November 26, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! This week is a great reminder of all we have to thank God for in our lives. 

Psalm 69:30

“Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.”

Too often, we read a verse like this and skirt over it like it doesn't mean anything.  Unfortunately, in this culture of ‘me’, this kind of a verse doesn't mean much of anything to many.  We can get so preoccupied with ‘me’ we don't think to give God "praise" or "honor" or even thank Him for all that is good in our lives.  I don't want to be that person. 

This Psalm starts with "Then I will."  When is "then"?  "Then" can be anytime and anywhere.  "Then" is my choice.  Let's make "then" our today and tomorrow and the next day . . .  and even make it look like "now."  I have a lot to give God praise for...and I know that we all do.  What if we all took a couple of moments over the next few days to make a quick list, and then we could begin giving God thanks for what's on the list.  I'll bet that list starts to grow as we take our mind off ourselves and put it on Him.  Let's make "then" now.

This coming weekend is going to be a special time as we gather together to celebrate the goodness of God, catch up with friends and seek to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God.

My family and I can hardly wait to see you and hope you will be joining us.

We love you,

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

P.S.  Even though we had 1,000 people in attendance Sunday, parking was a lot better.  We so appreciate your help and cooperation out there!  We are looking forward to our three service format starting Jan 5 which will help us even more!  Start thinking of which service you will be attending...8:30, 9:45 or 11:30.

November 19, 2013

James 2:17 “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless…I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

“Straight Talk,” our series in the book of James, is tilling up the ground of our hearts.  Sunday we saw many, many hands go up acknowledging God was speaking to us about our lives.  Specifically the things in our lives that reflect the heart of God to others.  We say we have faith in Christ, but do the actions of our lives reflect that faith?  It’s a question we asked ourselves on Sunday and I challenge us all to do it again today…right now.  What actions have spoken for our faith today?  These actions have not made us fully devoted followers of Jesus, they are the result of us becoming followers of Jesus.  We do not serve others to become a follower of Jesus.  We are followers of Jesus, therefore we serve.  It’s an important distinction and one we can rest in today.  You and I are not performing for God or others, but are expressing our faith in Jesus with every step we take in His shoes and on His paths.  When we reflect His life with ours, we are connecting our faith with good works, and that kind of faith is certainly not “dead” or “useless.”

For this coming weekend we are going to be in James 3:1-12.  It’s called “You Said What?”  Take a look and jot down some notes before Sunday to see how God speaks to you about it.

We love you and thank God for you!  We are so excited about what God is doing in your life and can't wait to gather with you to celebrate, catch up with friends and listen to the heart of God speaking through the Bible.

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

PS:  Wow!!!  We have been experiencing our largest crowds ever as a church in the last months and we know it’s been a little tight in the parking lots.  Sunday we are going to talk about some exciting changes that will help us.  I’ll give you three guesses as to what our growing church will need to do next, it’s going to be great!

November 13, 2013

KEY THOUGHT: TRIAL and DIFFICULTY do not have to chip away at our faith... we can GROW and FLOURISH.

We have been speaking about this key thought drawn from James 1:2 - ". . . when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy."

The truth is, at some time or another, we are all going to be tempted to believe that this verse must mean something else!  This is especially true when we face "trouble" in the early stages.  Today I want to challenge each of us to step into the truth of God's Word when facing trouble.  We can trust Him...my God knows BEST and He would not and will not lead us down a dead-end street.  If you are experiencing a season of trouble do not let it dictate how you will live.  Recognize, as did James, that it's an opportunity to see God in a way that we can't without the trouble.  Remember the trouble and danger are real, but so is the rescue! 

If you are struggling today, determine to think differently and to exercise the faith God has given you by believing God instead of your worst fears.  Psalm 34:4, 6, 8. "I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears...⁶ In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles... ⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!"

This coming weekend we are working through the passage in James 2:14-26. The passage starts by asking a question, "What good is it?"  It's a great question!  Investigate a little or a lot on your own before Sunday morning, and see how you might answer the question yourself.

We can hardly wait to join with you as we celebrate the goodness of our God, catch up with friends and pursue the heart of God together.

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

P.S. You may have experienced some parking issues lately.  This is due to high attendance at our services and wow!  What great issues to work through!  We are working through them and will be communicating to our church about solutions in the next week or two.  "Consider it an opportunity for great joy."

November 6, 2013

“Drive a stake in the ground next to Jesus... Anchor yourself to it and refuse to leave.  He will certainly not leave you.”

This is a statement from last week’s message as we spoke to the challenge of endurance.  Endurance is something we gain as we drive our stake in the ground to “Face trials of many kinds” and it comes from our current study - “Straight Talk: A Study in the book of James.”  Wherever you are at today; whether it’s a time of trouble or a time of calm…I challenge you to see what you are anchored to.  The truth is - facing our trials by anchoring ourselves to Jesus with faith and gaining endurance through the experience, is far better than being tossed back and forth by the storms of life.  Most do not anchor themselves to Jesus, they keep their options open and they reap the consequences of being thrown about by the storm on the open waters. 

I want to personally encourage you to drive that stake deeper and refuse to be moved from His side…You will make it, in fact you will have endured and as James 1:4 tells us you will be “complete.”

This next weekend we are continuing our study as we finish chapter 1 and will be speaking to - what to do, when we don’t know what to do.  I can hardly wait!  Read the whole of James 1 to gain insights into you.

I want to celebrate with you a milestone for our church!  Sunday was the largest attendance we have had in our four years, other than Easter.  We hosted 1074 on our campus.  Thank you to all who make it possible for us to gather each week because you choose to serve.  Thank you for your servant’s heart and faithfulness to meet a need.  That number is significant because it represents people who want to be part of this great story God is writing.  Thanks for being gracious to one another in the parking lots, hallways and sanctuary seating.

We will see you this coming weekend as we celebrate the goodness of God, catch up with friends and learn what God has to say to each of our lives.

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

P.S. We are asking that you not park on the grass next door at this time.  The city is limiting our parking to the paved areas at this point.  Thank you for your cooperation and patience.  We will watch our service times to allow for at least 30 minutes in between services for your convenience.