Spread The Cheer

"The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing aloud for all to hear." - Buddy The Elf

Little Drummer Boy - Jars of Clay

From Pain To Gain

The only monument in the world built in the shape of a bug to honor a bug is located in Fort Rucker, Alabama. In 1915 the Mexican boll weevil invaded Southeast Alabama an destroyed sixty percent of the cotton crop. In desperation, the farmers turned to planting peanuts. By 1917 the peanut industry had become so profitable that the county harvested more peanuts than any other county in the nation. In gratitude the people of the town erected a statue and inscribed these words,"In profound appreciation of the boll weevil, and what it has done as the herald of prosperity." The instrument of their suffering had become the means of their blessing.

Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God—it whets our appetite. Our need for God is not taken care of by engaging in worship—it deepens. It overflows the hour and permeates the week.” - Eugene Peterson

Choose Thankfulness - Powerful

Big

"If you partner with God make your plans big." - D.L. Moody

Thanksgiving

$10.00 Word - Thanks

Rudyard Kipling, who was the author of “The Jungle Book”, was so popular that his writings were earning him about $10 per word. A few college students however didn’t appreciate Kipling’s writings, so they sent him a letter, enclosing with it ten shillings (about $10). It read simply, “Please, send us your best word”. They received a letter back that simply read, “Thanks”.  - Source Unknown

Psalm 100

86,400

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" - William A. Ward

Psalm 136:1-9

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who made the heavens with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Funny!!

The Resurrection Of Jesus Is Historically Accurate, As Real As "Real" Can Get And Life Altering

The evidence for our Lord's life and death and resur­rection may be, and often has been, shown to be satis­factory; it is good according to the common rules for distinguishing good evidence from bad. Thousands and tens of thousands of persons have gone through it piece by piece, as carefully as every judge summing up on a most important cause. I have myself done it many times over, not to persuade others but to satisfy myself. I have been used for many years to study the histories of other ti mes, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.

Taken From Did The Resurrection Really Happen, Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett, Page 50. This is  quote from Thomas Arnold who was the famous headmaster of Rugby and author of the three volume History Of Rome.

The REAL Symbol For Christiainity

Share Your Faith - INVITE

Ways To Keep People In A Church Family

Good Article From Pastors.com

Pray then like this—‘Our Heavenly Father, may your name be honoured; May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day the bread we need, Forgive us what we owe to you, as we have also forgiven those who owe anything to us. Keep us clear of temptation, and save us from evil’.”   Matthew 6:9-13 J.B. Phillips Translation

Thy Will Be Done

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened. ”  C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce   

Psalm 33:6-9

⁶ By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Central Message Of The Church

The Central Message of the church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said." I Corinthians 15:3-4.  The Gospel is the Good News Of Jesus Christ.  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the life changing and central message of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is transformational. Change is a word that many churches have disregarded for years, but is the central message of the church.  The Gospel, accepted, or rejected will transform your life. Accepting the Gospel will change the way you think about life, death, the future, your past, the church, your vocation, others and rejecting the Gospel will do the same. Change is not optional for those following Jesus Christ, it is the norm, it is the message of the Gospel and the central message of the church.

The Gospel is relational. Christianity is all about relationships.  A relationship with God which will impact your relationships with others.  God loves you and desires to be a part of your life.  He desire to have a real, meaningful and life-changing relationship with you and others.  Christianity is about loving God and loving others as you love yourself. The primary message of the local church is the life changing message of the Good News of Jesus Christ. God provides for us hope in a relationship with and hope in our relationship with others. Most, if not all, of the world religions focus on being good, doing good, living in such a way that will get you a good reward at the end of your life, and focus on the self. Christianity centers on God and His desire relate to the human race.

The Gospel is intentional. God is purposeful. Life is meaningful and more purpose can be experienced in life when the life changing message of the Gospel is experienced. Entering into a relationship with God will place within you a new purpose and new meaning. You will become much more intentional in your personal life, vocational life, family life and church life.  For many years it seems that the local church has "been doing what we have always done." This must change because the Gospel is so intentional and purposeful. The central message of the church will remain "The Gospel", and yet the methods and ethos of the church must evolve so that others can hear and experience the central message of the church.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is the central message of the church. As we share this message we glorify God and hep others experience the hope we live in because of the Gospel.

Labor Day

In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.  Proverbs 14:23

I'm So Busy

I'm so busy..
..I must pray
..I must listen
..I must be in a small group
..I must help
..I must have fun
..I must offer an encouraging word
..I must learn
..I must spend time with God
..I must spend time with my family
..I must develop friendships
..I must share my faith
..I must stop being so busy to make more time for the above.

Time In The Morning

And early in the morning, while it was still dark, He (Jesus) rose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there.  Mark 1:35  NASB

The Symbol For Christianity

The Last Word

A really, really good way to get the last word in - an apology.

Great Prayer

O Lord, where did I see you yesterday ... and didn't recognize you? Where will I encounter you today ... and fail to identify you? 0 my Father, give me eyes to see, a heart to respond, and hands and feet to serve you wherever you encounter me!   Max Lucado, Live To Make A Difference

No Excuses

Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead. No excuses.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:10

The Smoke Signal

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him,and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store hisfew possessions. However one day, after scavenging for food,he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smokerolling up to the sky. The worst had happened - everything waslost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could youdo this to me?" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

Gentleness And Self Control

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Proverbs 15:1
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. 
Proverbs 25:15

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:29

By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you...  II Corinthians 10:1a

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...  I Peter 3:15
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.  Proverbs 25:28

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-control

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  I Peter 1:13

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  I Peter 5:8

I Want To Be An Optimist

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."   Winston Churchhill

Spur One Another On

So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.   Hebrew 10:22-25 The Message

Friends And Your Health

Friends make the ordinary-running errands or eating lunch, for example-extraordinarily fun. And good friends ease our pain and lighten our heavy load….Not only are friends good for the soul but for the body as well. Friends help us ward off depression, boost our immune system, lower our cholesterol, increase the odds of surviving with coronary disease, and keep stress hormones in check. A half dozen top medical studies now bear this out. Their findings didn’t seem to be influenced by other conditions or habits such as obesity, smoking, drinking, or exercise. The thing that mattered most was friends. What’s more, research is showing that you can extend your life expectancy by having the right kind of friends.  From Les and Leslie Parrott 

Church Is Not The End

Church is not the end.  It is the means to an end.  When thinking about church people often think as church as the end.  Church attendance. Serving in the church.  Worship attendance.  Church membership. "I am a part of ______________ Church." Even leaders in the church can be prone to thinking that church is the end. But it is not. Our time together in worship, small groups, book studies, and ministry opportunities is important and needed, but it is not the end. The end is making disciples.  The end is helping people walk with God in such a way that they become Kingdom Oriented, God Kingdom Oriented followers of Jesus Christ.  The end is leading people to follow Jesus Christ and live in Christ.  The end is to keep in mind, "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." Making Disciples is the main thing. Following Jesus Christ is the main thing. Developing a person and people of God is what church is about. Church, the body of Christ, the people of God, the called out ones is not the end.  Our worship services, Bible studies, fellowships, mission trips and other activities are not the end.  They are a means to an end. They are ways in which we as the church help people to live in Christ and for Christ so that they are in the world (missional is the current Christian buzz word for this) but not of the world. The end is about God and His kingdom and people following Jesus Christ. The end is making disciples, who can make disciples, who can make disciples and so on.

As a church leader who works with other church leaders it is important, no, it is imperative that we understand that our "church activities" are not the end. They are important and need to be done well, but they are not the end. I speak with many church leaders who seem to think the means is the end.  We talk about worship, Bible study, fellowship, mission endeavors, and many other facets of church as if they are they are the end. We will visit about and even evaluate the means as if it is the end. I understand how we can think this way because we invest valuable time and resources on these "means" to accomplish and end, making disciples.  But may we stop, assess, and remember church is not the end.  Making disciples, who can make disciples, who can make disciples to the glory of God and His Kingdom is the end. May we evaluate the means, learn more about the means, make necessary changes to the means so that in the end we have accomplished the end, making disciples, developing people who love God, love others and who are seeking to make a difference in God's Kingdom.

Note To Self: I thank God that He brought people into my life that have helped me understand this as a follower of the Way and as a leader in the church.

Since Football Season Is Coming John 3:16

The Message Of Christianity

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.               I Peter 1:3-5

Breakfast

I had a late breakfast with a friend this morning and the food was really good , but the visit was really really good. A brief prayer started our conversation. Not prayer over the food, but just praying as a part of our lives and a start to our visit. How refreshing. We talked about the creation story in Genesis, work, personal growth, the activity of God in our lives that sometimes can't be described and other various topics. It was good to sit down, and just visit with one another. This friend is growing in Christ, loves his family, is thoughtful about life, has a servants heart, likes to solve problems and has a passion for his life to make a difference in the Kingdom of God. What a privilege to enjoy a good breakfast with a fellow follower of the Way and what a blessing to listen and share in really really good fellowship. For me, the time was encouraging and uplifting and my hope quota was boosted. Thanks.

A Great Prayer

"Lord, do anything in me you want to do so you can do anything through me you want to do."

Heard this from Al Peverall

This Is What I Pray for Horizon Leaders

3-6Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
Philippians 1:3-6 The Message

Beyond Mud Pies

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desire not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, we are like ignorant children who want to continue making mud pies in a slum because we cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a vacation at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis

This Is The Symbol For Christianity

Eternity

" People today take time far more seriously than eternity" Thomas Kelly

Now That Is Good

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

God Can

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20-21a

A Little Humor

Just Say Yes

Say yes to the things of God. Say yes to God as He calls you out to touch the lives of others. Say yes to worshiping regularly with a local church. Say yes to praying more often. Say yes to trusting God more and worrying less. Say yes to joy. Say yes to sharing your faith story with others. Say yes to inviting your neighbor to a worship service or special event hosted by the church in which you serve. Say yes to spending time with God in Scripture. Say yes to ...

The Main Thing Is Jesus Christ

Git Ur Dun

"The person who says it can't be done needs to get out of the way of the person doing it." Saw this statement on FB.

I Will Begin Blogging Again In August

C-KId - Away From Blogging This Week and In July 2011

Happy Father's Day

You!

"God made you as you are in order to use you as He planned." S.C. McAuley

"In" But Not "Of"

Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. I Peter 2:11-12

Dad - Example

A third grade student who was asked to draw a picture of what she thinks God looks like. The little girl showed the teacher - teacher said "Wait a minute, that looks like a man - that's not God!" The little girl said "Well, I don't know what God looks like, but this is a picture of my daddy and he is pretty awesome. so surely, God must look something like my daddy."

Share Christ With Others

"The wish to win the lost for Christ should be and indeed is the natural spontaneous outflow of love in the heart of everyone who is born again." J.I. Packer

The New Symbol Of Christianity

SERVE

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.” ³⁶ “What is your request?” he asked. ³⁷ They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” ³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” ³⁹ “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. ⁴⁰ But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.” ⁴¹ When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. ⁴² So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ⁴³ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:35-45 NLT

Prayer Thoughts Shared on Sunday, June 5

Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian. - Andrew Murray

Pray, and let God worry. - Martin Luther

Rich is the person who has a praying friend. - Janice Hughes

Prayer is not a discourse. It is a form of life, the life with God.

Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude—an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God. - Arthur W. Pink

Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work. - Oswald Chambers

This Is What HCC Mission Weekend Is All About

Isaiah 44:1-8

1 “But now listen, O Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 This is what the LORD says—
he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
5 One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’;
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’
and will take the name Israel.
6 “This is what the LORD says—
Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.
7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let him foretell what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

The Action Bible

I have been in communication with a young man who is a leader in HCC and who loves God and his family. He is creative and wants to make a difference in peoples lives. He recently picked up "The Action Bible". This is a very cool Bible for children and adults. I personally have two Graphic Bibles that I occasionally use for my personal bible reading time. Check out "The Action Bible". May it lead you to action in your daily walk with God and others.

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22


The Action Bible

Remembering

This past Sunday, Memorial Day became even more persoanl and important to me as a gentleman who is a part of Horizon Communty Church shared with us some of his story. Memorial Day is important to him because the town of 5,000 in West Virginia where he grew up lost six men in the Vietnam War. He new three of them pretty well. As he shared it was evident that Memorial Day weekend is much much more that the weekend that begins the summer season for many, or even a long weekend due to having a Monday off from work. Memorial Day for him is remembering, thanking, praying, and living. Thanks for sharing Les.

Matthew 26:6-13

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Hope

Big House - Great Song

One Great Miracle

"The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion being that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing nature up with Him. It is precisely one great miracle. If you take that away there is nothing specifically Christian left." C.S. Lewis, God In The Dock taken from Raised With Christ, Adrian Warnock

Dream

In the absence of great dreams pettiness prevails. - Hans Finzel

12 + 1 Facts About The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

1. Jesus Died By Crucifixion
2. Jesus Was Buried
3. The Disciples Lost Hope
4. The Tomb Was Found Empty
5. Christ Appeared To Many People
6. Many Eye Witnessed The Ascension
7. The Disciples Have A Renewed Zeal
8. Skeptics Minds And Lives Were Changed
9. The Death And Resurrection Central Message Of Disciples
10. The Church Was Born
11. Sunday Became the Primary Day Of Worship And Gathering
12. Communion And Lord's Supper Began
13. It Has Not Been Disproved

How Great Thou Art

He Is Alive

From Calvin Miller’s Once Upon a Tree

The grave of Christ – resplendent blight -
Where Easter came to spend the night
Has left us squinting at the sight
To shade our eyes against such light
And cry he is alive and so are we!
Hallelujah!

Jesus' Own Words

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Luke 9:22

Believing Thomas

Acts 2:24

But God raised him (Jesus Christ) from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

The New Symbol For Christianity

God Exist

"Arguments about God are like pointing a flashlight toward the sky to see if the sun is shining."
N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

Salvation...

". . . the work of salvation, in its full sense, is (1) about whole human beings, not merely souls; (2) about the present, not simply the future; and (3) about what God does through us, not merely what God does in and for us." N.T. Wright

Happy Mother's Day

Oh Yeah!!!

What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.

Psalm 32:1-2 The Living Bible

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.
I Peter 1:3-5 The Message

People Get This Language

Offer Hope - Steer Away From Speaking Christianese

Often we use terms like salvation, sin, eternal life, and even God in our connversations and are confident that they hold the same meaning for the person to whom we are talking. In fact, we do this all the time without much deliberation. However, when we are speaking to someone from another culture, familiar terms that we think convey what we mean may not be communicating precisely what we want to say. This suggests that we must carefully define what we mean by our terms and concepts in our evangelistic conversations.
Beyond Opinion, Ravi Zacharias, p.212

HCC Summer T

BACK

FRONT

Thinking...

Easter is so much more than a Sunday.

Biblical Passages To Read

Matthew 26,27,28

Mark 14,15,16

Luke 22,23,24

John 19,20,21

Today

Today is worth more than all things.

Know The Lord

Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him, and he will respond to us as surely as the coming of the dawn or the rain of early spring. Hosea 6:3 TLB

Thinking Of Easter

Teamwork In Ministry

I had the privilege of meeting with Horizon's Hospitality Team last night and sharing just a little of my heart with them about ministry, touching lives, and making disciples. This team has done a great job and the people on this team are faithful to God, their families, one another and the Kingdom of God. I see in this team and in other teams in Horizon two very important ministry team ingredients. First, the team members understand and seek to practice that the teams purpose and the team's success is greater than their own personal interest. Each team members brings their personal interest to the team and yet realizes that they are to help the team accomplish it's purpose within HCC. Second, These people give of their time and realize that they need to be a responsible team member that follows through with individual responsibilities and team responsibilities for the sake of the team and for the sake of the Gospel. Their are other elements that are positive about this team and other ministry teams in HCC, but these two are very important and are being fleshed out by the Hospitality Team. I thank God for the team members and how they are helping make disciples.

The Symbol For Christianity

The Gospel Is Ultimate Victory

"The gospel is the ultimate story that shows victory coming out of defeat, strength coming out of weakness, life coming out of death, rescue from abandonment. And because it is a true story, it gives us hope because we know life is really like that." King's Cross, Timothy Keller, p. 230

The Word, Then Go

...the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins... Luke 3:2b and 3a

John heard from the Lord and then went out. Many of us go without hearing from the Lord. As a matter of fact in the American church only 3 out of 10 of the leaders in a given church spend time with God. Place ten leaders in a room and ask who is spending regular time with God in prayer, reading Scripture and and seeking to hear from God and maybe three will will own up. The others will have numerous excuses and even downplay the time they need to be spending with God. I know this because I meet with pastors regularly and because I have experienced it myself as a leader. Leaders and followers of Jesus going out before hearing from God. Preachers (myself included) preaching without hearing from God (spending time with God). Team Leaders leading not yet hearing form God. Parents seeking to parent and raise children without a word from God. How needy we are to hear from God. How dry and parched our souls because we are in need for a word from the Lord. It will come if we will spend some time in the wilderness. God is speaking, moving, working, preparing and when we will take some time to slow down and take a stroll in the wilderness we will hear from Him. The wilderness does not have to be the wilderness. The wilderness can be anywhere you can slow down physically, mentally, socially, spiritually and hear from God as you pray, read his Word, have your devotional time and hear from God. This morning my wilderness was on the back porch, at times it is in the blue chair in the family room, it occasionally is at a local park, or in a night walk, or early morning hours of sleeplessness when I get out of bed and listen. Please, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, the local church, yourself and those who do not yet know Jesus Christ ask God to forgive you and then empower you so that you will discover the wilderness. Spend time with God.

When John heard, he went out. The Word came and he went. As John spent time in the wilderness God was preparing others, the way, the circumstances and John so that as he went out others were receptive. This is absolutely beautiful. WOW. Look at Luke 3 The people are inquisitive, they are curious about the message and the man. They have questions that are seemingly sincere and their hearts are stirred. God is at work. John spent time with God, God spent time with John. God did His thing in the hearts of people and as John steps out he steps into God's work, because of the wilderness time. Spend time with God and step out. Step out in His power with His message of hope. God is moving right now in the hearts of people and in the circumstances of their lives. His message of hope is simmering in their lives and you have the opportunity to cause a stirring of questions that can lead them to accept God's love. What an opportunity. Experience the wilderness and go. The Word, Then Go.

Life

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Jesus As A Teen

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:41-52

Hope

Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach. The Lord of The Rings Triology

The Bond

"What binds [Christians] together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together ... because they have been saved by Jesus Christ .... They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus's sake." D.A. Carson

Bless Children

The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them. Mark 10:13-16

Speak No Evil

"Talk low, talk slow, and speak less." - John Wayne "Bite your tongue before it bites you." - The Eating Deacon

Hope

Discovery

The more I discover God the more I realize with great pain, sorrow, joy and hope that my discovery is of God and by God and that God is far greater than even my discovery which leads me to bow my head and raise my hands in victorious humility. Thank God.

Self In Christ

The more we get what we now call "ourselves" out of the way and let Him (Jesus) take us over, the more truly ourselves we become ... our real selves are all waiting for us in Him .... The more I resist Him and try to live on my own, the more I become dominated by my own heredity and upbringing and surrounding and natural desires. In fact what I so proudly call "Myself" becomes merely the meeting-place for trains of events which I never started and I cannot stop. What I call "My wishes" become merely the desires thrown up by my physical organism or pumped into me by other men's thoughts .... It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His personality, that I finally begin to have a real personality all of my own .... [Nevertheless], you must not go to Christ for the sake of [a new self]. As long as your own personality is what you are bothering about you are not going to Him at all. This is a C.S. Lewis quote from Mere Christianity

No Religion At All

The renowned British minister Dick Lucas once preached a sermon in which he recounted an imaginary conversation between an early Christian and her neighbor in Rome. "Ah," the neighbor says. "I hear you are religious! Great! Religion is a good thing. Where is your temple or holy place?" "We don't have a temple," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our temple." "No temple? But where do your priests work and do their rituals? " "We don't have priests to mediate the presence of God," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our priest." "No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favor of your God?" "We don't need a sacrifice," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our sacrifice. " "What kind of religion is this?" sputters the pagan neighbor. And the answer is, it's no kind of religion at all. King's Cross, Timothy Keller p.48

No Static

"In Christianity God is not a static thing...but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance." - C.S. Lewis

Thrive On Three

A friend of mine, Greg English, and I be believe that if you will Celebrate God (worship God regularly as an individual and with a group of people), Connect with Others (be in regular contact and community with other followers of Christ in a local church who encourage you to live for Jesus) and Contribute to Ministry (give financially, lead or serve in a ministry, share Jesus with others and invite them to become a follower of the Way and then help them grow in their walk with God) you will experience a more full and meaningful life. You can Thrive.

He and I have been serving Christ for a combined 45 years. After a great deal of reading Scripture, books about spiritual growth, observing people, interviewing followers of Jesus Christ, discussion between he and I, and a field test we concluded that if people who accept Jesus Christ and begin to follow Him will practice the Three they can and will have a meaningful relationship with God and others. Thrive On Three is about walking with God and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Start thriving. Begin Celebrating God, Connecting with Others and Contributing to Ministry.

God On The Go Through Philip

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Acts 8:26-40