NCS New Canaan

Founding Chapter

Forgiveness (Richard Warren – 11/13/20 – NCS New Canaan)

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Richard Warren (the “other Rick Warren”) shares with incredible transparency and vulnerability the journey that led him from being a successful businessman who largely ignored God and was unfaithful to his wife to becoming a devout follower of Jesus and re-marrying his wife after they had been divorced for four years.

Not only is Rick’s story one of amazing forgiveness by his wife, but it is also a story of extraordinary obedience on his part. In response to God’s nudges, he very reluctantly returned to his ex-wife to ask her forgiveness (and to ask her to re-marry him) and very reluctantly sought out an old business acquaintance to offer forgiveness. His acts of obedience and those offers of forgiveness opened the doors to miracles.

Through obedience and forgiveness (with a good dose of humility), Rick’s story of brokenness became a story of miraculous hope and healing.

The “other” Rick Warren has written a number of devotionals on the topic of forgiveness. Here are a few links for those interested in exploring this topic further.

Five Things Forgiveness Is Not

Requirements of Restored Relationship

You Don’t Have To Forget

At the 2017 NCS National Retreat, Bruce Wilkinson gave a powerful talk on the topic of forgiveness. Here it is.

The Road from Babylon (David Nammo – 10/2/20 – NCS New Canaan)

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With tremendous vulnerability and humility, David Nammo shares his life journey–the high points, the low points and the miraculous ways God and friends have shown up at just the right time.

From his unique position leading an organization committed to protecting religious liberty, Nammo reflects on the the current spiritual environment in the United States, draws parallels to the Israelite exiles in Babylon, and offers some Biblical insights on how Christians can respond to the times.

Nammo then sets the stage for his journey by sharing his family background. Nammo is of Chaldean descent (it is present day northern Iraq). For those who do not know, the dynasty of the Babylonian kings is called the Chaldean Dynasty, the Biblical language we now call Aramaic was once called Chaldean, and Abraham was Chaldean (his birthplace was Ur of the Chaldees).

David then very transparently tells some of the stories and experiences that have shaped his life and beliefs, from seeing a best friend killed as a small boy to watching God miraculously and instantaneously heal his own child, to visiting a food pantry to feed his family, to receiving calls “out of the blue” to work at the Christian Legal Society at moments when he was praying for God’s next step.

Nammo also explains the critical role that being in a small group with other Christian men has played in his life and in the lives of the other men he has walked alongside. David’s story is a raw story filled with the bumps and valleys and detours of life, but it is also a story of the hope and healing that comes through faith in Jesus and fellowship with others Christians.

Shame on Me (and How To Get Free) (Hal Rosser – 7/10/20 – NCS CT Chapters)

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With great courage, humility and transparency, Harold (“Hal”) Rosser shares the amazing journey of his life, including the fears, struggles, failures and challenges, as well as the joys, victories, miracles and lessons learned.

Hal takes us along the road that brought a kid with a 1.86 GPA in college who drank heavily to being a senior credit officer at one of the most respected financial institutions in the world and then to being the co-founder of a successful private equity firm and finally to founding his own private equity firm. He vulnerably tells about his fears and how he was always trying to prove he was good enough. Hal also talks about how he came to know Jesus and the profound impact it has had on his life, both personally and professionally, including an immediate healing through prayer that has led to 25 years without alcohol.

Looking back on his life, Hal ends by sharing and explaining eight lessons learned along the way:

  • Keep asking “Am I actually fully committed to Jesus?”
  • Living for yourself leads to an empty life.
  • Being in a community with other followers of Jesus is essential and life-fulfilling.
  • Many people are hurting and living superficial lives because they lack purpose and hope.
  • We are all created uniquely and need each other.
  • We need to release the expectations we have for others (particularly our closest loved ones) and learn to delight in them as God created them to be.
  • Looking back at even our most difficult times, Jesus is with us every step of the way.
  • Shame is a barrier to loving others and feeling loved, but we can get free of Shame by experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus.

This is a story of healing for anyone who has ever felt the shame of failures or being “not enough” or who is struggling with an addiction. It is a story of hope for anyone who wonders if Jesus is real or if God really has a purpose for their life. But mostly, it is a story of God’s unceasing love for and delight in one of his children–a love and delight he feels for each of us–and the miraculous power of accepting the open invitation to meet Jesus.

Setting a New Default (Nigel Mumford – 5/15/20 – NCS New Canaan/Manchester/Virginia Beach)

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In the midst of the “Covid crisis”, Rev. Nigel Mumford explores where we go when we are stressed–how we respond when our “buttons” are pushed or our “triggers” are triggered–and how we can be healed from those buttons and triggers. By looking to Matthew 6:33 (“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”), Nigel helps us understand how to set a “new default” through God’s healing of our past. He vulnerably shares from his own life traumas, including those suffered as a British Royal Marine Commando, as well as his near-death experience with Swine Flu when he was in a coma for three weeks and in the ICU for three months.

Through examples from his own life as well as experiences from his global healing ministry, Nigel unpacks two sayings “Hurt people hurt people, but healed hurt people heal people” and “Don’t let your past ruin your present or your future.”

In an extensive Q&A session at the end, Nigel addresses questions about topics such as: healing from the trauma of Covid-19; sharing your deepest fears and hurts; strengthening marriages; going through a near-death experience; fearing death; the difference between forgiving, reconciling and healing; and quarantining alone.

Donations to Nigel’s ministry may be made at www.byhiswoundsministry.org

Nigel has just published a new book on healing titled “This Is Where Your Healing Begins”. Click this link to purchase a copy: https://amzn.to/2LvP5ML

Don’t Be Afraid of the Crazy Things God Asks (Brian Jones – 2/7/20 – NCS New Canaan)

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Brian Jones shares, with great vulnerability, the incredible life journey he and his family have been on by listening to God’s stirring and then having the courage to take a leap of faith and say “YES”. He tells how this journey has taken him: from thinking he would go to seminary and pursue being a pastor to a highly successful career in finance; from a finance career on Wall Street to a stint as the executive director of a church in Dallas; and from having a few children to having five and then adopting a sixth–and then moving back to a Manhattan apartment (with five children still home).

Jones also shares some of the lessons he has learned along the journey, including about marriage, raising children and being a good steward of God’s gifts. He urges us, at those times when you “can’t say no” but you “could say no” to God’s stirring, to be bold and willing to take major risks. Jones explains that, in his experience, it is not about God asking for a 20-year or 10-year or 5-year plan–it is about following Him and being faithful in the next “yes”.

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