NCS New Canaan

Founding Chapter

Holy Spirit Nudges (Edward Mahoney – 5/13/22 – NCS New Canaan)

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Edward Mahoney humbly shares the amazing story of how God transformed him from being “Wall Street Centered” to “Jesus Centered” and how he came to understand and boldly respond to “nudges” from the Holy Spirit.

Mahoney transparently tells the story of spending two years in a hospital as a child during which he received last rites twice. He also explains how that experience began to unlock his gift of relating to people.

Ed talks about his successful Wall Street career and then vulnerably reveals the personal toll of falling from the top. He explains the two events that began the transformation from “Wall Street Centered” to “Jesus Centered”, one of which was showing up for the first time at the New Canaan Society. Ed also shares the importance of his NCS Energy Group that has been “showing up” for each other for over 10 years.

In his words, our gifts and talents are gifts from God to be used to bless others for God’s glory. “Nudges” are when we sense we are meant to do something for someone else–those sometimes uncomfortable opportunities to love our neighbor.

Sharing a few anecdotes from his book Tales from the Bright Side: The Holy Spirit Adventures of Edward Peter Mahoney, Ed tells the incredible story of how he came to write a book about his “Holy Spirit” experiences following “nudges” and emphasizes that his book was written as an encouragement and a challenge to all of us to boldly step out when the Holy Spirit nudges.

Finally, Ed shows a “nudge” in action. He explains that as he was walking through the door and greeted one of the staff in the restaurant, he sensed that he was meant to give all the proceeds from book sales that morning to the restaurant staff serving the group. And he does.

Think About Noble Things (Kevin Mackay – 10/8/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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Kevin Mackay served as a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and for 17 years as a Stamford Police officer. With tremendous humility and vulnerability, he shares about the “moral injury” he experienced and the miraculous healing that came through his new-found faith in Jesus.

Kevin explains that the most debilitating “moral injury” came when he was a computer forensic expert with the Stamford Police investigating cases of child pornography. With amazing transparency, he reveals how having to examine unspeakable images and incomprehensible search terms drove him to a mental break. Although he began self-medicating, Kevin shares how he turned to the Stamford Police Chaplain for support. Kevin explains that he was an atheist not interested in hearing about God or Jesus, but he believed he could trust the Chaplain (NCS brudder John Revell of Life Line Chaplaincy) to listen confidentially.

Mackay explains how Revell shared with him Philippians 4, particularly verse 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” He describes how shifting his mind to the “noble” took his focus off the images of evil he had experienced. It also led Kevin to begin exploring the idea of God in various faiths. Ultimately, applying his analytical mind to Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, Mackay knew that what was missing from his life was Jesus Christ.

Although a reluctant convert just like C.S. Lewis, Kevin goes on to share how his new-found faith has both healed him and given him a new perspective on life. It has transformed him from someone always trying to control his circumstances to someone able to look through circumstances and see the hand of a loving God with a wonderful plan. He tells how anxiety and anxiety drugs have been replaced by the healing peace promised in Philippians.

Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Journey from Loss to Hope to Happiness (Mark Negley – 6/4/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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Mark Negley has experienced loss experiences and struggles that would make most people say “dear God, please don’t let me go through that.” Mark shares with tremendous vulnerability about the challenges that have crossed, and even shaped, his journey: a son with special needs; a cancer diagnosis (followed by a miraculous healing); an accident that nearly killed his wife; and fallout from the accident which led his wife into a severe depression that took her life.

Mark explains how the loss of his wife to depression and suicide ignited a passion for raising awareness about depression and helping others through difficult life experiences. He describes how he has spent the last four years studying, reading and learning about loss and grief, interviewing numerous people about their own loss and grief experiences, and facilitating grief support groups. His life experiences and work led to revelations about the nature of grief, about how we deal with grief, and about the healing and hopeful words of Scripture regarding God’s promises in difficult times. His efforts have culminated in a new book, Survive-Alive-Thrive: Navigating the Journey from Loss to Hope to Happiness, that redefines the loss experience and provides a new model for understanding grief recovery for the millions of Americans who suffer loss each year. Mark notes that in a WebMD survey 71% of Americans self-reported as having directly suffered a “loss event” within the last few years. It has also led to a new non-profit he started called Survive-Alive-Thrive with a vision to equip churches and other organizations to help people through the grief process.

Mark reveals why the often-quoted “5 Stages of Grief” were really designed for those diagnosed with a terminal illness and are not particularly helpful for other loss experiences (e.g., loss of a loved one, loss of a marriage, loss of a business, loss of a job). He presents the experiential “3 Stages of Grief” that have come from his discussions with others who have suffered loss as well as his own experiences–Survive, Alive, Thrive, always tying the process and hope to the hope we find in God’s word, in God’s grace and in Jesus. Mark also explores the nature of “joy” and how joy rooted in God sustains, while joy rooted in worldly measures will always disappoint–echoes of the NCS theme song “Knowing You” (see the link below to listen).

He even presents a a very “NCS-like” path to healing–sharing with others, sharing with God, not doing it alone, and recognizing that the “sufferer” can become the “comforter”–all of which are at the foundation of the New Canaan Society and NCS Energy Groups–brothers “showing up” authentically, having each other’s back, and together pursuing deeper friendship with Jesus and with each other.

The Painful Path to Possibility (Phil Zaldatte – 1/22/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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With incredible NCS vulnerability and authenticity, Phil Zaldatte shares his painful wilderness journey with advanced Lyme Disease and the amazing way God used it to bring freedom from past hurts and coping patterns in order to unlock new possibilities in his life.

Phil describes the devastating physical, mental and emotional impact of Lyme Disease. He vulnerably talks about wondering why God was not bringing healing, and about struggling with the guilt and shame of not being able to be present, or provide, for for his wife and son. He talks openly about suffering depression. Phil also explains how wilderness experiences include temptations to listen to voices that lead us away from God–temptations to return to the coping mechanisms and self-medicating practices that can hold us back from God’s possibilities.

Phil also shares the key Biblical passages and promises that he clung to in the pain and that have come to define and direct the next chapter of his life:

  • Isaiah 43:2 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
  • Psalm 105:19 – God’s promise to Joseph purged his character until it was time for his dreams to come true.
  • Hebrews 12:1-3 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
  • Isaiah 58:6 – “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed[b] go free, and to break every yoke?”
  • Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

Phil reveals that it was during this painful journey that God showed him the “Signs of God’s Rising Reformers” message (see video below) he shared with NCS New Canaan in December 2020. He was also led to a new slogan for his ministry and coaching practice “Unlocking Xtreme Possibilities”. Phil also describes his realization that the plans put “on hold” by Lyme Disease (a television show and a new radio program) were dreaming “too small”. He explains the new focus on his ministry/coaching–raising up Josephs, Daniels and Esthers and helping people understand the “greatness” and possibilities God is calling them and helping them navigate the refining wilderness journey that unlocks those possibilities. Phil shares that he now knows Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 58 are meant to guide his work.

Before Phil’s talk, he played the following video “The Path To Greatness”.

Here is Phil’s teaching on “Signs of God’s Rising Reformers”:

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.

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