October 29, 2013

Hello!

We will be back this coming Sunday!  I am recovering well and am fired up to be back.  We have missed you!  Whether I come back with the beard or without it is a mystery only to be revealed on Sunday morning!

I will be picking up our new series “Straight Talk - from the book of James.”  I have been anticipating this message for weeks and am eager to share it with you.  Truthfully, it’s a message all of us need to hear, chew on and then do something about.  If you want to read ahead to get prepared for this coming weekend, read through James 1:1-8.  Jot down some notes and see how God speaks to you from the passage.  This is a unique passage that has huge implications for each of us as we walk through difficulty, and I don't mean small stuff…it speaks to the big stuff too.  I believe God has something to say to each one through this upcoming message.

I want to say thank you to Pastor Cheryl, Pastor Brent and Doug Britton for opening the series for us this last weekend.  It’s so important to have people we trust teaching us each week.  It feels great to have such a competent team.

Last but not least, we are thrilled about the impact we are able to have in our community through the Trunk or Treat event on Thursday the 31st.  Come out and help serve the children and families of our community by supporting the event.  If you are still looking for a way to get involved, we need more candy. You can drop it by the church office or bring it the night of the event.  We also need you to like and share the most recent post about it on our Facebook page (facebook.com/baysidech) to help get the word out.

We love you and can hardly wait to see you again as we come to celebrate the goodness of our God, catch up with friends and reach further to pursue Christ.

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

October 25, 2013

Hello! 

My recovery is coming along well and I am looking forward to seeing you very soon.  Thank you to our church’s board and our amazing staff team for taking the ball and running with it so well in our absence.  I want to say a special thank you to Pastor Cheryl Bangs who has led our day-to-day operations so well.  I do not know what we would have done without these special people. 

This weekend we begin our new study from the book of James - “Straight Talk.”  Oftentimes, we need someone to sit down with us and give it to us straight.  The need to tell us like it is, not like we want to imagine it to be.  We need to hear it seasoned with grace but it needs to be the raw truth about where we are at . . . this is the book of James.  What a challenging book!  The following verses say it all. 

“…don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:22-25

I am encouraging all of you to be present for the start of this new exciting series.  I believe this will prove to be another great adventure into God’s Word.

We look forward to seeing you very soon and are praying for you and your families.  We love you!

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

P.S. We only need a few more cars to finish our Trunk or Treat event and a BUNCH of candy, so please join us at this great event.  You can sign up to have a trunk on our website at www.baysidech.com, and bring your candy on Sunday.  My family is excited to participate this year with our own trunk.  See you there!

 

October 17, 2013

We wanted to give you some wonderful news regarding Pastor Craig.  The pathology report showed that after testing 74 lymph nodes, only the one they were already aware of had cancer in it.  We are praising God for this great news!  Thank you for your prayers!

October 16, 2013

On Sunday we wrapped up our series "What On Earth Am I Here For." The Bible says that God created you for five purposes. You are called to be LOVED, to Belong, to Become, to Bless and to be Sent.

Being Sent has three dimensions:

Personal - my personal mission to the people in my life
Local - my life group's mission to others in our area
Global - our mission to support others who are serving in other countries

How can you share the news that God is gathering a family that will love and live with Him forever in these dimensions of your life?

As we close this series, what are the next steps to living out your purposes?

A quick update on Pastor Craig: He is home and recovering very well. We are so pleased with the great report.

We are looking forward to Dr. John Jackson being our guest this Sunday. Please invite a friend to join you. It promises to be a GREAT day.

 

Please watch the video below for a preview of this Sunday.

 

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

October 2, 2013

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Today is a gift from the hand of a gracious God.  Live this day with purpose!  Do not let someone else ruin or steal this day from you.  It’s your day . . . it’s your gift!  Own it. 

Discouragement is a choice before us every day.  It’s my determination that I will reject discouragement and choose JOY.  I can do this because I know my purpose for the day ahead of me.  In the first weeks of the series “What on Earth Am I Here For?” we have learned that we are called to be LOVED by Christ, to BELONG to Christ and to BECOME like Christ.  Each day presents opportunities for me to live these purposes to the full regardless of what happens.

This coming weekend I am eager to speak to our fourth purpose.  This is going to be tremendous as we look into God’s Word together to understand what on earth we are here for.  My family and I will be here and are excited to see you as well. 

Please be praying for me and my family as my awaited surgery is Tuesday, October 8.  I anticipate being out for about 3 weeks.  I am at peace with it and can’t wait to get this done.  I am confident that our church is in good hands with the oversight of our staff team and the accountability of our Church Board.  Even more than that we have hundreds of amazing partners in ministry that already shine so brightly as they selflessly serve one another week in and week out.  We cannot thank you enough . . . but we will keep trying.

I ask that while I am recovering each of us will:

1. Be present and accounted for.  We need to be together.

2. Be faith-filled people as the mission of God continues.

3. Remain faithful to whatever responsibilities we carry.

4. Be the beautiful, gracious and kindhearted people we have always been.

5. Continue to be generous with our time, talents and financial resources.

We love you and can hardly wait to join you as we celebrate the goodness of our God, catch up with friends and experience God’s presence together.

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

P.S.  October is going to be an exciting month as we will be having Dr. John Jackson as our Guest Speaker on October 20^th, we’ll be kicking off our new series on October 27^th called “Straight Talk from the Book of James”, and we’re also hosting our 4^th Annual Trunk or Treat for the community on October 31st.