calendar for 2012.  As of today I am pleased with how things are shaping up but we still have many dates open.  Because January and most of February are usually slow months it has really helped us financially to be able to use deposits on future events to offset some of our expenses.

Cindy and I are preparing a brief trip to California soon for some speaking assignments and to prep for a wedding I am presiding over for our nephew on April 1^st.  While there we will also be able to visit with our kids and grandkids—that’s always a blessing.

Around the middle of the month I had the privilege of sharing with a large group of women at Woodmen Valley Chapel.  They meet weekly and call it Moms And Beyond.  I have had this on my schedule for several months and was thrilled to be with these women, many of whom followed our journey with Cindy and were fervently praying for us.

After the meeting several women approached me with comments and questions regarding my message, The Differences Between Men and Women.  One of the women sent me an email a week later that really blessed me—here is what she shared:

Hi Vince, I met you Thursday at the WVC Mom's and Beyond meeting. We spoke briefly after the meeting (I was the last person you spoke with, I think), and I asked you if you were a Christian when your wife was praying for you during those 8 years you described...You answered that you weren't, and I told you that it gave me some hope because I didn't know if my husband was a Christian or not. You suggested he watch your testimony, and that he probably was a Christian who accepted Christ but not Christ as Lord of his life. You were right on. And, the Holy Spirit was at work. My husband has NEVER willingly watched something that I have presented him with, yet he watched your testimony and he was very moved. He really resonated with you. If you would, please pray for him and for our marriage.

My husband has NEVER willingly watched something

that I have presented him with, yet he watched

your testimony and he was very moved

Toward the end of the month I came down with a bad cold.  I am just now getting over it but it did give rise to some concerns.  The last time I caught anything was in October of 2009 and that was the culprit that led to Cindy’s four month battle for her life.  But God is good and so far no one has come down with anything in our household—maybe it’s because Cindy has isolated me to a remote part of the home and has me locked up—just kidding but close.

As you pray for us over this next month please do pray for Cindy’s continued good health and that she would not contract anything during this dangerous flu season.  Also pray for our schedule to start filling up.  If any of you have any contact with people in your local church or area who may be in a position to invite us for a men, couples or pastor conference, please put in a good word.

As always, Cindy and I are so grateful for your prayers and financial support.  We are believing that 2012 is going to be a breakthrough year in discovering God’s special assignment for the season ahead and are honored to be on this journey with you.

May God richly bless you and your family during this special new Season  

            Advancing His Kingdom together,

Vince D’Acchioli

Founder, On Target Ministries

December, 2011

“Presence and Perspective”

Vince D’Acchioli

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path  --Ps 119:105

As I was praying early on the morning of New Year’s Eve I was struck with two words that have combined to shape how I intend to pray going into this New Year; Presence and Perspective.  As we enter into this exciting new season I am praying that God will give you a heightened sense of His Presence in your life as you actively pursue Him.  I am also praying that the result of this new sense of His presence will give you and I a fresh Perspective regarding His new plan and purpose for our lives.  As you think of Cindy and me we would ask you to please pray in this way for us as well.

You will never discover God’s Perspective

until you first experience God’s Presence

I was sitting on my usual chair and ottoman praying and stroking my dog Beau.  Beau is our beautiful Golden Retriever who got me through many a tearful time when Cindy was in the hospital. This is a scene that occurs every morning for my prayer time.  As I would continue to stroke him he would lay still—when I would stop he would immediately take his paw and grab my arm in an effort to get me to continue.

Then it struck me—this is a picture of what I desire my relationship to be with my Lord.  I want to sit in His wonderful lap and experience His gentle hand stroking my brow.  I want to experience the joy of just relaxing in His presence just like Beau wants to do with me—his master.  It was at this tender moment God whispered to me my need to understand Presence and Perspective.

If you are like me you are quick to admit that you want to discover God’s plan for your life—particularly at year’s end.  Perhaps you also experience the same challenge I do—trying to discover God’s perspective without seeking Him.  I talk a good game and say all the right words—I really need to get closer to God this year.  But, oftentimes these words fall tragically on the floor as nothing more that obscure New Year’s resolutions.

I talk a good game and say all the right words—

I really need to get closer to God this year

I don’t know about you, but I cannot afford this kind of annual commitment that falls so short of what God really wants.  This year I intend to pray and seek Him every day for nothing more than to sense His presence.  I am convinced this is the only way to eventually gain His perspective regarding my life and future.  This has been His design from the beginning of time and has never failed.

Psalm 119 is the longest one in the book.  It is also the very center of the Bible and talks about pursuing God.  It’s no wonder that one of the most profound verses falls right in the middle of the writing.  Psalm 199:105 says, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

As we unpack this incredible verse we can see clearly the two words God has given.  The first part of this verse talks about God’s Word being a lamp for my feet—the idea that as I am in His Word He will illuminate my daily walk—His very presence will be with me along the way.  This is a key promise only made possible as I seek His presence through His Word every day.

The second part to me is even more profound—His Word will become a light on my path.  Here it is clear that not only will He be with me step-by-step, but as I pursue His presence He will shine His light on the path.  In other words, He will give me the bigger picture, the vision or perspective for my life.

An excerpt from today’s devotional found in Experiencing God

An exalted view of God brings a clear view of sin and a realistic view of self. A diminished view of God brings a reduced concern for sin and an inflated view of self. Isaiah may have been satisfied with his personal holiness until he saw the Lord in His unspeakable glory. Isaiah's encounter with holy God made him immediately and keenly aware of his own unholiness and the sinfulness of those around him. It is impossible to worship God and remain unchanged. The best indication that we have truly worshiped is a changed heart.

Have we so conformed ourselves to a sinful world that we are satisfied with unholy living? Have we sunk so far below God's standard that when someone does live as God intended, we consider that person “superspiritual”? If we only compare our personal holiness to those around us, we may be deceived into believing that we are living a consecrated life. Yet when we encounter holy God, our only response can be “Woe is me!”

Our Beau

Dear Friend,                                                                            December, 2011

NOTE:  Please read this month’s TargetPoint as I share two important words God gave me for this coming year—I believe they are for everyone.

I cannot remember a Christmastime that was more special than this one.  There were so many special feelings and times with friends and family—more about that in a minute.

Our month began with our annual Board Christmas Dinner on the 7^th.  Ron and Sally Roberts flew in to join us and it was a festive and productive time as we combined the event with our end-of-year Board Meeting.  The picture is a small tree in our front yard after a beautiful Christmas snow.

On the 8^th I was invited to speak to an Iron Man small group at Woodmen Valley Chapel.  The Lord showed up in a magnificent way for our meeting.  On the 23^rd I was asked by my good friend Larry Yonker to MC the Springs Rescue Mission annual Christmas Banquet.  There were close to 2,000 needy people and their families who were so blessed.

This was one of the most special Christmas

 times our family has ever experienced

For the first time in many years our whole family was here and they all came to help out at the banquet.  Our five grandkids will have some fond memories of that experience.

For those of you who were following Cindy’s journey from critical to miraculous healing, you must have a heightened appreciation for how our family felt during this special season.  This was our first time together as a family and our first Christmas at our home since Cindy came home from the hospital. 

It is hard for me to explain how special this was to me personally.  I remember so many occasions as we all watched Christmas Hallmark movies together having to choke back tears.  Some of the stories brought back so many memories and special emotions as I continued to remember our journey and how grateful I am to have my wife with me for this special new season.

We had our traditional Christmas celebrations and the grandchildren enjoyed sledding, hot chocolate and being together with their cousins.  We shared what we wanted to see God do in our lives in this New Year.  Cindy and I are both feeling much better physically from our long battle with back and neck issues which made the occasion even more special.

Cindy and I want to wish all of you an exciting New Year filled with wonderful blessings from God.  We also want to thank you so much for your continued faithful prayer and support.  Because you helped in such a special way this month we experienced a wonderful year-end financial blessing.  As you know, December is a tough month for ministries like ours—but God is so good.

Please continue to pray for a fresh sense of God’s Presence and Perspective as we enter this new season.  These two special words are what I am unpacking in this month’s TargetPoint and represent what I believe we all need to seek as we journey together.

May God richly bless you and your family during this special new Season  

            Advancing His Kingdom together,                                                                

Vince D’Acchioli

Founder, On Target Ministries