CBC Pastoral E-Letter: February 26, 2009

Dear CBC Family,

 

I never grow tired of taking time to celebrate what Christ has done for me!  I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we gather around the communion table and celebrate Jesus’ greatest gift of all: Himself!  The worship will lift our hearts, I trust the message will focus our eyes, and we will wrap up with remembering Christ’s sacrifice and giving thanks!  It is going to be a special morning of worship and celebration.  I hope that you are going to be there! 

 

I know that for some of us guys it is going to be a struggle with our wives on the Women’s Retreat, but I hope you will make the effort to be there. 

 

I also wanted to let you know that you will want to make plans to be here next Sunday, March 8 as I will be making a special announcement about our MOVE OUT date!  You will want to hear it first-hand.

 

Trust that God will bless you as you walk with Him this week!

 

In His Grace,

 

Richard Gay

 

 

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To respond to Pastor Gay’s letter, feel free to post a comment on his blog. 

 

a good way to start the week

From A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God:

O God, I have tasted Your goodness,
and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God,
I want to want You;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Your glory, I pray,
so I may know You indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me…
Give me grace to rise and follow You up from this misty lowland
where I have wandered so long.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

CBC Pastoral E-Letter: February 19, 2009

Dear Central Family,

 

I hope this letter finds you enjoying your week and looking forward to this coming Sunday. 

 

I have enjoyed so much having the opportunity to see what God wants to do in our Central family as we have studied the topic of community and getting connected.  We have seen God do some awesome things as I have heard reports from individuals who have stepped out and sought to get connected, whether through an Adult Bible Fellowship or a Growth Group.  Way to Go! If you are not yet connected, let me encourage you to go to our website to find out how to connect.   

 

This Sunday I have asked Pastor Gilmer to wrap up this series as we look at the topic of getting out of the box!  You will want to make sure you are here this Sunday to hear what God has for you through Pastor Gilmer!

 

I also wanted to let you know how God is working through your prayers!  This past week we had students trust Christ during both our senior high and junior high Breakaway ministries!  Pray for Pastor Jeremy as he follows up with these new believers.  Also, pray for Jeremy and the student ministries staff as over 60 junior high students will be on a winter retreat this weekend.  Please pray that God will use the retreat to impact lives for eternity.

 

I hope to see you this Sunday.  I can’t wait to see what God is going to do!

 

Richard Gay

Senior Pastor

 

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To respond to Pastor Gay’s letter, feel free to post a comment on his blog. 

 

Beyond Valentines Day Challenge

I really enjoyed spending Valentines Day with by beloved wife yesterday! She is totally awesome and I am amazed at God's grace that He gave me Kim, WOW! I want to share with you a book that has really helped us to begin to understand each other. The book is called for Couples only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn. This set of books has sold over one million copies and is made of two volumes, one for us guys, and one for the ladies. Each is designed to help you understand what the opposite sex thinks, and how they process emotions. Each volume is based on input from more than a thousand members of the opposite sex—including an unprecedented nationwide survey and hundreds of personal interviews. This innovative approach yields candid and surprising answers about everything you don’t “get” about your significant other—even what that person deeply wishes you knew. It also produces simple but groundbreaking awareness of how you can best love and support the one who is most important to you. It is awesome! It has helped us so much to better understand each other, and I recommend you not walk but run to your nearest bookstore and order a copy.

My challenge, pick up a copy and watch it grow your marriage! It will help you get beyond just saying I love you, but showing it in meaningful ways! So I hope you will take the challenge you will be glad you did!

CBC Pastoral E-Letter: February 12, 2009

Dear Central Family,

 

     I hope that you were here this past Sunday to hear our guest speaker Franck Gerard!  I heard so many comments from individuals who were challenged and encouraged by his message, “I Don’t Have Time for That!”  Feel free to contact Susan Localio at slocalio@cbcnj.org to order a copy of the DVD.  You will be blessed by the message, and I also encourage you to share the blessing with others.

 

     This Sunday we will continue to focus on the area of Connecting in Community and look at another obstacle that can keep us from connecting with one another.  We will look at what the Scripture says about a trick that the enemy wants to play on us to keep us from enjoying true community with one another. 

 

     I am encouraged by the way some of you have been stepping out to check out either an Adult Bible Fellowship or Growth Group.  You can pick up a brochure or go to the website to look at the many opportunities that are available for you to get connected.

 

     I look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning!

 

     Richard Gay

     Senior Pastor

 

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To respond to Pastor Gay’s letter, feel free to post a comment on his blog. 

 

 

 

 

 

CBC Pastoral E-Letter: February 5, 2009

Dear CBC Family,

 

     Do you find that the week just rushes by?  It seems like the older I get, the more I have to do, and the quicker the week flies by.  If I’m not careful, it is so easy to neglect the important in order to fulfill the urgent.  Maybe you feel like this as well. 

 

     I know that one of the obstacles that can hinder you from connecting in community can be the issue of time.  The subject of time is what we are going to focus on this Sunday as we continue our series Connecting in Community.  We are so convinced that this is a big obstacle in our lives that we have invited a special guest to be with us this Sunday.  Franck Guerard works with ABC Consulting Group International which provides management consulting and training.  We as leaders had a great opportunity last Fall to hear from Franck and were all blessed and challenged with practical ways to put the life-changing principles that he taught us into practice.  I hope that you will be with us this Sunday.

 

     I invested some time this past week walking through the new worship center and fellowship mall.  I am so encouraged when I see the work that continues to progress.  I know you are going to be encouraged to invite your friends and family to be your guest at one of our worship services.  I took time to just stop and thank God for each of you and the part that you are playing as you sacrificially give to Faith Journey for Eternity.  Each week I know so many of you are sacrificially giving to see this vision become a reality.  Wait till you see how this will all fit together.  Thank you for your sacrificial investment into eternity!

 

     Finally, God continues to open up doors for us to walk through to impact our community.  Please keep praying that we all keep our eyes on the vision that God has given us, and that we all keep remembering that this is all about Him, for Him, and through Him!   See you on Sunday!

 

     An amazed and grateful pastor!

     Dick Gay