Perfect Praise, Inc. is Launching a New Center
Michael and Denie Riggs and their Perfect Praise Team invite you to join them as they continue sharing The Journey as they prepare to launch a New Center.
This is Part 3 of a Blog Series by Michael and Denie Riggs.
If you missed Part 1 click here!
If you missed Part 2 click here!
The Journey Continues…
The Vision Bursts Forth
A Blog by Denie Riggs
After my incredible experience where the Lord named our Autism Center, I was excitedly ready to move forward. But my timing was not necessarily the Lord’s.
URL: First, I sought the URL “ZoeLifeCenter.com” but it was not available.
So, I began to lay out my Zoe Life vision on paper.
The Zoe Vision: My Zoe Life vision would address the areas that I felt healing was needed in the lives of those we had worked with in our school, along with input from experts in the autism field in our area.
I envisioned Seven Centers of life and healing for persons with special needs … which would flow out to their families and then the communities.
By implementing these Seven Centers of Healing, the quality of life of every individual could be enhanced to that of abundant life, Zoe Life.
Those Seven Centers of Healing included:
- Prayer and Intercession
- Nutrition
- Music
- Homeopathic Medical Support
- Targeted Education and Tutoring
- Art/Movement/Worship
- Coordinated Therapies
The Incubation Period
Operating a business as a husband-wife partnership is not always easy. Michael and I have operated this very busy corporation together since
1996. Wisely, we decided early on to not move forward with any major step until we were both in agreement. That decision has safe-guarded us many times in the last 25 years.
So, while awaiting united hearts and direction from the Lord, we were very busy operating our schools. I call this time the Incubation Period. Just like pregnancy takes time for the baby to develop, and lots of things are going on under the surface, such is the time that we entered.
During that time, we searched out a facility in a new part of the city, remodeled that building and then moved our Perfect Praise Music school across the city. We also were taking major steps to build out our multi-varied age music courses online.
My Zoe Life Vision lay beneath the surface for a few years. However, my faith was constant, as I was certain that the Father would bring it to pass when the time was right. The Zoe Life Center HAD to move forward. Too many families need what God had placed in my hands.
God had named it, so I had faith that He would show us the next step and unite our hearts when it was time for us to move forward.
But how … and when??
It’s Time!
In March 2018, I woke up one morning and announced to Michael, “It’s time to move forward with the Zoe Life Center.”
He asked, “What does that mean?”
I replied, “I don’t know. I just feel it’s time.”
These four confirmations occurred all that same week! It was to be a week of confirmations and surprises …
The Confirmations
Confirmation #1:
The URL: Based on the feeling I had that morning, I researched and the URL “ZoeLifeCenter.com” was finally available and I secured it.
Confirmation #2:
That same week, six families inquired regarding lessons at our Perfect Praise Music school, where we teach music from babies to adult seniors in piano and guitar. ALL SIX inquiring families had severe autism.
The need was great.
Confirmation #3:
One of those families who enrolled had a three-year-old, non-verbal daughter, with severe autism. Her mom expressed frustration at what she was experiencing as she sought help.
This little girl has sleep issues and the doctor had given her medication to help. When it didn’t work, they gave her another med, then yet another. So, now she is on three meds to induce sleep and was still not sleeping.
Then doctors put her on a fourth drug to calm her down during the day, from the side-effects of the sleep meds.
She was a mess.
I asked her mom if she had considered allergy testing or nutritional counseling. She said “No”. She began to cry and said, “There is nowhere to go for answers or help.”
This was another “Ah-ah” moment.
God has placed answers in our hand that families desperately need. And they needed HOPE that is only available with God’s kind of life. Zoe Life.
Confirmation #4:
Later that week, Matt, who owns the IT company that maintains our website, emailed me out of the blue, stating that he had designed a new logo for Perfect Praise, Inc. and wanted to see what we thought.
The logo contains a tree (worshipping person) surrounded by circles.
The tree could be the Tree of LIFE and guess how many circles?
SEVEN circles.
Oh my! It was The Zoe Life Center. I began weeping on the spot.
Confirmations were piling up. The Zoe Life Center was taking shape.
Commissioned
On September 21, 2019, we held a commissioning service in Perfect Praise Music’s new school location to launch the Zoe Life Center in praise and prayer. Many ministry supporters attended and participated in this special time. Michael and I were commissioned to the work ahead for the Zoe Life Center.
We scheduled an Autism Seminar with Alternatives for Healing. We invited speakers to address the 7 Centers of Healing of the Zoe Life Center.
This event was to launch the Zoe Life Center and was scheduled for April 2020. Just as registrations were beginning to come in, Covid-19 shut everything down.
Were we back to the Waiting Game?
As often happens, while the world shut down for Covid, another piece of the puzzle was developing under the surface.
Again we had to wait for it.