November 28, 2012

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15:4 

Sunday’s services were such a celebration of the goodness of our God.  His presence was very strong for me and many of you have said you experienced the same thing.  This is the result of expectation and vulnerable hearts.  The message Sunday hit home to many and this weeks will be no different.  “Remain in me” were the words of Jesus.  For the devoted follower of Christ this is the one thing that makes way for most everything else.  God desires greatly to produce good fruit in us and through us.  Fruit is the work that God inspires and enables in each one of us and we see it in our words, actions, thoughts and attitudes.  It’s now days later, and we have a choice...will we “remain?”  It’s not too late!  Make it happen!  It’s your choice to walk with Him or to strike out alone...I hope you walk with Him and see God sized fruit produced in your life today! 

This coming Sunday we will look at the John 15:1-9 passage for a second time.  This week we will focus on “pruning.”  I believe this will be an insightful look at a topic not often spoken about.  Take an early look and let God begin speaking to you. 

We can hardly wait to see you Sunday and are praying you come eager to give God your worship and celebrate Him.  Come eager to honor God and join in His work with your finances. Come eager to catch up and connect with friends.  Come eager to experience God through His Word to you.  Come eager to enjoy the life of a follower of Jesus Christ!

We love you!

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog.

November 21, 2012

Psalm 145:10-11 “All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you. ¹¹ They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power.”

Thanks to God is as natural as breathing, if we will but think of His goodness.  God has been faithful to each of us and the Thanksgiving Holiday is another great time for us to remember and be grateful.  What do you have to be grateful for?  Some of us may want to sit and make a list to remind us of what He has done for us and how gracious He has been to us.  Gratefulness is, unfortunately, a lost art to too many people these days.  Let’s not be caught up in selfish thinking, but break out of it.  The truth is...He has saved my soul from an eternity without God.  I do not need another thing to remain grateful forever.  Do you?  Yes, I really mean it. 

This coming Sunday we are turning to the passage in John 15:1-9.  I can’t wait to get into this passage because it offers some significant insights into how we move forward in our lives.  Look at the passage this week and jot a couple of notes down before Sunday.   

We look forward to seeing you this weekend and remember not to take time off from the most important things this holiday season.  As we look forward to Christmas, this is the time to reconnect, not disconnect, from Him and His church.  We love you!  

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog.

 

P.S. - We would love to see you this evening for Thanksgiving Eve Communion Service from 7-8 pm.

November 16, 2012

“...since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”  John 13:14

The portrait of Jesus as “Servant” was our subject last Sunday and it was compelling. It  was...beautiful as we recognized Jesus’ servant-hood to us.  It was inspiring as we were drawn to unsung heroes among us.  These heroes are what we call - servants.  They do not ask for accolades and most of the time they do not get them, but Sunday we turned our eyes toward them. They inspire us and serve as examples among us to follow as we look to serve within our families, at our places of work, in our church, in our community and in our city.

 

It’s now days later and we need to be compelled again by this portrait. Who is a servant? A servant is someone who thinks of others before they think of themselves.  A servant is someone who serves the needs of others without expecting a return.  A servant is rewarded when the person they serve is helped.  A servant pours themselves out for the sake of others.  A servant is renewed and refreshed by serving because they are tapping into the grace of God.  We see the life-giving power of humility working in and through servants.  Jesus was refreshed and found His purpose in serving.  Mark 10:43 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  So the questions were and still are - Who are you serving?  Why and how?  Wrestle with these, don't just pass them by.  Jesus is calling... “Do as I have done to you.”

 

This coming Sunday we are going to be looking at John 14:6 and John 15:1-8.  Take an early look, jot down some notes and see how God speaks to you.

We can hardly wait to see you this weekend as we gather to celebrate the work of God in our lives, give our best to Him from our resources, respond to the challenge of His Words and catch-up with friends.  It’s going to be a great day. Don’t miss it and be praying about who you might bring with you.  See you very soon!

 

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog

October 31, 2012

"Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God's judgment when you do the same things? 4 Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?" Romans 2:3-4

This last Sunday we were enlightened as we looked at a portrait of Jesus called "Patience."  From the verse above we came to understand that we are to make judgements about all kinds of things every day.  What we are not to do is condemn others or say the final word over them and cut them out of our lives.  The final word for all of us will be said by Jesus Himself, and He alone is worthy to do this.  Many on Sunday recommitted not to pass judgement on others but to give them grace . . . today is a good day to assess how we are doing with this new habit.

Also, we saw the grace of God as something we need every day. It is as bread to us. As bread is food for our bodies, so Jesus is the bread of life for us as well. We recognized that we need Him every day and that we are incapable of making our own bread. So, have you gone for bread today? Wasn't it sweet to taste because you received it from God's hand? If you haven't, now is a good time.

This coming weekend we are looking at John 8:12.  I believe this will be an inspiring message.  One that will greatly encourage you and energize the healing work God is doing in you.  I'm very excited to bring it to you.  We will also give you an update about the generous offering we received for the Perez-Rocha family.  This is just another way we shine the generous light of Jesus Christ to our community.

Tonight we're having Trunk or Treat here at our church from 5:30-7:30.  Thank you to all who will be part of it.  We're excited to be a blessing to our community by providing a safe and fun environment for our children.

We hope you are making this Sunday a priority as we gather to celebrate the goodness of our God, catch up on friendships, generously join our resources together for God's missions and respond to God's Spirit speaking through His Word.

  

Please know you are loved!

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog