Four Streams Partners
We borrowed our name from the book, Waking the Dead. The 4 Streams ... the ways that God brings Life to us and then through us are our keys.
1. We average 4-6 men's retreats per year for the purpose of awakening men to More Life through a transformational relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. We meet weekly in the Alpharetta/Roswell/Johns Creek area of North Atlanta on Saturday mornings to connect with each other as men and to explore the implications of seeking the Kingdom of God before anything else. We affectionately call this gathering BANDO (short for Band of Brothers). We have been meeting and growing in Christ for over 15 years. Currently, in this period of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, this group gathers online. See our web site if you would like to participate (Virtual BANDO).
3. Men Under 40 ('The Whole Man') meet every Friday morning near Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, GA to 'become good soil' and to learn to 'take the lowest seat at the table until God makes it impossible to do otherwise'. Currently, in this period of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, this group gathers online.
An additional TWM group is also meeting further north of Atlanta in Alpharetta.
4. We pray each Tuesday morning for the team at Four Streams. We ask God for Wisdom, Revelation, Understanding, Discernment, Knowledge and Grace found in Jesus Christ. This weekly prayer gathering is the most important gathering in each week.
5. We host a Mid-Week BANDO by Zoom teleconference every Wednesday morning where we read and examine a portion of Scripture. Believing that Scripture is 'God's hard data' about the Kingdom and the unseen realm, we seek to connect with God and align our hearts to His.
Our community of men numbers in the hundreds. Like a concentric circle, some men take a 'dip' into BANDO occasionally; others attend a weekend - most commonly out of desperation. And there are warriors who have been a part of this militia for quite a while. These are men who grasp that their lives matter to God and other people and that God is revealing the brilliance, genius and weightiness of their own lives in Christ to them. These are our Coaches and our Captains.
6. On most Thursday nights of the year, we host a 2-hour 'Read-Out-Loud' gathering of men. God has surprised us over the past 3 years with the transformative power of reading Waking the Dead out loud together. We meet as a large group for the first 30 minutes and go over the Big Ideas of a chapter using film and interactive facilitation. We then break into groups of 4-6 and read ONE chapter out loud together (Waking the Dead chapters are about 18 pages each and it takes about 45 minutes to read the chapter together. Men find their voice as they read powerful truths from this 'strong cup of coffee'.
Leaders in this community understand that they carry the very life of God. They love to walk beside other men in this journey. They are humble. They are weighty. They are true.
We have many 'partners'. Many of those partners are men who coach with us on weekend missions. Other partners are also donors who have experienced More Life in one of our environments. We partner strategically with other ministries and counselors who offer expertise that we do not possess.
Distinctives of Four Streams:
We appreciate and use Story in many forms to awaken our own hearts and to encourage men to continually step into the 'More Life' that Jesus spoke about in John 10:10. There is More!
We are committed to growing in our understanding and wise use of the Four Streams of a) Walking with God b) Counsel c) Deep Restoration and d) Spiritual Warfare. We purpose to intentionally choose to better grasp and use these streams in every relationship and in every sphere of culture.
The leaders of this Four Streams Partners community are committed to understanding and helping men actually believe that real life change is not only possible, but inevitable as we 'continue the conversation' with Jesus and with each other.
We continue to explore the mystery and reality of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. The good news of Salvation is beautiful and forgiveness is breathtaking. And it is only a beginning. We're discovering that we often don't know what it means to seek more Life and to seek his Kingdom first so we practice asking God to help us all to make this search a priority in our day-to-day living.
Finally, we continue to take risks with our programs, environments and methods so that we can uncover strategic ways of thinking & living. We risk in these ways so that life change in Christ becomes sustainable. When Jesus told us that he only did what he saw the Father do and that he only said what the Father said, we believe he was modeling that for us. While this idea is so true to Scripture, it feels counter - and almost heretical - to the Christian culture into which so many of us were birthed. We have purposed to continue walking in him and with him. To do anything else is a Christian life without Christ.
We are Expanding:
Over the past 15 years, our influence has expanded - even internationally. We love to find churches and ministry groups that want to partner with us. Our capacity to receive Love from God is expanding - as we ask Him.
Saturday Morning Men's Gathering => BANDO 7:00am - 9:30am EDT
Virtual BANDO
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82025174250?pwd=UktEYk8vQ1FvNmRNa0J4K1E2ZVJVdz09
Meeting ID: 820 2517 4250
Password: 014298