What a phenomenial experince was had at our 3 rd
annual Spiritual Retreat, hosted by ‘Christian Uprise
thru Edification Discpleship Ministry, Inc. The glory of
the Lord fell on us, and I believe lives were changed.
Although, we were not able to host it for the entire
weekend this year, there is no doubt that our
assignment was completed. It was a coming together
of several ministries. The fellowship of love,
agreement, desires, and needs being met, was

supernatural!

Our theme for is:”P.O.U.R. (Pouring the Oil Until Restored) – A Continual
Flow. Zechariah 4:1-14, speaks about a continual flow of oil from the
golden lampstand with a bowl in the center. There are seven lights and
seven pipes which connected to the two olive trees. This is symbolic to how
God provides His oil to sustain us through life’s challenges. The prophet is
sharing the vision of how God provides for the people. They had no army
to fight on their behalf and they were weak. He prophesied, “Not by might
nor by power, but by my Spirit (v.4).” The Spirit (the oil) of God will
enable us to do what an army could never Do!

The morning session included a workshop that studied
“The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork,” by John C.
Maxwell. The tool was instrumental in allowing us to
examine ourselves to decifer if we are effective team
players for the kingdom of God. We learned the need to
find our niche, be prepared to climb Mt. Everest (the
spiritual challenge), know who the catalysts are, have a compass, be
aware the weakest link, not to underestimate the players on the beach, be

accountable, not the bad apple, and keep a scoreboard to be aware of
where you are in the game.

After lunch, Bishop Barbara Sims, Holy Church of Christ, Central Islip,
NY, led us through the ceremonial practice of
mixing the ‘anointing oil.’ Exodus 30 prescribes
the ingridients for this oil; which includes
myrrh, cassia, cinnamon, calamus and olive oil.
Liquid frankcense filled the room, along the
fragance of the various oils. Once the oil was stirred, if was poured in the
shofar (the horn), and I began to anoint everyone with oil, speak a
prophetic word, follow by prayer from the various pastors in the present!
There was a great outpouring, releasing, and shifting! The power of God
met us where we were and filled us with what we needed.

As the spirit in the room settled, Pastor Bryan
Greaves, Christ Central Church, Amityville, NY,
came forth with a powerful message, “The Oil Won’t
Fail,” 1 Kings 17:9-16. He expressed that God
commanded prophet Elijah to go to Zarepath, where
a widow would sustain him. The bible says the
widow had nothing and was about to prepare a meal
with the little oil that she had. God would have it that the widow
obeyed the word of the prophet, prepared a meal for him, and for
her household. Elijah told her to fear not; “The barrel of meal shall
not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that
the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.” The widow was able to feed
herself, her son, and her husehold. There will be a continual flow
when we trust and obey God. We should stay connected to His vine,
to receive the overflow of what God has for us!