Lake Country Journal: Featuring the Thiel's House

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Check out the feature article of the Thiel's house in this month's edition of Lake Country Journal magazine. Written by Heidi Kratzke and with photography by Sayward Honer, the article, entitled "Talk of the Town," highlights the creative architecture of the historic building and tells the unique story of how the house was built.

For a limited time, preview the article online on page 30 of the digital edition of the Lake Country Journal magazine. Please Click Here to preview the article.

The Gathering 2010: Day 10

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Our Firestarters musicians played as we came together to worship in the morning. Wendell Danielson spoke on how we should be doers of the word, not just hearers. The book of Proverbs reveals that labor results in profit, but laziness ends in poverty (Proverbs 14:23). If we have a dream or purpose that we feel God has put in our hearts, then we need to be doing the work until it is finished. Matthew and Nancy Botsford shared their testimony on God's love, redemption and healing. No matter how far down in the pit we've gone, Jesus will save us if we put our faith in Him.

In the evening, the young girls in Sophie Thiel's dance class performed a special dance to the tune of 'Radiant' by Brian & Ramey Whalen. We lifted our praises unto God led by the Firestarters band and Michael Tyrrell, celebrating the Lord's goodness and thanking Him for all the wonderful things He has done. We had communion, remembering the Lord's body and blood given for us. Luke Holter spoke on love, how we can love people in a way that preserves their dignity. That is how Christ loved us by preserving our dignity, even though nobody is perfect. Since God is love, we can love each other sincerely by honoring one another even more. Love will be victorious!

The Gathering 2010: Day 9

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Paul Anleitner led worship in the morning with the Firestarters band. Pete Thiel spoke on fathers raising up true sons. We can learn from the example in the Bible of Eli who passed down iniquity to his sons by not disciplining them. They offered strange fire and were consumed by the Lord. Therefore, we are to burn with the fire of Jesus in our worship, not offering up strange fire. There were afternoon workshops for music & worship, led by Peter Thiel, and visual arts, including pottery making with Candice Doll. The Variety Show at the Creamery was a fun time for talented artists to express their unique style of gifts among the body of Christ. At the lake, a volleyball tournament was held as many enjoyed the outdoor fun in the sun.

In the evening, the Firestarters band led worship along with Michael Tyrrell. We praised God through songs and dance, expressing our love to Him for all that He's done for us. Michael Tyrrell spoke on the prayer of Hannah and how she gave her son Samuel unto the Lord. As a young boy, Samuel heard the voice of God calling him even though he didn't know Him. There are sons and daughters in this generation too who God is calling out to know Him more.

The Gathering 2010: Day 8

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Firestarters band and Brian & Ramey Whalen led the morning worship. Luke Holter spoke on overcoming roots of bitterness in order to live as oaks of righteousness. When we're bitter, we can easily poison others; instead, we need to be cleansed in the river of life to nourish others. The afternoon workshops were a time of stirring up the body of Christ through creativity in the arts. The dance workshop taught new dance skills as we grow in excellence. The writing workshop included a practical writing exercise and personal prayer for refreshing and impartation. Many were also encouraged in the prophecy rooms.

In the evening, the young girls in Sophie Thiel's dance class performed a special dance to the tune of 'Radiant' by Brian & Ramey Whalen. Then, they, the Firestarters band, and Michael Tyrrell led worship together. A spontaneous drum circle brought new freedom in worship through dancing. Michael Tyrrell spoke on overcoming idle words. The power of life and death is in the tongue of the believer. With circumcised hearts, we can avoid fleshly and soulish words, allowing the Word of God to speak life through us into others (Hebrews 4:12). The Firestarters dance crew performed 'Be Here Now,' followed by a late night bonfire at the lake.

The Gathering 2010: Day 7

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Seven days running, we enjoyed another day of sunshine at The Gathering 2010 here in Ottertail, Minnesota. In the afternoon, many participated in lawn games including bocce ball and croquet. The Firestarters band, Michael Tyrrell, and Brian & Ramey Whalen led worship together in the evening. The Firestarters dance crew performed their new dance 'Uprising.'

Paula Thiel spoke on the love of God that surpasses knowledge. Knowing who we are and that we are loved by God is what it is all about. Because He loves us, He disciplines us as true sons and daughters. We all need fathers and mothers who we can come under in true relationship. Michael Tyrrell shared his testimony on how he was called from a son to a father. Many came forward and received prayer for sons to become fathers, and daughters to become mothers (Malachi 4:6). Cindy Jacobs gave a prophecy of blind eyes opening and other miracles of God being released through us, His people.

The Gathering 2010: Day 6

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The sixth day of The Gathering 2010 featured additional afternoon workshops. The Visual Arts workshop focused on a practical introduction to oil painting with Beth Danielson. The Writing workshop explored creativity within community, encouraging writers to pursue local writing groups in their home area for collaboration and feedback.

In the evening worship, the Firestarters band was joined by Michael Tyrrell and Brian & Ramey Whalen. We let our praises rise to God in a corporate song, welcoming His healing touch among us. The Firestarters dance crew performed the fire dance. Luke Holter shared his testimony of growing up in North Dakota, and how the love of Jesus never fails. He will meet us at our lowest point, revealing His grace that is without shame.

The Gathering 2010: Day 5

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Day five of The Gathering 2010 was filled with fun in the sun. Many enjoyed volleyball, swimming, and tubing at the lake. We had a wonderful time fellowshipping together as we enjoyed God's creation here in west central Minnesota.

The evening meeting began as the Firestarters band and Michael Tyrrell led us into deeper worship, releasing sounds of healing and praise. Timothy James, part of our Firestarters writer's group, read an excerpt from his upcoming book, Treasure Mountain, to be out October 1st. To preorder a copy or learn more about the book, please Click Here. Femi Salau shared about how in order to be an overcomer, we must have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Michael Tyrrell gave a message on the Bible as the Word of God, our foundation. Luke Holter and Kyle Davis gave a spontaneous beat box show. The Firestarters dance crew performed a new dance, illustrating deliverance and freedom to worship God.

The Gathering 2010: Day 4

Monday, August 2, 2010

On day four of The Gathering 2010, we enjoyed the sunshine with an enthusiastic game of ultimate frisbee. Our afternoon workshops included Music & Worship as well as Visual Arts, encouraging the body of Christ to pursue excellence in creativity.

In the evening, we celebrated the presence of the Lord led by the Firestarters band and Michael Tyrrell. Heather Pollard spoke on laying down our reputation in order to give an truthful answer to the world. Our light is not to be hidden, but to shine in our city we are salt and light. Rather than compartmentalizing our lives, we need to be a container for the times. The evening concluded with an encouraging word from Robert Ricciardelli. We can be well pleasing unto the Father today. If we stay in the game long enough, His presence will take over and change people's hearts.

The Gathering 2010: Day 3

Sunday, August 1, 2010

On the third day, we are excited to announce that our live webstreaming is now available. Simply click on 'Watch The Gathering 2010' at the top of the home page. We began by worshipping God together led by our Firestarters musicians. Gregg Goodspeed spoke on prayer and how it is a conversation as we talk with God. This is a God thing that he puts within people. It is creative stories. There is prophetic power in movies about people who are discovering who they are and that they already have an inheritance. Be not entangled with anything that will weigh you down. Don't be drug down. Even if you think it's good, let it go and cut it off in order to pursue Jesus.

We continued our worship unto God in the evening led by Michael Tyrrell and the Firestarters band. We cried out for the glory of God to be manifested among us. A powerful time of ministry followed as Luke Holter shared his heart with the youth, speaking destiny over them. The light of Jesus in us casts out darkness. We can be used by the Lord to deliver those in our high schools hallways. Like Peter, our shadow can heal people as we pass by because power is released through our relationship with the Lord. We prayed for this generation to shine with character and authority.

The Gathering 2010: Day 2

Saturday, July 31, 2010

On day two of The Gathering 2010, the Firestarters band led worship in the morning. Luke Holter spoke about overcoming shame in our relationship with Jesus. Whenever we try to renegotiate our relationship with God, it produces hiddenness. His love for us doesn't change, and our destiny is stronger than sin.

In the afternoon, we had dance and visual arts workshops, as well as prophetic team ministry. For The Gathering cookout, many enjoyed a hamburger feed within the picnic table area next to the Creamery. In the evening, the Firestarters band played along with Michael Tyrrell, who afterwards spoke about the renewing of our minds. Eternity never has a beginning and never has an end. We're eternal beings and citizens of heaven. All things are possible to him who believes.

The Gathering 2010: Day 1

Friday, July 30, 2010

After much preparation, The Gathering 2010 has arrived! We began by waiting upon the Lord with a prayer of thanksgiving. The Firestarters band led worship along with Michael Tyrrell. We released our passionate praises unto God through music and dance. Michael Tyrrell spoke about the new wine and how to let it breathe before drinking. Through all the crushing of the past seasons, the Father has been producing sweet, new wine.

New wine is for new wineskins. We're no longer just a shell, but living in the one new man which is Christ within you. To know Him is to love Him. The world is waiting to see Jesus in us without the shell. We ended the opening night with a dance party and bonfire at the Creamery. We're excited to see old friends and meet new ones this year at The Gathering 2010, and we hope to see many more of you here this coming week!

The Gathering 2010

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Gathering 2010, our annual 10-day event here in Ottertail, Minnesota, begins this friday! We've been working hard finishing the additions to the Creamery building. A new loft has been added to the second floor for additional guest seating. The Firestarters band will be leading worship along with other musicians and speakers including Michael Tyrrell, Brian & Ramey Whalen, and Luke Holter. On Thursday, August 5th, Cindy Jacobs will be in attendance, and the Deborahs of the midwest are encouraged to join us in worship. The second bathroom and children's nursery also on the second floor of the Creamery will help to provide a family-friendly environment at this year's event.

For more information about accomodations as well as to check out the schedule of activities, workshops, and worship times, please Click Here. We are looking forward to seeing you at The Gathering 2010!

Welcome to our New Website

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

We are very excited to present our new website to you! We've been working on this for awhile now, and will be adding new features throughout the next few weeks, so please continue coming back and seeing what's new. We will be featuring new Vimeo Devotionals on a weekly basis, more interviews like the ones already featured, along with adding tips for music, writing, dance, and painting.

We want you to be blessed in whatever way possible by this new site and we want to hear from you, so please feel free to send us a message from our contact page!

Word and Worship: Interview with Peter Thiel

Friday, July 9, 2010

Q: What new season have you been experiencing musically?

A: “Musically, we're kind of in a transition right now. We've been working on a lot of writing. One thing that's always been important to me is that people stay open to correction and help with their music. The best songwriters in the world collaborate with others. Creativity in lyrical content includes how to make a song say what you want it to say with as few ideas or themes as possible.”

“As far as the worship aspect of it goes, we experienced an explosion and emphasis on worship in the church in the 90s. We love the Word as musicians and non-musicians, but we don't feel the model is 25 minutes of worship and then an hour long sermon.”

“What we've seen as a shift in the last 10 years is a worship culture emerging. In the past, the role of the worship leader was to usher in the presence of God and to unite the people in a corporate song. And that does still happen. However, more and more the Lord is using the worship leader as a channel, and the messenger becomes the message. The word comes through the worship. We're getting the rhema word in the worship. It's not just about the songs. That's how we can have 2-3 hour worship services.”

Q: Have you ever felt stuck as a songwriter regarding inspiration? If so, then how did you move beyond that?

A: “When it comes to inspiration, I get inspired by so many things: the Lord, life, and relationships. As long as I'm actively pursuing relationships, I can always find inspiration. Writing a song shouldn't be an external revelation; it should be coming out of the overflow of your own heart. If it's a lifestyle, then it shouldn't be a striving.”

“When you do it long enough, you live in a place of breakthrough. Where it used to seem like such a burden and so difficult, now there's no shortage of inspiration. Much more of it for me is finding the time. I'm not impatient about releasing stuff. So if I get tapped out working on one song, then I'll just go on to the next one. Currently, I'm probably working on 10-15 songs at once.”

“The most important thing is staying active in our gifts and staying active in our relationships with each other. Then, we're constantly inspiring one another.”

Painting In Worship: Interview with Beth Danielson

Friday, July 9, 2010

Q: What inspires you as a painter in worship?

A: “I am inspired by a variety of things. It could be what people are singing lyrically during worship or a scripture someone reads. For example, Sophie was singing out of Psalm 93 one Sunday night, and it talks about the mighty waves of the Lord Almighty. So, I painted a wave."

“Also, Peter wrote that song from Isaiah 61 about how we are 'trees of righteousness,' which interestingly the Lord at the same time spoke to me about the same thing thus inspiring my painting about the tree with Scriptures in the background.”

“Sometimes, I read a scripture and the Holy Spirit gives a deeper meaning. Other times, I'll have a vision during worship which is how I was inspired to do the angel painting. I don't have visions very often so when I do, I take it to heart and usually I feel like it needs to be painted. I also love painting objects from creation like flowers and people simply because I have an appreciation for beauty, form, and color.”

Q: Have you ever felt uninspired and how did you work through that?

A: “Yes. Sometimes, I reach a place where I know the Lord will not release more ideas until I finish other pieces. Wendell, my husband, helps remind me that I have to be disciplined and force myself to finish. Looking at other people's art often helps me to work through it.”

“I'm a perfectionist so sometimes people look at it and think it is complete, but for me there is a part that still needs revision. Ultimately I must be satisfied with the work. It's great to have a community where people encourage you in your gifts. That's what's great about the artist collective. If I don't have ideas, I spend time with the Lord, reading the Word, look at others around me and He's always faithful to bring inspiration.”

Q: What else would you like people to know about painting in worship?

A: “It's important to practice and pursue excellence. But that shouldn't be something that holds people back or feeds their insecurity. It's easy for artists to get intimidated when it comes to painting in worship. But we have to break through this because ultimately it is worship unto the Lord.”

“On a side note, it's important for people to pursue their own style. I do mostly realistic painting, but I also use other styles of art that are expressive and can touch people with different tastes. Don't get stuck in one genre. Explore and create new and interesting things. Francis Schaeffer said, 'To be Christian art, it first has to be art.'”

Modern Dance: Interview with Sophie Thiel

Friday, July 9, 2010

Q: What gives you inspiration?

A: “My inspiration mostly comes from music. Usually, a song surprises me out of nowhere, and I'll see people dancing in my mind. I go up in the dance studio, close my eyes, and begin choreographing the dance.”

“The modern dance is to a song called, 'Be Here Now.' It's a dance of the bride. Guys and girls are in it. The girls dance for a few minutes, and then the guys come in, and we meet. It represents the bride of Christ.”

“As far as creativity, my one desire for dance is that it be excellent. When I choreograph, I want the dance to be where the world can look up to it in the church, and not down to it.”

Q: Would you say that you have a favorite style of dance?

A: “I like modern because it incorporates all the genres into one with a lot more variety. A lot of times in the dance studio, we teach ballet. But the structure of ballet is really boring to me at least. It's pretty to watch, but it gets boring doing the same thing over and over again. As far as technique, I would encourage anyone to take ballet at least for the first couple of years because it lays the foundation. With modern and contemporary dance, there is so much expression. The end product of choreography is when everything comes together: the costumes, the movement of your body, and your facial expression.”

“When I teach in the dance studio, I'm all about excellence, being perfect on timing, and positioning your body the same as the person next to you. It's not just about being perfect, but it's about unity and being together as one. I've learned a lot from taking dance in the past. I've been at three different studios besides Firestarters, and have taken a lot of things from them. I've also have learned a lot from those classes what I would change from them. A lot of times I see other choreographed dances and they're not together, and you can see one person standing out from the others. I like having unity, although I do feature different dancers, and we'll have different solo parts and duets. One thing that's really changed the dynamics in the studio is that we have guys now, and our dances have come a long way since then. The guys' dancing is really inspiring for men to be free in that.”

“Some different styles we do are African, Irish, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and then modern. I hear a lot of people say that it's not about the skill level, it's about the anointing. But in my opinion, it goes hand in hand. If you're a skillful dancer, then that is the gift that God has given you, and that ushers in the anointing. We also dance with flags, and use different colors that mean different things. Sometimes we use props like hula-hoops, streamers, and even butterfly wings. One part of creativity is costumes, and that is what helps to set the feeling for the dance.”

“We've been teaching little kids. This is our second summer of teaching the children ages 4 and up. It's only a six week program, so we're focusing mostly on choreography and learning the dance. But I'm all about skill, so we'll do ballet warm ups, across the floors, and we work out too. That's an important part of it, working out our calves, arms, and learning to point the toe. Even with flexibility, make sure you can take care of the little things. Even if you're not a flexible person, you can still continue to work on it.”

“For older people in the studio, we have two hour dance classes. A lot of times, we focus on skill, and we do a lot of critiquing with excellence. It's not about making someone feel bad, but it's about the team, having disciplined dancers, and helping to make someone better.”

“Sometimes we choreograph new dances while the band plays. That's what we're doing for The Gathering this year, and it's really cool because it's a surprise.”

Creamery Renovation: Interview with Wendell Danielson

Friday, July 9, 2010

Q: What was it like starting on the creamery?

A: “When we bought the property, we took out 4,000-5,000 tires. It filled two semi-trailers full of tires that we hauled away. The roof was completely gone, and the windows were broken or missing. There was a significant amount of cleanup to do before construction could even begin on the structure.”

Q: How did you go about the renovation project?

A: “We would have prayer meetings, worship, and prophecy at the Creamery with no roof on it before we even got started.”

“Most of the construction work was done from October '08 to February '09. Six to eight weeks of the project, the temperature was around zero degrees in the dead of winter. We ended up with 80,000 pounds of demolition debris from the second floor alone or 14 dump truck loads. It was a concentrated team effort to put up the new roof. Getting the materials in place for the roof and the prayer tower was a logistical challenge. There was a grace that we had to accomplish the work at the time.”

“For demolition, we started knocking down walls, converting six rooms into one large meeting sanctuary. In the coolers, the walls were made of cork covered with plaster. The original concrete was cast into place, reinforced with rebar, and had to be jackhammered out.”

Q: What is the prayer tower addition?

A: “The prayer tower is an octagon with windows facing each direction. It provides balance and proportion to the building, and stands about 56 feet tall and 24 feet across.”

“Part of our future vision for the Creamery is to include apartments and a parking lot.”

Why I write: by Heidi Kratzke

Friday, July 9, 2010

I write because I want people to encounter Jesus: on the written page, with each arching letter formed by the pen; and even in between the lines. In the air, as sound waves resonate in awakening minds. Minds that process pure truth, pure love being shared and deliver the cues straight to the heart.

I want the words–each word I release–to bring hope to those without, healing to those broken, and deliverance to those bound. God has made me to be a freedom writer. By His Spirit, I will write.

My vision is growing; dim at first, but already the blaze has engulfed much of what I once wanted to be. I will likely die a writer never recognized by the masses as such; but, and this is key, I will die a writer. It is what my Father created me to be.

I take this given talent, all of it, and in the most sincere way I know how–I want to give it out. Through me, through these words I master and fumble, pray and plea, may my Creator be glorified.

O Son, Son: by Timothy James

Friday, July 9, 2010

Out on the run

Chasing nothing but the wind

This sun has set for him

Feeling worthless within

From a lifestyle of sin

How long the road back now begins

O brother, brother

Throwing quite a fit

This sun is as hot as it gets

Having toiled all day

Full of striving and hate

How hard is his heart towards him

O father, father

Giving life to his sons

Running to crown the undone

Healing their broken hearts

With a shining smile on his face

A place at his feast for each one