March 28, 2013

Hebrews 6:18b-19a “...we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. (19) This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.”

Easter...more correctly, resurrection!  It’s the reason we have fled to Jesus.  It’s the reason that with great confidence we run hard after Him.  The bottom line is that since He has resurrected from the dead He trumps everyone and everything else hands down!  He is the strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.  We can trust Him with our lives!

This coming weekend is going to be awesome!  We have been working hard for the last six weeks to ensure your family and friends will experience the life transforming message of Jesus Christ in a one-hour service.  The campus has many helpers getting it ready and we are excited to be together and put our focus where it belongs—on Jesus, risen and glorified!

We hope you are enjoying the daily reading schedule we gave you on Sunday that follows the passion week of Jesus leading up to Easter Sunday.  If you’re reading along with us, I know you are finding encouragement and challenge as we see Jesus in His last week before crucifixion and resurrection.

Make sure you have invited someone to come with you this weekend!  See you soon, and please know we love you and can hardly wait to celebrate the goodness of our God together.

 

Our Easter Service times are Saturday, 6 pm and Sunday, 8:30 am, 10 am and 11:30am.

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

March 21, 2013

2 Corinthians 5:19-20  “God... gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation... God is making his appeal through us.”

Last week we began a two week series called “About Us.”  We focused in on our mission as a church.  Our mission says that we exist to connect people to life in Christ!  Once we connect people, we want to see them grow and be brought into a real community of faith that is Christ centered.

We’re now in our fourth year as a church and we recognize God has been with us in unusual ways.  The growth of our church numerically is rarely seen and the depth to which God is working in hearts... is remarkable.  But even though these things are true and we celebrate them, we do not want to be complacent with the mission in front of us...We are here to connect people to life in Christ.  We can never forget it!  We can never let go of that responsibility. 

As we look with eyes of faith to our city, we recognize there is much work to be done!  We envision a day when thousands of people will worship with us!  We envision a day when those who want nothing to do with God will want nothing more than to be with Him.  We envision a day when our city experiences a massive transformation of lives!  This is our mission...because it is His mission and we are His church and as the above verse states so plainly - “God is making his appeal through us.”  What a privilege.  Let the privilege and the responsibility sink in.  Let them change the way we pray and let them shape the way we use our time, talents and treasure.  I am proud to be part of this church that is seeing God do such a unique work among us...but let’s not forget why. It’s because we are keeping our eyes on the mission and refusing to be distracted from it.

This coming Sunday we will continue our discussion about our core Values and why they matter so much.  Please be with us and bring a friend.

We look forward to being with you and celebrating the goodness of God together.

 

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

March 7, 2013

"Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”  Matthew 14:31

As we wrapped up the "Abnormal" series, we were challenged with this thought - Whatever the next steps God is calling us to make, they will require faith.  Whether you are taking steps toward being the wife you have envisioned for years, or the co-worker that really is an asset to the organization, or if you are taking a deep breath and leaning into Godly fatherhood in a way you never saw modeled for you, these steps require faith. They require faith not in ourselves, but faith in the God we follow.  Of course we can’t do it alone, but with Christ all things are possible. Jesus asked Peter, "Why did you doubt me?"  If we are hesitating with the steps in front of us because we feel inadequate and are afraid of failing, we are in good company.  We are normal.  The key to taking our next steps is KNOWING GOD and BELIEVING GOD.  When we believe what we know about him, then we can act by taking the next steps. 

Today Jesus is calling us to take the next steps. It’s normal for us to stay still and not take them. In fact that describes most people.  The question is - Do I want to live a normal life...or an abnormal life?  I know which life many of us have chosen...how about you?

The next couple of weeks are going to be great!  We have some NEW things coming starting this Sunday.  Take a look at the video link below for a preview of what we are doing from now until Easter. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWLwCObCSSY

 

We love you guys and can hardly wait to see you Sunday.  We will be celebrating the goodness of God in our lives; we will be catching up with friends and we will be growing together around the Word of God.
 

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

 

PS - Tune in to KFIA 710 AM every Monday at 4:30pm for "The View From Here", our radio program. One of our past messages will be aired.