NCS New Canaan

Founding Chapter

Finding Rest for Your Soul (Andrew Palau – 3/18/22 – NCS New Canaan)

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Like a conversation between old friends, Andrew Palau shares his faith journey with remarkable honesty and humility. In fact, it is a conversation between old friends–the Palau family and the New Canaan Society have had a special relationship for over 20 years.

Andrew shares exciting news about the Palau CityFest coming to Southwest Connecticut in 2022 (www.cityfest.org).

He tells about his “wayward” days (as described in his book “The Secret Life of a Fool”) and how his parents never gave up on him. Andrew describes his father’s heartfelt letters and talks and the prayers that came from around the world.

He describes the tortured, sleepless nights wrestling with shame and the direction of his life. He also shares about the trip to Kingston, Jamaica that changed everything–the trip when he met Jesus and Wendy, who became his wife.

Andrew also talks about his father and his legacy and what it has been like to be called to continue that legacy. Those who knew Luis will recognize his uniquely disarming honesty and humility in Andrew.

Finally, Andrew offers a way for us to “find rest for our souls” as he finally did in Jamaica.

Lighthouses in the Middle East (Mohammad Yamout – 12/17/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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UPDATE: It is with a heavy heart that we share Pastor Mohammad was found dead in his car early in 2022. While the circumstances of his death remain uncertain, we know with absolute certainty that he went home in glory to spend eternity with his beloved Jesus Christ.

In our “Keepin’ It Real”, Pastor Mohammad Yamout brought an update on the turmoil in Lebanon and the amazing progress of his ministry to share the Gospel by loving Muslims and refugees in the name of Jesus.

In addition to a Christian church in Tyre, Lebanon (the headquarters of Hezbollah), Pastor Mohammad explains other ministries that include:

  • The Tyre Center for the Proclamation of the Gospel & Humanitarian Aid
  • Family care and care for widows and orphans
  • Currently rebuilding an old hospital as the River of Healing Medical Center
  • Jacob’s Farm, raising dairy cows, sheep, goats and chickens both to supply their ministries and sell.
  • The Father’s Storehouse
  • The Joy of Music School
  • The Good Shepherd School
  • Camp K-Love & Camp Refuge
  • A vision for King’s Kids Family Homes
  • A Food Court and Grocery Store

You may support the work of Pastor Mohammad at this link: https://1000lighthouses.givingfuel.com/1000-lighthouses

What I’ve Learned from What I’ve Lost (Ron Hutchcraft – 2/5/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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Ron Hutchcraft shares vulnerably and from his heart about the sudden loss of his dear wife Karen a few years ago when she went home to be with Jesus. He opens up about their life and partnership together and how devastating it was to be without her. Ron talks about how his loss led to him writing his newest book Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking: Finding God’s Presence in Your Pain.

Ron then explains in detail five important lessons God revealed to him during the grieving process, even showing some of the notes he made in his journal (with his book and his talk exemplifying how he is personally living out the first lesson):

  • If you are going to have pain, get the point.
  • Repair now what you will regret later.
  • Let your heart feel.
  • Rise above the rubble.
  • The breaking of a man is the making of a man.

Ron’s talk echoes something we have said at NCS New Canaan many times (thanks to Dan Tocchini)–“Our today is robbed by our expectation of a tomorrow.” Think about what you would do if you were told you had one month to live, particularly in the relationships in your life–then JUST DO IT!

For those interested in learning more about, and possibly supporting, Ron’s work, his website is https://hutchcraft.com

Pursuing God in the Dark (Andrew Brunson – 1/8/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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With remarkable vulnerability, Andrew Brunson shares the extraordinary story of his wrongful imprisonment in a Turkish prison for two years and the faith journey that occurred in that dark place.

Brunson describes the loneliness, anxiety, doubts, desperation and despair that characterized his first year, pushing him to deteriorating health, inability to sleep, brushes with insanity and thoughts of suicide. It is the story of a missionary serving in Turkey for 23 years sharing the Gospel of Jesus and pursuing God’s presence who suddenly found himself being pushed toward Islam and unable to sense the presence of God.

Brunson explains that his first year was a process of being broken, and his second year was a process of rebuilding. He shares how he made the transition by deciding to keep pursuing God even in God’s apparent absence. Through daily surrender to God’s mysterious plan and through perseverance, Brunson began to understand the nature of his ordeal, the nature of God’s love, the preparation he was undergoing. Brunson describes how, through it, he discovered a profound new love for Jesus.

Brunson observed that the valley of faith testing is “full of skeletons”–every test of faith we encounter is enough to grow our faith or to knock us out of friendship with God, depending on how we respond. He was determined not to be another “skeleton”.

Brunson also explains why he believes that he was “on assignment” in that prison–being trained to encourage others. He relates his persecution to the changing climate in the United States toward Christianity. Brunson offers advice on how, as followers of Jesus, we can prepare themselves for increasing hostility, shaming, canceling and marginalization so that we are ready to stand firmly in faith against the threat–always turning to God in trust rather than turning away in fear

The talk is just over 30 minutes followed by an extensive Q&A.

Andrew Brunson and his wife Norine have started a new ministry called WaveStarters. More information can be found at https://www.wavestarters.org. Below is a video about their journey and WaveStarters.

Practicing Science While Believing and Acting Upon the Scriptures (Dr. James Tour – 12/18/20 – Joint Meeting NCS New Canaan – Austin – Houston – Sugar Land)

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In a joint meeting of NCS New Canaan, NCS Austin, NCS Houston and NCS Sugar Land, Dr. James Tour shares a powerful and convicting message about the importance of meditating daily on God’s word and then actually believing and acting upon Scripture. Pointing to various Biblical passages, including Psalm 1:1-3, he emphasizes the words DAILY (not just three days) and MEDITATING (not just reading).

But this is far from just a theological or theoretical lesson. Through numerous stories, Dr Tour shares vulnerably about the practical and miraculous ways in which his life, his behavior and his career as a world-renowned scientist and teacher have been guided, changed and blessed by meditating on Scripture, believing what God says and then acting in faith upon that belief.

Dr. Tour is also far from just a theoretical or academic scientist. His work has led to numerous breakthroughs, patents and products, and Dr. Tour starts his talk by describing (and showing) some of the extraordinary developments he has led in the field of nanotechnology.

In a rich and extended Q&A, Dr. Tour addresses a wide array of questions dealing with topics such as: how, as a Messianic Jew, he came to a faith in Jesus; the COVID vaccine; artificial intelligence; nanotechnology; the challenges of being a scientist who speaks openly about his faith in Jesus; his weekly Bible study attended by people around the world; and the ethics of “Human 2.0”.

To learn more about Dr. Tour, you can visit his website at www.DrJamesTour.com or his YouTube channel at YouTube/DrJamesTour.

You can download a PDF copy of Dr. Tour’s slides at this link.

James Tour-Scientist Believing Scripture-No VideosDownload

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