Up at 5 am to join other men for a walk through Ephesians. We have been wading through Ephesians since the end of October. I still marvel at the story of scripture and its impact on our lives. The joy of seeing men commit to a study like this that happens in the early morning hours is incredible.
I am honored and humbled that I get to share the glory of Christ in the early morning hours.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas!
Heaven meets earth. Hope arrives in a world of despair. Light overwhelms darkness. Love journeys to a land of pain and in a single act reminds us that God is greater. Greater than anything, anyone, any place, any anything. A baby that truly changed everything. Mary Christmas! A teen girl looking into the eyes of God, loving the baby and worshiping the Savior all at once. Mary Christmas!
Hope to the hopeless. Life to the lifeless. He is and always will be the reigning King of a kingdom beyond this world. Peace to a world of turmoil. Mary Christmas!
Hope to the hopeless. Life to the lifeless. He is and always will be the reigning King of a kingdom beyond this world. Peace to a world of turmoil. Mary Christmas!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
people
It cracks me up when we as humans (flawed) decide we are the smartest in the room and have the solution to most every situation. I am guilty, and it just cracks me up when I look back and see what I make myself out to be. Not that I don't have answers and thoughts, just the arrogance that I am the way. Seems Jesus used that title for himself.
Friday, December 16, 2011
selling Jesus
I love this tweet from Relevant Magazine... "The Church is at its best when our efforts are focused less on selling Jesus and more on being like him"....
God is out for the transformation of our life into His image, not the marketing of counterfeit hope in trinkets and sin management.
God is out for the transformation of our life into His image, not the marketing of counterfeit hope in trinkets and sin management.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
first for GCC
This past Sunday, we celebrated our first baptisms as a church. A wonderful time of celebrating God's work and bearing witness to the hope we have in Christ. I love the simplicity of loving God and loving others without trying to legislate every move. The Holy Spirit is an amazing guide that leads us where we need to go and how we need to proceed.
As a church we are seeking to live as Christ would in a world that needs love, mercy and grace. We placed before the church the names of four couples that are willing to serve as Shepherds. The Church is praying for them and about them. Our first Shepherding group will be ordained the second Sunday of January 2012. Wow! These are great "firsts" for us as a body!
As a church we are seeking to live as Christ would in a world that needs love, mercy and grace. We placed before the church the names of four couples that are willing to serve as Shepherds. The Church is praying for them and about them. Our first Shepherding group will be ordained the second Sunday of January 2012. Wow! These are great "firsts" for us as a body!
Monday, December 5, 2011
another anniversary
This past Sunday marked a full year since we did our first preview service to explore the possibility of planting a church. I flew out here last year to look things over, talk with people and see what would happen if we were to plant. I can remember walking in the Sierra Building at the Gold Country Fairgrounds and wondering if anyone would show up. We hadn't advertised and only the Core Group were talking about it.
We found a worship leader with a few days to spare and did a very simple service. From that first preview day up to today, God has allowed us to minister to people from this area. I was amazed that almost ninety showed up that day and even more amazed at the amount I see each Sunday now. I say amount because I have no idea how many are there because I don't count. Our desire is to be a church not focused butts and budgets. We are following a relational discipleship model that enables and equips people for ministry.
A year later we aren't doing preview services. We are inviting people into a worship experience that encourages them to live the way of Christ every day and to love others passionately. We are witnessing what so many have prayed for! We are living life and loving it!
We found a worship leader with a few days to spare and did a very simple service. From that first preview day up to today, God has allowed us to minister to people from this area. I was amazed that almost ninety showed up that day and even more amazed at the amount I see each Sunday now. I say amount because I have no idea how many are there because I don't count. Our desire is to be a church not focused butts and budgets. We are following a relational discipleship model that enables and equips people for ministry.
A year later we aren't doing preview services. We are inviting people into a worship experience that encourages them to live the way of Christ every day and to love others passionately. We are witnessing what so many have prayed for! We are living life and loving it!
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