August 28, 2013

Sunday was...special.  I don't know any other way to say it.  I’m not sure how else to describe it other than it was special.  We experienced God in a very special way.  Each Sunday is a unique experience, but this last one was for me and many others, set apart.  If you missed it, or you need a refresh -- we talked about living “ready.” 

Paul in Acts 21 was facing incredible life altering challenges and persecutions as he was moving closer and closer to Jerusalem.  Everyone who knew what he knew, wanted him to avoid what was coming, but he interpreted it very differently.  Instead of avoiding Jerusalem, he made Jerusalem his goal.  He did not shy away from it, he steered directly into it.  He did not do it alone though.  Paul said “I am ready.”  He lived “ready.”  We see that living “ready” meant he gathered his strength from Christ...  “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)  He also gathered strength from others.  He wrote these words on the way to Jerusalem to the church at Rome... “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” (Romans 1:12)  Are you honestly gathering strength from God?  How about others?  If you aren't, you know it and if you are, you know it.  It’s never too late to start in fact I hope you will do it today. 

The second thing was he trusted God...not for warm and fuzzy feelings, but for “His will be done” to be “good.”  Listen, “good” is not a feeling, it’s... “good.”  It’s what God does with something we have made a mess of or that others have dragged us into. It’s restoration and healing. It’s the other side of the pain you are experiencing right now.

I don't know if you are facing something you really need to be on the other side of and you are avoiding it like the plague and your friends are encouraging more of the same. If you are...rethink it.  God may be telling you to make it your goal.  It will take trust not doubt, but if I can’t trust God...well you and I both can finish that sentence.  We can trust him to get me and you to the other side and make it “good.”

This coming Sunday is a special day...no I don’t mean Labor Day weekend.  Take a look at the video link to see what I’m talking about. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACMdRUIgS-s&feature=em-share_video_user

We look forward to seeing you Sunday as we celebrate the goodness of God, experience Him and grow deeper in friendship. 

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

P.S. You will have an opportunity to sign-up for a Life Group this weekend!

August 22, 2013

If you missed Sunday, you missed a great one!  Sunday was fun and encouraging as we listened to Pastor Sherwood Carthen.  He is such a good friend to me and our church, and we appreciate him so much.  I know the ladies at the retreat were challenged as well as they made the trek to get away and just hear the voice of God for their lives.  We also heard from the principle of Kingswood Elementary School.  She and others from the school came to our service to say “Thank you.”  They were overwhelmed by the generosity of this church towards their kids.  Way to go church!  This was a huge God-honoring moment and you made it happen!  Each time we gather, we never know what great thing God may do . . . come expecting.

For this coming Sunday we are closing our Acts series - “The Church Rises.”  We are also receiving corporate communion, which is always special for us.

Be on the lookout for Life Group signups as we prepare to begin a new series “What On Earth Am I Here For?”  We are still looking for more host homes to facilitate groups.  Yes, you can do this.  Contact Pastor Cheryl Bangs for more information at 726-2100 or cherylb@baysidech.com

We can hardly wait to see you as we gather this weekend to celebrate the goodness of our God, catch up with friends and embrace the challenge of God’s Words to us.

We love you.

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

August 15, 2013

Acts 20:24 “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying (living witness) to the good news of God’s grace.” (NIV) 

I do not have to survive. What a statement Paul was making in regards to his life. In the end, Paul was driven forward daily by the one aim of living as a fully devoted follower of Jesus. Paul recognized that in order to follow Jesus to any place, parts of Paul would not survive. Paul was at peace about this and so am I. Let’s be honest about our lives . . . there are parts of me that should not survive. I don’t even want them and yet there they are, alive and kicking! How about you? Are there any parts of you not worth keeping around? Parts of you that should not make it out? Paul challenged us from Acts 20 to allow God to do THAT work. Today is a great day for this to be done. Release THAT to God and we will feel the freedom we have been longing for. You know what THAT is . . . let God have it right now . . . and pick up freedom, hope, and happiness.

This coming Sunday Bishop Sherwood Carthen will be speaking! You know how good that will be! Bring a friend, camp out, come early, cancel everything else because you won’t want to miss it. I will be here too and ready to be refreshed.

Summer is closing and the fall is approaching. Our new series “What On Earth Am I Here For?” starts September 8. This study will be accompanied by Life Groups, which are groups of 8-16 people meeting in homes for six weeks. We are very excited for this because of the content and because of the new people we’ll get to know. I am personally challenging you to be part of it in at least one of three ways:

1. Commit to join this study for the whole six weeks on Sunday mornings!

2. Commit to a Life Group! Sign-ups are August 25, September 1, and September 8. The cost for the participant guidebook is $10; couples can share. Scholarships are available if needed.

3. Commit to facilitating a Life Group for six weeks! You pick the day or night of the week. We are hoping for 45-50 groups, conveniently covering our whole area.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend as we come together to celebrate the goodness of God, catch up with friends and experience God together.

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


P.S. As I am writing this, some of the 450 kids who we are providing backpacks for are picking them up! Way to go church! This is a huge WIN for the church and our community!

August 9, 2013

Acts 8:1,4 “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered... But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.”

This is the challenge we left with on Sunday—the fact that there was a group of people who were truly ordinary but somehow transforming into extraordinary. We see the transformation taking place before our very eyes when no matter what the early church was challenged with, even persecution, they shared the hope of Christ with others wherever they went.

This is not what most of us would have expected from a group of people being told to shut up or be imprisoned and even possibly face death. But they wouldn't be quiet. They shared it first by the life they lived. The life and teachings of Jesus were lived out in the flesh. Secondly, they used words when given the opportunity. How about us? Today? Tomorrow? We have freedom to live and speak freely about Jesus wherever . . . do we? Will we choose extraordinary? Oh, I know many of us are, and I know all of us want to. You know how good it feels to be extraordinary. This is the life we can live too. The early church was relentlessly pursuing the heart and mission of God no matter the obstacle. Are you facing an obstacle? Be extraordinary!

As we come together Sunday we will look at Acts 20 and be challenged again by the life of a very flawed and broken person named Paul.

This coming weekend is going to be an opportunity to celebrate the goodness of our God with people we care deeply about as we experience the power of The Church.

We love you and can hardly wait to be with you.

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

P.S. Check out the link below about our upcoming church-wide group study, and prayerfully consider signing up to be a group facilitator.

Group study

August 1, 2013

Wow!  I am so grateful to my wife Becky for the message she brought last Sunday from Acts chapter 10 and 11.  Powerful!  I wrote many quotes down but my favorite was when she shared about a time God spoke correction into her heart - “who do you think you are?  I died for that person...”  This is a truth we should all keep in our hearts for all peoples we encounter.  Thank you Becky...I love you.  (I don't usually say that to guest speakers.)

For this coming Sunday, we are in Acts 8.  This will be our memory verse for the week:

Acts 8:4 “But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.”

Read ahead for the whole story found in Acts 7 and 8.  God shows Himself as amazing again through these passages.

As we turn towards the fall we are preparing for NEW THINGS!  We are making preparations even now for a NEW SERIES.  This series will be huge for many of us as we turn our attention to a question that’s answer may surprise us in really great ways.  For about 4 months our leadership has been anticipating our whole church asking a significant question - What on earth am I here for?  This will be a small group emphasis for the whole church to be part of and we anticipate a huge turnout for this one.  We are hoping to have 50-60 small groups meeting all over the area to facilitate our turnout.  Be thinking about how you will experience this series, either as a participant or as a small group facilitator.  The material is DVD driven and materials are simple to use.  To be part of it is simple. The impact could be life-changing.

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday as together we celebrate the goodness of God, catch up with friends and find ourselves challenged by God’s Word yet again.

We love you,

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

P.S. Oh yeah! We also have some exciting news about our Children’s Ministry that will be announced on Sunday!