middle school students, widows, and christmas

This has been an amazing couple of days. Tuesday had the privilege with my three pastor buddies from Central to participate at Fisher Middle School in a program called Challenge Day. A day filled with emotions, joy, and tears, as we ministered to students and as they opened their hearts to us. WOW! What a joy to be there and care for these kids!

Today, we had a christmas lunch with my widows growth group. This dear group of women who meet every other wednesday for bible Study had a fun lunch together today and i got to see joy, peace, perseverance in action. I love these ladies and what they mean to our church. We laughed and had so much fun today.

What a job, what a joy, what fun to serve here at Central! God, thank you so much!!!!

O come let us adore Him!

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, a time in which the Christian Church celebrates the coming of Christ and looks forward to the second coming of Christ. Here is an idea, take some time starting today to focus on what Christ has done for us in coming for you and me. Here is a great tool I just found. Kim and I will be using it to celebrate, hope you will join us. Let me know your thoughts.

http://www.ctkraleigh.org/mediafiles/advent-devotional.pdf



Christ the King Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC, has put together this Christ-centered devotional for families and churches, which I would warmly recommend.

ENJOY!

God is soo good!

What an awesome day yesterday at Central! The Worship was dynamic, how could it not be when in the contemporary services the Gospel Ensemble Rocked the house and in the Classic Service, the sweet aroma of God's people praising and praying. The congregation was connected, lots of comments about how the service impacted lives. The place was packed with guests and newcomers, met new people each hour that God is bringing through His own unique way. Then to culminate it all with over 240 people at our first annual Thanksgiving Dinner Worship Celebration. WOW! the fellowship, the praise, the testimonies, the worship, the connection, it was a powerful picture of what the church is to be, then the challenge we all received to get off our seats and get invovled with our community through our 12 days of Christmas outreach just was the cherry on the top! How do you feed that many people such great food, that was hot, and right on time? Only at Central! It just reminded me of how honored we are to serve in this place, a church that gets it!

listen to the Spirit, please!

I am once again blown away by the way the Father intimately is involved with our lives. Last night i was preparing for a medical procedure Tuesday morning, and I was feeling a bit down, not anxious, just down, with all the prep I had to do for this procedure, when I received an email out of the blue from someone i never hear from who had something they wanted to share with me that God put on their heart. It was a video card, and it was like the Father just stepped into my house, put His arm on my shoulder and lifted my spirit. It was an instantaneous thing. So when the Spirit puts something on your heart, listen please, and do it, you never know how this will lift the spirits of someone else.

while they were praying...

I just participated in an unbelievable evening of God pouring out His spirit on our Church during Prayer and Bible Study. We were studying the attributes of God and the interaction about the SO WHAT to every attribute we studied was so powerful to hear what the Spirit was saying to each person. Then we started our prayer portion and the worship, the singing, the prayer, the praise, the Scripture. It was a powerful representation of what it means to see God pour out His spirit while we were praying, God you are soooooo good!

Prayer for a new president

I recently came across this and it is well written and a good point for us to keep in mind as we approach Wed am!

Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President:

I do not yet know your name, but in a few days you will be elected to our nation’s highest office, and become the leader of the free world at the end of a long and engaging election season.

I wanted you to know that I will be praying for you. Not praying against you, or about you, but for you. That is both my pledge, and my obligation as a follower of Christ. In the Bible, the apostle Paul writes, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

And I will do so with a full and undivided heart.

I will be praying for you from my position as a father of four children, and God willing, future grandchildren; that you will have the foresight to think through what your decisions will mean for them as the next generation.

I will be praying for you as a citizen of the United States; that you will seek wisdom from God and humbly submit yourself to His leadership as you lead our nation through economic turbulence, domestic divides, and cultural diversities.

I will be praying for you as a member of the global population; that you will work with other well-intentioned leaders from around the world as we face environmental challenges, wars and rumors of wars, and humanitarian crises.

And finally, I will be praying for you as a Christian; that you will encourage faith in God to flourish and never allow deeply held spiritual convictions to become a matter of ridicule, instead encouraging everyone to grant them a respectful hearing, even if they go against the political policy of your party.

It is being widely spoken that the next president will inherit more that needs immediate attention than any other president in recent memory. As a result, it has been a hard-fought and hotly contested election. Yes, I will vote, and I do not know if you will be the one for whom I cast my ballot. But following November 4th, all that must be set aside no matter how deep the divides may be.

So while I do not know if you will be the candidate I voted for, I do know that no matter your name, I will support you in one way without question.

I will be praying for you.

James Emery White


Sources

Scripture reference: I Timothy 2:1-2, New International Version.

For an online community committed to praying for our leaders that is both non-political and non-partisan, see www.presidentialprayerteam.org.


Editor’s Note

To enjoy a free subscription to the Serious Times Update, log-on to www.serioustimes.com, where you can also join the conversation on this update by posting your comments, and view past Updates in our archive.

Time with the men

Looking forward to a special weekend this weekend as the men get away for our mens retreat. i am looking forward to some down time with our guys hoping to be a messenger of encouragement and for God to do some supernatural things!

Be Still and Know

I know that we all struggle with the time to just be still and Know that He is God as given to us in Psalm 46, that i preached from on Sunday, well i came across a great resource with rich music that will enhance your time with the Lord to just be still with 24/7 live streaming, you have to check this out, then let me know what you think
www.worship.net

Enjoy!

This is my son in whom I am well pleased!

All right, i need to push out my chest on behalf of my son Jon. today we attended an awards ceremony where he was chosen as one of Bucks County Early Childhood Educators of the Year! He was nominated by a parent, and out of all the nominations, 64 were chosen to be considered for the honor, he was one of 5 chosen for this honor, and on top of all of that, he is the first male ever to get this award in 14 years of giving out the award! We were so proud to be a part of this momentous day, and way to go Jon, you have a heart for kids, a gift from God, and God is using you in powerful ways. Mom and I are so proud!

Fireproof

Just got back from a date with my wife and saw the new movie Fireproof. i must admit I was a bit skeptical as most Christian movies just dont make the cut. I was pleasantly surprised with this one! A powerful story, well done, that will impact couples across the country who see it. So take the time to go and see it, you will not be sorry. God heal our families!

How to pray for your pastor

Many times people in our congregation ask me, how can i pray for you? Well this sums it all up. What a great way to sum up how you can best pray for your pastor.

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1417_pray_more_than_you_criticize/

God bless you for your prayers!

the challenge to love

I have been thinking about the challenge that God gives all of us to love those in our families with an unconditional accepting sacrificial love. Sometimes this can be very hard, or should i say IMPOSSIBLE. But then it hit, me that is exactly it! It is impossible to do on our own, but God in His grace can do it through us if we will only follow what the Apostle Paul says in I cor 14:1 is the way of love. What a clear hard, no difficult, no impossible teaching, but what a great God who loves to do the impossible lives in each of us!

just plain fun

I guess I just want to reflect on how much fun ministry can be when you have a team that loves each other, is focused on our vision, and just enjoys being together. i felt this in a great way today as I have interacted with different members of our team, what a joy it is to work with each of these guys and gals. Thanks Lord, for giving me the opp! it is just plain fun!

and we had (I mean were) the church

God blessed yesterday in a powerful way, and i had to step back and just say, what a joy to be part of a church that is focused on the vision, and going after it with all the gusto we can imagine! From the video report in the new worship center, to calling people to present their requests as we were a house of prayer, to the concluding sunday evening congregational meeting which was more of a shot in the arm to our vision casting than anything else, we had the privilege of being the church, and to see the Holy Spirit of God work in powerful ways. What a joy, what a privilege, what a Great God we serve!

not by bread alone

Awesome kick off night for wed night alive! The place was a buzz with adults and children for all the programs. Very exciting to see the number of adults interested in both Bible Study and prayer for our church, our community, and each other. It is the beginning of something that is going to get bigger because we are focused on the right thing. thank you Lord!

house of prayer

As I am preparing the message for this week in our One prayer series I am going to focus on the prayer that our church become a house of prayer. This has been repeated over and over again in the suggestions from the congregation and I am looking foward to sharing what God has been teaching me in this regard.

Finally home

Got word today, dear friend that I visited on Labor Day weekend, was finally taken home from a battle with cancer today. Guess what He won! He is now with Jesus, and i will have the privilege of sharing the good news with those at his memorial service and comfort to all of us who are hurting. He is finally home, Thank you Jesus

What a team

No, I am not bloviating about the Cowboys, though I could :) No, I am talking about the team God has given me the opp to work with here at CBC. This is such a gifted, radically sold out group of men and women, who GET IT! ( Check out Craig Groeschel new book IT, it is shaking up our staff!) This team that I get to work with is not afraid to try something new, not afraid to step out on faith, and not afraid to step out and speak the truth in love to each other. I am so blessed and this whole congregation is blessed to have these guys on this team. Thanks Lord for making it that I am not alone, You are awesome!

Reminder of what it is all about

Had lunch recently with a dear friend, who shared something that really made me think. He spoke of a time when I spoke truth to him, and how God used that to give him direction. It brought tears to both of our eyes, and I just whispered a prayer of thanks to God that He choses to use clay pots (or cracked pots) like us (me) to do His will. What a joy to be part of His plan...

listening and not ignoring

i must admit that i have always struggled with listening and not wanting to interrupt, but I am learning to do this better as I seek to be a better leader and shepherd of God's flock. But the area that God has been really working on me, is to listen to his promptings in my daily walk and ministry. So often in the past, I feel like He was speaking to me through His spirit, and i would just chalk it up to just some random thought in my head. i would then ignore the prompting and miss the blessing that was in store if I had walked with Him where He was leading. i am asking God to show me more and more as He leads through His still small voice, for me to listen and then respond. Hard, but enjoyable to be on this journey.

post convention reflections

Well, the 2 week political conventions are over, and I am glad! I learned alot from both weeks, but I am political discussioned out! It is more interesting in our home now that both of my sons can vote in the election and to watch them grapple with the issues and the constant attacks from both sides. Honestly I like politics, but i am tired of the "he said" "she said" wrangling. Till November, i will watch, pray, and ask God for his direction for our country. Can anyone say are you ready for some football??

only one life...

Sunday afternoon I left home to make a trip 5 hours away to visit a dear friend who is in their last stage of life. What a joyous opp to spend time with a dear man who was a leader in our first church where I served as a youth pastor back in 1979. To spend time with him, to laugh, to cry, to remember the good days of ministry together, to pray with him and release him to His Savior, then to drive around the area where I ministered right after Bible college. This was a weekend filled with blessing. Came home yesterday after stopping and visiting another couple we ministered with who are in their late 80's and the man is 90. They are both serving the Lord so faithfully, and energetically. All I could say was thank you Lord for some awesome examples to me about what it means to finish well. A weekend I will not soon forget!

It's summer but Falls a comin!

Counting down the days till Fall kickoff for the church and our home life. Things are already picking up speed at home with college starting for one of my children, and middle school for another. Cant wait to see everyone back at church who has been gone for the summer and to have a laser beam focus on what God wants us to do for the fall. Love the changing seasons, but the fall is my favorite. Bring it on!

what a team

I am reminded again about the value of teamwork. Great staff meeting yesterday where I saw again the value of open honest interaction and communication in order to wrestle with a difficult issue. I am blessed to have such a vision focused, top notch team, and so is CBC!

Fly to the Bookstore for This one!

The past two weeks I have had the joy of reading Mark Batterson's newly released book Wild Goose Chase and I gotta tell you, this is one you have to get and start reading now! In the typical Mark Batterson style, he nailed me in so many ways when it comes to being open to and dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our ministries. So give our bookstore a call (609) 882-0337 and see if they have any copies in stock, if not have them order you one. You will be refreshed, challenged, convicted, and greatly ENCOURAGED!

Check out this quote!

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect.

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” --from the introduction.

Like what you read? go to www.chasethegoose.com for more info.


Author Bio:

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

It is almost fall

Things are hectic around our home as we get ready for the fall. My daughter will be in 7th grade. Where is the time going? My eldest son is working full time now that he has graduated from college. Way to go Jon! My youngest son starts college next week, Way to go Josh! so as you can see the plate is full, but the heart is full also with joy as to what God is doing in each of their lives. Will be an intersting couple of weeks...

Never gets old

Get this. Sunday morning, back in the pulpit, and after the 9:45 service, one of our prayer team tells me she just lead 2 women to Christ. WOW!

Monday morning. First appointment of day, meet with a man, he opens his heart up to Christ! WOW!

Monday morning. Get to walk on the stage of the new worship Center. WOW!

Serving Christ at CBC never gets old, I just step back and say, what a privilege to be able to be with such an awesome team in and awesome work! Did I say WOW!

Recharged, Refreshed, Renewed

Coming back from 2 weeks away with the family, and we had a great time of rest and recharging the batteries. I felt the opp to step back and think, reflect, and just enjoy spending time with the family and alone with God. I cannot wait to be back in the pulpit this Sunday!

Help with Sermon Series

This Sunday we are going to ask the congregation to consider 1 prayer that they would pray for our church what that would be. This is based on the idea of a sermon series called one prayer that many churches did this past summer. After hearing a podcast on my way to Romania from one of the Pastors who did this series, he suggested asking our congregation what their one prayer would be, so we are going to do that and then take these suggestions and put together a series for this fall. I cant wait to see what will happen in this series. So here is the question, if you could ask the Lord for one thing for CBC what would be? Submit here and i will put it in with the other suggestions. Later, gotta pack for our trip

vacation with the fam

I will be silent in this blogosphere till the middle of August, as i will be away with my family on vacation. Talk to you when I return!

Where is God

I guess this is a question I asked many times times today as I had a full day of pastoral counseling. Hearing people share what they are going through I know causes many to ask where is God? I was so encouraged however to hear each of these people say, we know where He is, right with us in the midst of the pain. What an affirmation to see God's people trust when it is so hard. What a great reminder

Welcome Back

It has been too long since I have blogged, and I am going to get back in the saddle. what a wonderful day of worship we had today as the Lord allowed us to celebrate what He did this past week at VBS! What a joy to see all the parents of those precious children present at 11 service and did we rock! Way to go team and way to go kids! it was so exciting to be able to share how children, teens, and Romanians entered the kingdom the past couple of weeks. I am so amazed how God desires to use us to accomplish his purpose, and I am even more amazed that He choses to use a lump of clay like me and His church at CBC. Praise God. what an awesome God we serve

Celebrate Good Times!

This is a week of Celebration, my second son graduated from High School! Way to Go Josh! You finished well!!! My daughter finished her first year of middle school, Way to Go Lydia!!! Straight A's!!! (sorry the proud dad comes out), and Jonathan has finished his first term on his new job, Proud of you man! We wrap up the week with some parties, then head to shore on Monday for a weeks vacation at the shore. Cant get much better than that. How I love summer!!!!

weeping and rejoicing

This has been an interesting week! Days filled with planning for 2 memorial services, and conducting one on Friday for a long time member, servant in our church, and seeking to comfort the family. I was reminded about how important truth is as that is the only bedrock that we can stand on that can get us through times of sorrow.

then there is rejoicing. today i will officiate a wedding of a young couple in our church, what a celebration it will be! Again i am reminded of how important truth is as a foundation to a marriage that glorifies Christ. Truly you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free, whether to weep or to rejoice!

OUCH!

As i was preparing the message for today i was confronted by the reality of the stats given in the book by David Kinnaman called Unchristian. I am using this book as a basis of a new series I am calling 4 things that bug me about Christians. The book is a must read if you are going to understand the culture we are living in and how both those outside and inside the church see believers. The hit today was that we are seen as hypocritical. As I studied Matt 23 and the stinging words of Jesus to the Pharisees, I have to be honest (no pun intended) and say that i know deep in my heart lives a Pharisee, that is often trying to come out. God forgive me, and keep me honest, transparent, and sincere. Thank you for not giving up on me!

a clear view of stewardship

Came across this powerful quote about stewardship that nails it!

Our stewardship of money tells a deep and consequential story. It forms our biography."

Randy Alcorn, quoted in Giving by John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson, & Judson Poling

So the Lord says to me,"So what is your biography?"

1.7 million reasons to say thank you!

What a Celebration Day we all experieinced yesterday! the culumination of a month long emphasis on stewardship. I am so proud of our congregation and the way that they have responded to God's directives to their hearts. We had 3 unbelievable worship celebrations yesterday, and climax for me was when I met a man who was there for the first time, brought by a friend who has been coming for a few months. This man told me that he could not believe what he had experienced, and then his friend just beamed and said "I told you so!" Exactly what the vision is all about, to reach people where they are so they are impacted by the power of the Gospel. Then we gathered 200 strong last night for a fellowship dinner and worship time that raised the roof. I had the privilege of announcing the faith promise commitments of our congregation over the next 3 years of 1,736,099.64(and counting). I say that because I was handed more commitment cards at the end of the evening. God worked through His people, and cant wait to see what He is going to do in their lives as they stepped out on faith. Love this church, Love this assignment from High!

Reflections as I prepare for Sunday

As I look back on all that God has done over the past years at CBC I just fall on my knees and cry Holy Holy Holy! Today is Celebration Sunday, and we are going to stand back and watch what God is going to do through His people. We will praise Him for the commitments made by everyone who calls Central home, as we see the construction going on all around us. Even though that is very exciting and causes my heart to skip a beat, that is not what is causing the overwhelming sense of awe. It is the lives that we continue to see changed every week through the power of the Spirit, it is the depth of love that this congregation has for each other and for our community. It is the privilege of fulfilling His assignment in serving here. Holy, Holy Holy!

Beginning of something really good

This has been an awesome week! Pastor Gilmer started on staff as our Pastor of Spiritual Development and has already made great contributions. It is a lot of fun to have him on our team, and I cant wait to see what God will do through him.

We had our leadership commitment event last evening, where many of our leaders stepped out and made their faith promise commitments for the building of our facility. Great spirit in the evening, and alot of fun. Looking forward to Celebration Sunday when the body as a whole will step forward with their commitments. These are always stretching times for my faith as well as we step out and trust God on this thing we call a faith journey.

Random Weekend Thoughts

It is Sunday Morning and I am pumped! Cant wait to preach this message about the rewards waiting for the follower of Christ
Cant wait for the congregational meeting to vote on calling Anthony for Pastor of Spiritual Development. The response has been so encouraging!
Cant wait for growth group tonite,love these folks
Cant wait to thank God for the healing power He displayed for a woman in our church who had major back surgery this past week
Cant wait to see what God is going to do
On another front, had a great Saturday, working in the yard, powerwashing the house, and sprucing things up. This morning sore and tight, but feels good to know I did the right thing!
Felt like summer, went to Ritas for water ice with the family, have to love the northeast... Never got water ice in Texas
Gonna be a good day

What a day!

As i reflect back on an awesome Lord's Day, all I can say is that I am so thankful to be able to serve at Central in the role God has placed me. i am thankful for:

a teachable spirit on the part of the congregation willing to step forward by faith
a people who are concerned for others both in our congregation and in our community
the progress of construction as the blacktop is ripped up, and the nursery building goes up
the potential of a new pastor on staff who candidated today for Pastor of Spiritual Development and the congregation really connected with
the faith journey we are all on as we ask God what He wants from us as we seek to build for His glory.

What an awesome God, and what an awesome place to serve!

refreshed and recharged

Great two days at the conference on preaching in DC. Heard Chuck Colson and Rick Warren yesterday and was once again reminded of the neccesity of exegeting not only the text I preach but the culture in which I live. The only way for us to fulfill the vision God has given to us at CBC.

Jeremiah 1:4-5

Heard a dynamic message last night by AR Bernard from New York City at the Preaching Conference I am attending. I am still chewing on it it was so good! Talk about boosting your sense of destiny and dignity. I am just asking the Lord to seal this one deep in my heart. It settles so much as to who we are, why we are here, and where we are going in our lives, regardless of background, culture, inheritance, weaknesses. WOW! What an awesome God!

God at work

I am continually amazed at how God chooses to use something that he directs me to say in a message to challenge someone in a specific way. Yesterday a woman came up and shared how she had been struggling with an issue, and it was as if God just nailed her in arms of grace to challenge her to get out of her seat and into the game. Thanks Lord for choosing to use the foolishness of preaching to challenge hearts and the foolishness of this preacher to impact your kingdom

Challenge and refreshment

I will be away for the next few days at a conference on preaching, looking forward to some good time to rest, reflect, and refresh as I hear from Chuck Colson, Mark Batterson of Chase the lion fame, and Rick Warren. Asking God to speak in a special way, it will be fun to just sit and soak in, while someone else delivers. Gotta love it!

The privilege of being mentored

Spent some time today, (change that, invested time) with a mentor, I thank God for the way that He has brought men into my life who know when to ask the tough questions and when to give words of encouragement. I am thankful for having someone like that in my life and I left that lunch today, thankful for having an Apostle Paul in my life.

Reflections on Easter week

As I look back on this past week and all the services we had from Thursday up to Easter Sunday morning, I am overwhelmed with thanks for God's presence, and the way His people stepped up to the plate. I thank Him for: the different ways that we worshipped from the power of quiet at the Maundy Thursday Service to the dynamic of full houses and rocking music on Easter Sunday. For the dynamic volunteers who kept moving in chairs, and giving up seats for guests, and helping with moving guests around crowded hallways, all with a smile and a sense of purpose "we know why we are here". For the presence of the Holy Spirit in each of the services in such an awesome way that all we could say, is What a Mighty God we serve! For the many first time guests, and folks who took a step closer to a relationship with Christ. For all the tireless program servants who gave their all! As I start this new day, all I can say is Thank you Lord for allowing me to be part of this work you are doing!

Power of teamwork!

This past week I saw the evidence of the power of a team at work. First as our team interviewed a prospective pastoral candidate for Pastor of Spiritual Development, to see our team function and seek God's face as we seek His will. Then today to see many of our team present at the homegoing celebration of the mom of one of our team members. It was a vivid reminder of the importance of being part of a team that seeks God and cares for one another. Sounds real Biblical!

Do you know my King ?

Check out this you tube video. What more can be said, except do you know my King?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9xhdrcIqm4

It's Wed, but Sunday's Coming!

I have been reminded this week as to how the enemy likes to attack and throw roadblocks in our way. As we prepare for Resurrection Sunday, and all the activities this week,I have seen more attack on staff, church members, and myself as well. The enemy loves to throw blockades such as discouragement, pettiness, and critical spirits at us, to get us off course. My challenge, to keep my eyes on Jesus and just keep pressing on, because it may be Wed, but Sunday's Coming!

A saint at the gates

Had the privilege of being at the hospital with a woman who is waiting on God to take her home. She has been such a testimony to watch as she has recalled Scripture and the teaching she has received through the years. A godly woman who is waiting for her reward. What a lesson to me about setting our eyes on things that are unseen and not on those that are seen. What an example of simple childlike faith, that is carrying her through these hard days. God grant that when my time comes I will be able to display such a faith.

Staff search

We have been in a staff search for the past six months for a Pastor of Spiritual Development. It is so encouraging to see the work now pay off as we zero in on one candidate. Unbelievable to step back and see how God worked through the process to bring us to this point. I am looking forward with anticipation to what God is going to do. The chemistry issue is so important for our team. Will keep you posted

Spirit and the Word

what a great morning, God showed up for our worship services, and the Holy Spirit impacted individuals in different ways. It always amazes me at how the Spirit uses what is said to apply to such different situations in such different ways, such was the case today. what a ride!

A piece of steak to chew on!

What is the difference between success in God's eyes, and being driven to be a success in my eyes? What is real significance and calling? These are questions I mulled over this morning as I was reading a book by Mike Breaux called Identity Theft, great read, and I encourage you to check it out. Mike has a quote on page 112, that summed it up for me:

"I don't have to be THE best;
I Just want to be MY best-
to the glory of God."

That is good stuff! Great way to start my day.

The power of one and the power of many

Yesterday I was reminded of the power of one and the power of many. Here is what I mean.

The power of a witness of a woman who is burdened for her dying dad, and asked me for prayer.
The power of a witness of a woman who is burdened for her ill sister, and asked me for prayer.
The power of a student who is sharing Christ with his classmate.
The power of a daughter sharing Christ with her mother and inviting her to church to hear the gospel.
The power of one peson taking time to share friendship with another so they can see the love of Christ and have their eyes opened to the truth!

The power of many as each of us understand the power of one!

What a difference in the power of one! By the way, check out our website and look at the evite for Easter, www.cbcnj.org I was blown away!

It's all about people

This past week has been a hectic one, with loads of meetings and activities. Nothing new about that. However what made this past week so different is that I spent so much time visiting people in the hospital. As I made each visit, I was encouraged to remember why I went into the ministry in the first place. It's all about people. It is easy to let that get pushed aside, and God uses weeks like this past one to gently nudge me (actually, to kick me in the pants!) as to what is most important. The to do list is still on the desk, and the papers are still there, but the real joy comes from being used to touch other people who are hurting, and in need of a word of encouragement. Good reminder by a gracious God to a too driven pastor who is trying to stay on task.

It's a boy!

Well after much pain and angst (a bit over dramatic!) CBC gave birth to her first growth group this past Sunday. Our Yardley-Newtown group was too large so we decided we needed to birth another group. I am part of that new group, and we met for the first time this past Sunday night. We had a blast! Great sharing, and fun and fellowship, and of course food. It reminded me that long lasting growth takes place in the context of relationships. I am looking forward to our growth together, we have decided to study Mark Batterson's book,In A Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. Looking forward to it!

construction has begun!

This past week was a special one, as construction has begun on our new facility at CBC. As i watched the work in progress, I could not help but think of all the faithful gifts of so many faithful people in our congregation who have sacrificed to see this facility built. I was commenting to one of the staff guys today, this is such an awesome Church, made up loving followers of Christ, who are an example to me of sacrifice, faith, and vision. We both agreed, we dont deserve to be in such a great place!

special night with a special girl

Due to the graciousness of someone in our church, I was able to take my daughter to the Casting Crowns concert on Saturday evening. What a night! We worshipped, and really enjoyed the opportunity to hear Casting Crowns, Leeland, and John Weller. Great time, great seats, great fun with a special girl. Too much fun that will not be soon forgot!