The Church

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Cyndy Lavoie

Here is what I’ve been thinking about:

1. We need churches that are forward moving in the Lord (listening and looking to Holy Spirit to lead the way, to direct in the actual thing that any one congregation is to be about, to be a church willing to limit itself to the instruction of God through them for their community, the parish in which they are located – for instance).

2. We need pastors that are growing and alive in God, in order to take a congregation forward (a congregation will only grow or develop to the level of its pastors, the pastor is a cap on spiritual maturity, choose well who you put yourself under and where your agreement goes).

3. We must understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive at its core (think forgiveness, holiness, taking up your cross, for instance) and that to prioritize making church acceptable to the world is a serious tactical error (the principle is that we never negotiate with darkness, whether that is an abusive spouse, a tyrannical government, a thief, terrorists, a kidnapper demanding a ransom, and such – to negotiate only results in the demand increasing and contempt [for those too nice] growing).

In other words, to remain in place, to doubt the ability for the congregation to mature, to limit the call to cross-bearing, to make church ‘nice’ for people, is to bring contempt on the cross of Christ, the heart of The Father, and the ministry of Holy Spirit.

LORD

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Cyndy Lavoie

Imagine that you are travelling through towns and villages outside of your normal area, you are on a bit of a trek, a journey. You come across many different kinds of folks. They realize that you do not belong, so to speak, and that you come from somewhere else. Both your dress and your accent would give this away. All this, the looking and sounding different, being unaware of the local customs, and not completely sure of your route, might leave you open to abuse and robbery. At each conversation, cross-road, inn or tavern, with each person you meet there may be foul play at hand, against you, who you are and where you are going.

Except, that you belong to the landholding, the house so to speak, the laird of the land from which you come; this is where your allegiance lies. You are a servant of the Lord of the manor. Now, the people you are encountering do not know you. You mean nothing to them. You carry no authority, no weight of influence, no recourse to your own care even. But, they know the lairds of the land. These are big men and their reputations go far.

And so, on the brink of an assault, out of your mouth comes, “I belong to the Laird of Grendgaven”. At which your would-be robbers shrink back. They know this name. And if you belong to him and his house then there is nothing they can do without grave repercussions. Your Laird has the authority to overrule, to overcome, to hold them to account for what they may do to you. They turn their backs and you are free to go on your way as before.

In medieval England it is not safe to travel outside of the protection of the Laird of the land.

So too, today, it is not safe to travel through life without the name of the LORD on your side.

You are nothing. Within yourself there is only braggart, presumption, arrogance, to believe it okay to navigate through life on ones own name, ones own strength, ones own wisdoms. But, wise are those who call on the name of the LORD, who give allegiance to Jesus Christ, Laird of the land. It is by His name that we are covered and kept, safe from the attacks of Satan and the assignments of darkness.

I stand, journey, pray, come, in the name of my Laird Jesus the Christ. And all darkness shrinks back.

He is the LORD of the manor, the keeper of our lives, the ONE to whom our allegiance is due.

We come in the name of Jesus.

Another Sunday

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Cyndy Lavoie

Here it is another Sunday. My experience of church after some years of new wine reality, is that of a lullaby. I am lulled into a stupor, satisfied with crumbs, made to feel glad with little substance. It’s like candy, a quick fix to any conviction, just enough truth to mimic a meal, pats on the back all-around with little that lasts. Milk is being served and I am desperate for some meat. And I attend a good church.

It’s not all bad but it does make me wonder what the heck we are all doing.

You know, halfway there is worse than not there at all. At least if it was atrocious we could spot it. But no, we’ve got just enough truth to make us miss the half-truths, just enough bonhomie to make us miss the outpoured sacrifice of Christ and the call upon our own lives to the same, just enough comfort such that we forget our troubles but can never realize our purpose, our exact participation, the cross that we are to carry.

Do you know what your cross is? I ask.

How have you died to yourself this week, and who for?

What has God asked of you lately and are you doing that thing?

How has God directed you this week and how might we support you in that?

I rarely hear these things from the few churches I’ve attended over my lifetime and I wonder why and I think something is wrong.

Heals All My Diseases

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Cyndy Lavoie

“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!” Psalm 103:3-5

He heals all my diseases.

He heals my pride and my arrogance.

Healed is my fear and doubt.

“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord, “and I will heal him.” Isaiah 57:18-19

In healing are my bones and body made strong.

He heals my pettiness and my bitterness.

Healed is my poverty and hunger.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5

In healing do I eat of the land and find strength in my being.

He heals my worries and my confusion.

Healed, my life goes forward with me.

“As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”” Psalm 41:4

In healing do I have hope for tomorrow.

He heals the pain in my shoulder and my bunged up knee.

Healed is my capacity for joy, for wonder, for gladness.

“O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.” Psalm 30:2

In healing I partake of community.

He heals my organs, bones, muscles, and the systems of my body.

Healed is my delight in each day gifted by God.

“Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home.” Matthew 9:5-8

In healing do we find friendship.

He heals the wounds of my past.

Healed are my emotions and the circuitry of my brain.

“Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:8

In healing I bring my whole self to God.

He heals more than I know.

Healed, becomes my life.

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” Malachi 4:2

Whoever Seeks Something Other Than This

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Cyndy Lavoie

“The church has only ONE altar, the altar of the Almighty … before which all creatures must kneel … whoever seeks something other than this must keep away; he cannot join us in the house of God … The church has only one pulpit, and from that pulpit, faith in God will be preached, and no other faith, and no other will than the will of God, however well-intentioned.” 1933 Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Turning

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Cyndy Lavoie

All that is required, at its most basic, is a turning to the Lord. Whether I am a mass murderer or am disconnected from God because I’ve been so busy, all that is required is a turning to the Lord. This turning is a heart shift towards God. It includes a vulnerability, a need of help, a contrite heart, a humility and a trust that God can do for us, that Jesus has already done for us, what we cannot do for ourselves.

It assumes a letting go of our own effort, with an intention of dependancy on the Lord, a reckoning of our humanity and our own best efforts as loss. Namely, we turn to God to save us and to lift the burden of our sin, dismay, fear, and to restore us, heal us, and enter us into himself. We long for righteousness and holiness, knowing that only in God are these things found. We are sick of sin and loss, sick of worry and dread, sick of doubling-down on effort, sick of religion, sick of evil, sick of our own goodness (that is no goodness at all).

It is God that is our answer. The oil of the Lord is flowing from the throne-room of God. Enter in. Dare to come, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Chapter 4 of Hebrews speaks of entering into the rest of the Lord. Of ceasing from our labours (some of which is our self-effort to save ourselves, to manage our lives, to make things right) and trusting in the work of God that was accomplished at the creation of the world. vs.3.

I recall being a young mom with many littles, and this injunction to partake of a sabbath day, a physical day of rest from the concerns and needs, the unending demands of life, took some intention and courage. Taking a sabbath day was an act of trust for me. It was possible only as I entrusted my next week to God. The challenge required me to understand that the work would never end, but that I could set the demands aside for a day and rest.

This rest of God comes as a physical, in-time, practical, ceasing from the hustle. In my heart it is the same but more. My soul can find it’s peace and joy and rest in the presence and companionship of God. While the world has its trouble I can be quiet, without rushing, in the Lord. As we practice this week by week we find that the world or our own circumstances have no hold on us. God has the last say regarding our lives and in God we trust.

And so, we turn to God. We set down fretting and we settle our gaze on the Lord. We bring our illness and look to the one who heals. We bring our family along with us into the throne-room of God. We put our sin at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. We take pause to give thanks, to allow gratitude to flood our being, to say a simple Amen to all that is beautiful around us. We welcome Holy Spirit.

Are you afraid, turn to God. Are you convicted of sin, turn to God. Are you ashamed and embarrassed, turn to God. Are you unsure of your future, turn to God. Are you worried, turn to God. Are you unclear of what to do next, turn to God.

Pause, and turn to the one who created you, sustains you, loves you.

A turning is all it takes. Turn to God and find life.

Tanzania 2023 – Waters of the Lord

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Cyndy Lavoie

It has come to be that Capturing Courage will be in Tanzania within a month’s time. We have been looking ahead to this for some years time and now glad to be on the cusp of another time in Africa.

“Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,

Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death,

Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.”

Luke 1:79 The Message

Peace is powerful. Chaos cannot remain where there is peace. We do not know exactly what God wants to do in Tanzania. So, we have been putting down our own thinking, setting aside any agenda we may have, and endeavouring to bring our anticipation and glad-hearted agreement unto the Lord for this time.

Therefore we pray peace. And we come in peace. We allow the Lord to make us people of peace. Peace makes way for refreshment. And specifically, God has been speaking to us about the waters of the Lord upon the hills of Tanzania. Yes Lord, may it be so.

Jesus Meetings

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Cyndy Lavoie

Some years back I began to deeply think, pray, and consider what I might want from a gathering of believers. Having been born into church and grown there for decades I was feeling a certain disconnect from the programs and services and the endless talk, the teaching and preaching.

Now, I am a teacher and a preacher. I’ve ministered in hundreds of churches. Even so, (perhaps because I’ve been to so many churches), I began to sense a certain hollowness in our gatherings. Something seemed to be missing. I was longing for something more. Even though I did not know what that was as I cried out to God with a hunger in my heart.

Now, I must also express that my experience of God across these many churches has been one of wonder and delight. Holy Spirit marks us all the same. With a gladness of heart, with eagerness for the Lord, with easy song and worship and that particular essence of God’s breath in our hearts, the church around the world holds something of God that transcends culture, race, socio-economic classes, language, geography, and countries; we can travel anywhere in the world and find a people of God just like us.

Yet, even so, because of this familiarity of God within us around the world, I’ve come to what we are calling Jesus Meetings. I am eager and the time seems right to explore and engage and experience the Lord, to set our attention to Jesus Christ, to sit within the love of the Father, and to inquire of Holy Spirit.

Let me share what I wrote some years ago about this:

“We are a people gathered to celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ. To be in deep gratitude to God our Father. And to welcome our Beloved Holy Spirit.

“Yet for us there is only one God — the Father. Out of him is all things, and our lives are lived for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus, the Anointed One, through whom we and all things exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 TPT

We hold space for each other and for the Lord. Our understanding is that each of us are welcomed as part of God’s living body on earth; together we are the temple of God.

Church is the people. People are the church.

Each of us wants something more of God. There is more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control than we have experienced thus far. There is more intimacy and forgiveness, more gladness of heart and bounty of life than what we have known. We want more of the Lord.

We want to grow. To be challenged. To be strengthened, emboldened, and courageous in our listening and in our walking and in our daily lives with God at our side and within us, and us within God.

As the church, as Ecclesia, a body of people called out for a specific purpose, we seek to live our lives for the glory of God for the renown of his name on earth and in our worlds, in your and my context.

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” Psalm 96:3

We hold this framework and welcome our Holy Spirit to lead us:

SILENCE – allowing Holy Spirit to touch our hearts.
WORSHIP – exalting Jesus Christ together.
TESTIMONY – what have we seen of God this week?
SCRIPTURE – what might God speak, as we gather?
PRAYER – for and with each other and before the Lord.
WITNESS – how might we position ourselves to witness the glory of God?

We gather for a few hours. Come and go as you want. We literally use the above Silence, Worship, etc as our ‘order of service’. We follow the leading of the Spirit regarding time and depth. We point to Christ together.”

As we have entered 2023 there is a quickening of the Lord within and for us. Have you felt this? I am all about an equipping of the body of Christ. We must be nimble before the Lord in our hearts and minds. Our hearts and lives are meant to abide in God. It is good to sit before the Lord together. Each week demands a pause in which we turn to God, “God, we love you, we trust you, and we know you to be good.” Amen.

Sharing: Praying Across Canada 2022

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Cyndy Lavoie

I am recently home after two-months across the country and back again. It was a praying across the land in faithfulness to the Lord, in agreement with the heart of God. I’m hosting an evening of sharing about this trip. I did not write or video or post nearly what I thought I would while on the road. I forgot how much energy and how deep are these kinds of prophetic works.

Now that I am home, Join Us, for an evening of hearing more:

Friday, August 26th, 2022, 7:00 pm.

Zoom Call: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89945852693?pwd=WE5JRUo5ZHdkQmwxaGo1TkY3WEZwZz09

PassCode: 118609

NOTE: I will be hosting this in my home for those who want to gather in person. The big blue house in Surrey (Greater Vancouver Area, Canada), if you are familiar. If you have no idea on this, send me a message and I’ll give you the address. To come in person please arrive between 6:30 – 6:45 pm, as the zoom begins at 7:00.

See you then!

To come in person, use this form to RSVP and receive the address of where we are gathering:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Praying Across Canada

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Cyndy Lavoie

Tomorrow is the day. I’ll be starting across the country. It’s a prayer journey. A praying across the land. I was on a Capturing Courage visioning weekend in January when Holy Spirit said to me, “I’d like you to pray across Canada.” I’d not ever thought of that before. But my heart and mind were immediately caught with the idea and I set to hold this before the Lord, to see if it was truly a God idea or not.

You may have already heard me share that there were a number of things that absolutely had to come into place in order for this road and camping and praying ministry journey to take place. And within the three next months all of these things shifted. The way was clear to proceed.

Praying across Canada begins with a common lament. To facilitate healing and wholeness for anyone, personal or corporate or community or nation, begins with an entering in with a willingness to sit within what has gone wrong. This lament has already begun within me. The Lord has been making space within my being for a certain sadness that is not mine, that speaks to past and present injustices.

The next manner and way of praying across a country is the deep listening to the groans memorized by the land. In places, on streets, in neighbourhoods, on plains, the land remembers what has gone wrong. In scripture we read, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:19-21 ESV

The Passion Translation says it this way, “The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children.” Romans 8:19-21 TPT

Henry Gruver is a man called to pray as the Spirit leads him from place to place, from country to country. Once there he will sense the trouble that happened in a spot. This revelation is facilitated by the power of Holy Spirit. He then remits the sins off of the land. And declares, pouring in, the goodness of God. While I’ve been an inner healing prayer minister for more than twenty years, this remittance and then a pouring in of God’s goodness, was a great additional layer to what I was already doing with folks and places.

From Henry Gruver: “When you remit, you: relax, absolve, release, pardon, discontin- ue, acquit, surrender, leave off, moderate, mitigate, alleviate, desist,–as in “cease and desist.” That should give you an inkling of the kind of power there is in remitting someone’s sins. Here is another synonym that is really powerful: soften. Have you ever met a hard callused person? You can begin to soften those calluses by remitting that one’s sins. Here are some more synonyms: relent, excuse, overlook, exempt, forward, dispatch, transmit, convey, transfer, consign, and deliver. Think about those words in relation to sin. Clearly, there is power there!

On the other hand, if you don’t remit someone’s sins, what are you doing? Consider these antonyms for the word remit: hold, withhold, keep, retain, reserve, tie up, persist, continue, exact, control, command, sway, dominate, avenge, take revenge, get the upper hand, impose a duty on, bind, enjoin, render obligatory, make responsible, repress, suppress, restrain, restrict, prohibit. Antonyms and synonyms will help you to understand whether or not you are choosing the right mountain.

Are you getting the picture of those two mountains in front of you—the Synonym Mountain of Blessing, and the Antonym Mountain of Cursing. Which mountain have you been climbing? Which act have you been performing? Have you been releasing others? Have you been sending them forward? Have you been dispatching and transmitting and conveying and transferring and consigning and delivering them? Then you have been remitting sins! If you have been making others responsible, placing them under obligation, repressing, restricting, restraining and prohibiting them, you have not been remitting their sins. You have been retaining them!

At the risk of repeating myself, I will say it again. You can be either a blessing or a curse. Choose the blessing and live.

Looking at the Greek Strong’s Dictionary for the word translated as “remit” in the New Testament, we find that it means “to cry, or, forgive, to lay aside, or, forsake.” It comes from a root word meaning “off”—as in, “Get it off from me!” “Shake it loose!” According to Strong’s Concordance, this root word “usually denotes separation and departure… When we speak of redeeming the land, what are we talking about? We are talking about reclaiming it for God… Remitting is lifting the burden of condemnation off of people so that they can breath again.” Henry Gruver

http://joyfulsoundministry.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/handbook.pdf

So, this is the primary work of praying across Canada. I’ll be remitting sins in the name of Jesus, and thereby ‘lifting the burden of condemnation off of people so that they can breathe again’; both people and land.

Take out principalities and powers
Remit the past sins
Cleanse the land
Release the goodness (fills the void) of the Lord, to the land.
Ask for a harvest

I am glad to begin tomorrow. There is a deep contentment and peace that has settled into my being this past week. Every ministry journey at Capturing Courage has had a deep peace with the Lord’s favour paving the way each day. May the Lord lead-on as we head across the land.

“God, we lift Canada to you in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This vast land needs you God. We need you. We ask your mercy and we commit to justice. May righteousness envelope this country. Bring us back to worship, that our awe may be turned to you God and you only. Amen.”

…………………………………

As you know gas prices are exorbitant. Perhaps you would like to partner with us towards kilometres across the land. From where Cyndy lives to St.John’s, Newfoundland, it is about 5500 km’s.

To make a one-time or a monthly financial gift head to our ‘Give’ page. Donations are processed through GCF (Great Commission Foundation). This is our charitable receipting partnering organization. They will send a charitable receipt for those donating from Canada. These monies come to our CCIM bank account the middle of each month.

To make a one-time gift that you want to come to Cyndy directly on the day you send it, use your bank to facilitate an e-transfer to the email, cyndy(at)capturing courage(dot)org . If the Spirit is compelling you to send funds on a particular day, this is the way to do this. Note: that sending via an e-transfer will not give you a charitable receipt. Something to keep in mind.

Either way, your financial partnerships with this journey are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Blessings and peace upon your days.

The Mountain of the Lord

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Cyndy Lavoie