Wednesday night

Just a reminder...
We will be having a prayer and praise service here at WJACC Wednesday night at 7pm. Come help us anticipate a new year of seeing what God is going to do. See you there.

Shapes of Christmas-advent devotion (5)

The Tree (Christmas Eve)

Scripture
Luke 2:25-32; John 10:10

25And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
28then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29"Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."

10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Devotion
There is no more familiar shape during the Christmas season than the Christmas Tree. The decorated symbol of Christmas quickly transforms a normal living room into a joyful atmosphere of celebration. The most outstanding characteristic of the Christmas tree is the use of an evergreen tree. These trees are full of life. The fir tree can stand tall even under the most outrageous conditions...and in the end still be flowing with the life is was given. Jesus said that He came so that we may have life and have it to the full. This life of faith can stand the most outrageous conditions of life and in the end we are allowed to stand tall because Jesus has brought us through it. This Christmas season we celebrate the birth of our Lord, our Savior, and our Life-Giver. Don't wait another year or even another day before trusting Him for your life. Let Jesus be the king, your friend, and your way to the Father. He came for you so that you might live.

Prayer-
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for putting on flesh and walking the earth so that we may have a close personal relationship with Almighty God. You are the source of all life and we confess our need for you. Please forgive us when we act as if we are fine without You. Take us and use us to reach others with Your light of grace and love. We love you Jesus...but only because You showed us what real love is. We pray all of this in Your name.
Amen

Shapes of Christmas-advent devotion (4)

The Crown
Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7

When you see the shape of a crown what other images come to mind? It probably is not one of a manger or of shepherds or even of a tiny little baby boy. However, this is exactly how the King of kings and the Lord of lords introduced Himself to a lost world. The fallen world needed someone with ultimate authority. The kind of authority that leads people in the ways they should go. Jesus held that kind of authority and still does today. Christmas is a time when we celebrate and have fun together. However, it is also a time when we can find direction again. We can find meaning in the midst of chaos. We can see the light through the darkness. Jesus is everything we need and this season we celebrate not only our Savior but our Lord as well. Let Jesus be your King this Christmas.

Dear Lord,

Teach us today how to submit to You. Your ways are perfect. We need your perfect guidance to obey You and walk in Your commands. Thank you for your perfect birth and
your life today that allows us to find direction and purpose. We love you. Amen.

Shapes of Christmas-advent devotion (3)

The Circle - John 1:1-4;14

It is difficult to make it through a Christmas season without coming face to face with circles. They decorate homes, stores & even churches in the form of evergreen wreaths. Circles have no beginning and no end. Every time we see a Christmas wreath we are reminded of the never ending cycle of God’s love. God’s word, the expression of His never ending love, became flesh and dwelt among us. God’s unstoppable love walked the face of earth so that we may know what real life is.
Let us take advantage of this season to celebrate God’s love which did not even see flesh as a barrier to loving the world.

Prayer –

Lord, We are so grateful for your love. Thank you for loving us in spite of our selfish desires. Help us today to believe your love can accomplish anything and help us to be instr5uments of your love this Christmas. We love you, Lord. Amen

Shapes of Christmas-advent devotion (2)

Star – Matthew 2:8-11

Christmas trees are topped with them. The sky is full of them. But that night there was one. This one was brighter than the others. This one would not be overlooked. It had a purpose and that was to lead. That night it guided some very intelligent individuals to their salvation wrapped in a package of flesh.
Today people are led by all types of light. Selfishness, lust, pride, addictions and others can seem overwhelmingly bright. However, the little star of Bethlehem led the wise men over hundreds of challenging miles and is still guiding paths today.
This Advent season, what light are you following? Also, what kind of light are you being for others?

Prayer –

Father,
Thank you for the star light that first led us to you. Help us to also be lights guiding others to your love and salvation this season. We love you. Amen

Shapes of Christmas-advent devotion

Shepherd Staff – Luke 2:8-20

One of the first signs of Christmas we begin to see are candy canes. For years this sweet peppermint treat has been freshening breath all over the world. Kids collect them. Families decorate their trees with them. We are all familiar with candy canes. But, how often do we think about a candy cane being shaped like a shepherd’s staff?
God revealed the good news of the birth of Jesus to a group of shepherds. Even in their common existence they had a sense of responsibility and obedience that would not let them stay silent.
As we light the first candle of advent let us remember the shape of the shepherd’s staff and the fresh, exciting news that was brought that night long ago, let us be obedient in sharing the hope that is Jesus Christ this season.

Prayer –
Lord,
Thank you for the birth of Jesus Christ. This week, help us to share this good news as we walk through each day. May someone this year have their hearts opened by your love and help us to celebrate with your angels when that happens. We love you, Amen

advent and such

OK...I know I haven't updated the blog in a while and now with the Christmas season over and the new year beginning business should be picking up here at "thoughts and things". I want to give you a taste of what I've been up to lately. I am about to post all of the advent devotions I wrote for church. I know advent is over but they are all still relevant...I hope :-)

Happy Reading!

www-wonderful wacky web

I am out of control!...a few years ago I simply did e-mail and browsed the internet. Now I officially have 3 web sites of my own.
1-this site which if you are reading this you already know about
2-myspace-several youth and young adults I work with/beside keep up with myspace
3-now I have facebook which seems to have everyone else in my life following
If only we could use our combined powers for good...mmmmmmmmm

I made a decision

Today I voted for someone to be the next president of the United States of America. I have spent the last several months listening, watching, discussing, researching, reading, and doing everything I can so that I could make an informed decision. I looked at both candidates and discovered I had strong leanings towards both of them in certain areas. I also found several things that turned me off.

I looked at issues.

I looked at communication styles.

I looked at their personal lives.

I looked at their voting records.

I looked at their choices for running mates.

I did my best to cover all of the bases. To my surprise I found that I actually liked both candidates. This election is the first time where I felt like I really had a choice to make. In previous years the choice was easy. I mean you can not convince me that John Kerry was the best the DNC had to offer 4 years ago. Puhhhhleasssssse.

So I left my office today still unsure of who I would vote for. On my way out the door one of our daycare teachers challenged me to "think of your daughters future". That stuck with me all the way to the precinct. So that's what I did.

There is a good chance that whoever is elected will be president for the next 8 years. That will mean Natalie will be 10 years old when a new president is chosen. Our next president will be a major part of Natalie's first political memories. Soooo...

Do I want Natalie to experience a world where the norm for her is an African-American president? Do I want her to see the "dream" of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. be a reality? Do I want her to see a world with fewer racial barriers?

or

Do I want Natalie to see that women are capable of achieving even the high office of Vice-President? Do I want Natalie to see the world as an open door of possibilities just waiting for her to let her own dreams soar? Do I want her to see that the "glass ceiling" is not so much a factor anymore but rather a shattered former reality?

So that's what I did. I thought about my daughter's future and I voted. All the research I did came down to what kind of world do I wish for my daughter. I made a choice. I hope you took advantage of your freedom and made a choice too.

Whoever wins...I want my daughter to see her parents praying for and supporting the leaders that are in place.

Fireproof

I hate reading a book just because it's the "popular Christian book". I avoid wearing the "popular Christian clothes/bracelets/etc. I do not go out of my way to watch "Christian" movies. So I did not jump right away at the chance to see the movie "Fireproof". I had nothing against the movie or the people that made it. It just didn't grab me as a "must see" movie. Through a series of events and conversations Allison and I decided to break down and go see it last night. I was pleasantly surprised. I walked away from it NOT feeling like I had wasted my time (as I often do with so many cheesy "Christian" movies). Kirk Cameron did a great job in his role as a firefighter and husband who is trying to figure out how to save his troubled marriage. There were some very intense scenes, some funny moments, and some scenes that made you reflect on your own relationships. I'm not trying to make this movie sound like the best in the world but it was definitely not the worst. I do recommend it. Your marriage does not have to be rocky for you to get something out of this movie. Go see it and if nothing else it will encourage you to pray for your spouse and other marriages even more.

new tax plan

Scot McKnight has come up with his own tax plan. At first I was expecting something quirky and off the wall but the more I think about it the more it kind of makes sense. You can read his plan here.

wordle

Here's the wordle that came up for my blog today...try it out for yourself.

schedule breakers

It's almost cliche' now to say that things have been crazy. We all have schedules to keep and unexpected things that break into those schedules. Here's a few of our "schedule breakers" we experienced this week.
Sunday-Allison and Natalie are sick.
Monday-my folks roll into town.
Tuesday-I'm sick.
Wednesday-fairly normal...all things considered.
Thursday-my dad is sick...Natalie and I travel down to Deland with Uncle Robert and Aunt Jo to see our Uncle Raymond and meet with his Care Coordinator.
Friday-catch up from all the schedule breakers throughout the week and hopefully air out the house from all of the sickness.

As I was typing this there was a knock on my door. "We need to see if a man can open this." Right off the bat my manliness is requested and challenged. The door to the church bus will not open. After much effort and deliberation (and to make this long story sooooo much shorter) the challenge resulted in my rear-end climbing through a window in order to open the door from the inside.

After that little adventure I was informed that one of the phone lines was lit up without anyone on the phone.

After solving that mystery I was also informed that there were doughnuts in the kitchen for everyone. Of course I had to investigate this as well. After all I am planning on running 14 miles tomorrow in my marathon training.

Now it is 10:00 and I'm just now finishing this entry.
Schedule breakers...mmmmm...they make life interesting.

What are we "for"?

I've heard statements several times lately concerning what the "church" is against. These conversations seem to pick up speed every four years around election time. So my natural train of thought is this...if the "church" is against all of these things then what is the "church" for?

Why is it that what people are against get so much publicity compared to what they are for?
So I pose the question to all of you in hopes of receiving some feedback.
What would you say the "church" is for?
What d0 you think?

Sunday night prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for the chance to worship You today.
Thank you for the family You have formed around me.
Thank you for places like the circus where I can have fun with my family.
Thank you for being God and never changing.
Thank you for never giving up on me.
Thank you for boundaries in the midst of chaos.
Thank you for good-night hugs and kisses.
I love you, Lord.
Amen.

turning...

This has been a week that no one really wants to see and yet God has shown Himself in some very cool ways. Within 24 hours of each other I sat with a family as they told their twin 8 year-olds that their father had passed away and then I received word that some good friends of mine had also experienced lose. Both were hard to swallow. Both lead to unanswerable questions. Both can not be explained away. Both really, really suck!

Then I was struggling with how to lead Bible study Wednesday night and Allison suggested we just praise and worship. My first thought was selfish b/c I tend to put a lot more time planning something like that than I had left in the day. But God kept nudging me in that direction. So I picked out some songs and then said "Ok, God, You know what you are doing."...and boy does He ever.

Wednesday night we prayed and sang and held hands and lifted each other up and sat still and cried and worshiped and experienced THE almighty God. At the end of it all one person came up to me and said, "tonight, we had church."

Wednesday I cried for all my friends. Mostly during the most random moments. Wednesday night I worshiped with those tears. Now yesterday and today I've worshiped God with what He has graciously given me. I've walked on the beach holding hands with my wife...the greatest Christian I've ever known...and I've played with and hugged my daughter, the personification of adventure.

As I sit here thinking back over this week God has put Jeremiah 31:13b in front of me...
"I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."

I don't know how God does it but He is the only one who is able to turn mourning into gladness.
Don't ever forget that God is able to do anything...even comfort when it doesn't seem possible.

Prayer of the Day

Found this prayer today....

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.
You endured shame so that we might be redeemed.

Father, help us to live openly and humbly before you and one another.
Help us to stand in solidarity with the humble—those who feel shame,
those who have been brought low, those who are mistreated.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

27 states!

We are up to 27 states!!! That means that I have had hits on my blog generating from 27 of our 50 states. That is awesome! Don't forget to check out the blog as you travel around...ESPECIALLY if you leave the U.S. or travel to Hawaii or Alaska. I'm trying to reach out and receive hits from all 50 states...thanks again to everyone for your help on this.

Also don't forget that you can donate to breast cancer research by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

gulp!

I keep running into scriptures and situations lately that seem to be pointing to one thing. BE the church always. There are so many who keep thinking that one day they will "get back in church". Some think I need to get my family back in church. This whole idea should motivate some of us to BE the church all the time. If we are walking in unity with other believers wouldn't this be a light shining bright that brings glory to God Himself?

As one of my neighbors sat in my living room the other night sharing his struggles and his desire to "get back in church" this thought hit me. This moment right now may be the ONLY church service he makes it to! WOW! Talk about realizing the power of a moment. I didn't have the perfect things to say to him. I didn't have great counseling advice. I didn't really know what to say in response to his sharing. I did, however, find myself in a position of putting my money where my mouth is.

For years I've taught and preached that there is never a bad time to praise/worship God. So that's what we did. Before he left we prayed together and worshiped God together. Instead of waiting for my neighbor to show up on a Sunday morning we sat right there in my living room and praised God even in the midst of struggles.

Galatians 5:6 says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
That's not just a Sunday morning thing or a Wednesday night thing but an anytime and every time thing...even on a Monday evening.

That's my encouragement for anyone who is reading this right now...don't wait for your friends and neighbors to show up at church...go and be the church today in some way where you are.

Awesome Quote!

I traveled by Sam's blog this morning and found this quote that he had up.

"The secret is not me. So many people think that somehow I carry a revival around with me in a suitcase, and they just announce me and something happens-but that's not true. This is the work of God, and the Bible warns that God will not share his glory with another. All the publicity that we receive sometimes frightens me because I feel that therein lies a great danger. If God should take His hand off me, I would have no more spiritual power. The whole secret of the success of our meetings is spiritual-it's God answering prayers. I cannot take credit for any of it."
-Billy Graham-

Also, Perry Noble had this to say about humility recently.

"And then one day I had a conversation with John Maxwell that ROCKED MY WORLD…he said to me,
“Perry, you are where you are for two reasons. The first is the favor of God. The second is the giftedness of God. And Perry, please understand that God didn’t owe you either of these. You are where you are because of Him!”

You can read the rest of Perry's post here.

Great stuff!!!!

Tropical Storm Fay

Links that rock

• Craig Groeschel challenged me with this post here and this one here. Both of these about challenging people to follow Jesus on a weekly basis.
• Tony Morgan reminded me of some great thoughts on humility here.
• My wife rocks the planet!!! Just out this gem on her site...here.
• And just a reminder...don't forget to donate here.

fighting against breast cancer

Most of you already know that I'm training to run in the Breast Cancer Marathon here in Jacksonville on Feburary 15th. One of the many reasons I chose to participate in this particular marathon is that the majority of the money raised is being used for research in order to fight against and hopefully one day elimate breast cancer. The rest of the money is going to support breast cancer patients and survivors who may need assistance due to the high cost of treatments.

In any case, as part of this whole adventure I have set up a fundraising page here. or
http://www.active.com/donate/2009DonnaMarathon/chrishall

You can go on the page and make a donation online. It's simple. It's easy.
I would love to be able to say that we raised $1000 to fight breast cancer.
Please at least take a moment and consider giving a little.
I firmly believe this is well worth it.

evening prayer

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
Amen.

how do they do it?

I am currently listening to Third Day's new CD "Revelation". Once again they have found a great formula for putting a rock album together that is quality music and praises God at the same time. How can one band put out so much quality music in one lifetime. Some critics feel that all Third Day music sounds the same. Even if that is true you have to admit that it's a great sound. If you haven't heard it yet it is definately worth checking out.

celtic compline

Calm me, O Lord, as You stilled the storm.
Still me, O Lord, keep me from harm.
Let all the tumult within me cease.
Enfold me, Lord, in Your peace.

last week

I realize I haven't posted anything for the past week. We've been in NC for my brother's wedding this past Saturday. I now have a new awesome sister-in-law...Stacey. I also had the chance to preach at Tabernacle ACC in Lenoir this past Sunday and had a good time with the folks there. It was a good week but we are glad to be back home in our own beds.

While we were gone the "Back to School Bash" was held here at WJACC and it was another great success. 800 backpacks full of school supplies were given out before 12:30pm. Tons of food was given away and lots of kids had the chance to play on several water slides. It was a great day of love and grace. I'm still learning of all the things that happened.

Now I'm back in the office trying to get my feet back under me from being gone for a week. Thanks to everyone for your prayers...without them I would be less of a pastor, husband, father, friend...etc.

marathon playlist

I need some help. I'm in the process of developing my playlist for the marathon and all the training runs until then. Do any of you have suggestions of "must have" songs that should be on that list? I'm not limited to any particular genre...really open to anything. Taking any suggestions here...

they needed rain

In I Kings 18 there is a great story about Elijah having a showdown with 450 prophets of Baal. Both sides are trying to get their God/god to light the altar on fire. Elijah, serving the only real God, wins as Yahweh sends fire down and consumes the altar. This is a fantastic story of God's power and ability...however, the story doesn't end there. The people had been in a drought for 3 1/2 years. The people didn't NEED God to make fire...they needed Him to send rain. So Elijah climbs a mountain...puts his face to the ground and prays for rain until it comes.

Do you ever wonder if God really knows what your needs are? Do you ask for something and He sends the exact opposite? Sometimes it's hard to remember that a perfect God actually knows what He is doing...but He does. He always sends what's needed at the perfect time. God did finally send them rain and God's timing was and is perfect. TRUST.

celtic compline

The peace of all peace
be mine this night
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

new feature

I've added a subscription option to my blog. If you subscribe you will receive a notice whenever the blog is updated. Not sure if it works yet but as soon as any of you try it let me know. If it doesn't work soon I may go ahead and remove it. Let me know what you think.

200 days

Only 200 days until the marathon. Here's a runner's prayer I found through google.

God,Give me courage to run the race.
Help me to persevere as you taught us.
Grant me the strength to finish strong.
Honor me with your presence on my journey.
Allow me to be a GraceRunner this day.
Oh, Lord...
One more breath...
One more step...
One more mile...
FINISH LINE...T
his is my prayer.

I can do all things throughYOU who strengthens me!Amen. ©

2000!!!!

It's official...I've reached 2000 hits on my blog so far. Thank you to all of you who have been a part of this. I hope that this blog has in some way been an encouragement in your walk with Christ. I try to add variety here. Some days I'm more successful than others but through it all thank you for checking back in from time to time. I have a couple of new ideas for this blog but haven't had the time to develop them as of yet.

Also, I have received hits from 19 different states across the US. As far away as Washington state and of course as close as Florida. If you travel at all this year check in to the site and tell your friends about it. I'd love to have hits from at least the 48 states in the continental U.S. If you travel outside of the U.S. then...BONUS!!!

Here's a fun/useful site to check out. HERE.

What did I just do???!!!

I have just registered to run in a marathon. For those of you who may be under the impression that a marathon means any run of any length let me clarify. On Feb. 15th I will be running 26.2 miles. All at once...one the same day...at the same event...hopefully before the sun goes down. I've talked about running a marathon for quite a while and now I've literally put my money where my mouth is. I have that feeling like when the roller coaster is just leaving the station and you know it's going to be a wild ride but your stomach is still in knots.

What's my motivation? All of the money from the event goes to breast cancer research. I can't think of a better motivation. I'm nervous, excited, anxious, curious, ready, hesitant...and so many other things rolled into one.

My training started today with a 2 mile run. I've got a long way to go but I've at least started. Pray for me. Cheer for me. Please encourage me. I have no idea what all to expect but I also know this will be an experience I will never forget.

For those who may be interested...here's a link to the event site.

Ready or not...here we go.

Cool links and a prayer

Here are some cool links.

• Perry hit it hard with this post.
• Read the second quote in Tony's post here.
• Not everyone like TD Jakes but his post about his daughter's wedding is good stuff. Here.

Here is a prayer I came across today that I thought was good in the midst of busy-ness and crazy schedules.

Calm me, O Lord, as You stilled the storm.
Still me, O Lord, keep me from harm.
Let all the tumult within me cease.
Enfold me, Lord, in Your peace.

another blogger

Welcome Troy and Sabrina to the world of blog!!! We're slowly sucking everyone into this strange land of blog.

2 funerals

Today I will be walking two families through two funerals for their loved ones. Funerals are rarely if ever considered something fun to experience. As a pastor it is a priviledge to remind everyone that even in the face of death God's presence is real and His peace is beyond comprehension. However, before this day gets rolling...in both ceremonies I will be using Psalm 23 as one of the passages of scripture.

Psalm 23
The LORD Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul.He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

What I'm reminded of though is that while this is a familiar passage at funerals this Psalm is very much for the living. Here's my challenge today...read Psalm 23 and ask God what He is trying to tell you about living through today with Him. Let me know what He tells you.

Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch is now owned by a Belgian owner. This may not seem like a big deal. Afterall several "American" companies are not really 100% American. Columbia pictures is really Japanese. FoxNews and the Wall Street Journal are really Australian...and the list goes on and on and on. If you believe in buying only American products it may become increasingly difficult to do so. But...as I type and ponder all of this I'm thinking..."Isn't Budweiser a Czech name anyway?"...something to make you say..."Who really cares?"

haggai

Have you ever read the book of Haggai? What is your favorite verse from Haggai? If your like me you probably haven't spent much time with it if you've read it at all. That was where I was until God lead me to our current sermon series called "The 3 C's of God's Economy-Creation, Cross, Coming". This book has been motivating and inspiring to study. God has a plan for all of us as individuals and for all of us corporately. As we walk in obedience we experience His presence more and more. Where God's presence is there is no reason to invite fear in as well. "My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!" (Haggai 2:5b) If you have a few minutes today read the whole book of Haggai. It's only 2 chapters...and ask God to show you something. Let me know what you find.

a day @ the office

Here's a little behind the scenes shot @ WJACC. I hope it serves to brighten your day.

clenched teeth

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)

These words had to be some of the hardest Job ever uttered in his life. I can't imagine the hurt, pain, grief, and loss he was feeling in this moment. Yet even in the midst of such tragedy he was fiercely determined to praise God anyway. I wonder if he made this statement of praise through clenched teeth. I wonder if the tears were streaming down his face as he did the only thing he knew to do. Praise God. I wonder if he told God..."This hurts really bad...but I am making a choice to praise you anyway." What are you choosing to do with your words today?

something mindless

Whenever you get the chance go to adventchristian.org and look at the list of AC church websites. Scroll down and you will see three churches named "First Advent Christian Church". If all of these are first then who is second? Is this a severe sign of competitiveness, stubbornness, or just plain laziness? If they are each first then what competition did they win to get there? Also, how many other "First" churches are out there? mmmmmmm...

This weekend

Celebrate good times...c'mon...dododododododoooooo!
Yesterday I spent all day making cupcakes and decorating a "Strawberry Shortcake" birthday cake for Natalie.
Last night the Jacksonville fireworks rocked!!!
Today is the big birthday bash for Natalie.
Tomorrow we are kicking off a new sermon series @ WJACC..."The 3 C's of God's Economy-#1 Creation"-
This weekend is crammed pack and I already need a nap...but it's all good stuff...YEAH!!!!

Friendship

Tonight we are kicking off a new teaching series for our Wednesday night Bible Study @ WJACC. We are going to be looking at "Authentic Relationships". Tonight we are looking at being a real friend by looking at Jesus' friendship with us. As I was preparing I came across this question..."What makes developing friendships difficult today?"

At first I had several answers go through my head but then as I pondered it more I just had more questions arise. Why are there people who are very active in the church but yet can still feel disconnected from everyone else? Do I really want real friendships or am I comfortable where I am? Am I open to being challenged in a true friendship relationship? Am I willing to be vulnerable? Do I really want more friends? How do authentic relationships impact Christ's Kingdom Ministry?

"What makes developing friendships difficult today?"
Any thought?

Happy Birthday Natalie!!!!

My baby girl is now 2 years old!!!! Wow!
She is now into mommy's make-up.
She loves shoes.
She loves purses and bags.
She loves Strawberry Shortcake.
She loves dogs...especially Mocha and Lexie.
She loves chocolate milk.
She loves her daddy. (duh)
She loves her mommy.
She loves singing.
She loves music.
She's learning more and more every day that there is a Savior who is madly in love with her.
Happy Birthday baby girl!!!

ACGC review

The Advent Christian triennial meetings ended last week. We arrived safely home (despite landing in the middle of a thunder storm). Now we are getting back in the flow of things just in time to celebrate Natalie's birthday this week. It was a great convention. We have some of the best denominational leaders on the planet! Here are some quick bullet points from the week that was ACGC 2008.

• "The best is yet to come..."
• "Develop a daily routine to remind us to love others"-Scot McKnight
• Jesus is not done with us yet while we wait for His second coming.
• Kevin Perry rocks as a worship leader.
• Keith Wheaton always has the most entertaining report of all.
• There are some great AC singers and musicians around the country.
• Churches are being planted all over the world.
• The state of Washington has a 10-10-10 goal for planting churches...10 churches-in 10 years-within 10 miles of each other. AWESOME!!!
• Dr. Sid Bradley offered the following keys to ministry in today's world. Here are just a few

1. Authenticity not hype
2. connections and community
3. relationships not religion
4. disciples not decisions
5. balance not burnout

It was an encouraging time. I had the chance to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. It was very cool to realize that God is doing very creative ministry all over the US and around the world. The most exciting thing too was to know that "the best is yet to come..."

touchdown in FL

I had this post in my draft file and forgot to publish it so here it is...

The past 8 days were awesome. ACGC was a great experience. This morning I am back in the office trying to catch up on all the happenings during the last week or so.

The most exciting part of the whole trip was the landing back in Jacksonville. Black clouds. Torrential rain. High winds. Lightning. Thunder. A runway. An almost 2 year old who thought the entire experience was great. "Look daddy, LIGHT!" Her mother and I were just making sure that our seat cushions could in fact be used as floatation devices. Never the less...safe landing...safe at home...all is well.

special message

Here is a special message for Laura Dombrosky...Laura if you are reading this...Scott has information that you do not. You'll have to ask him about Allison and Natalie's morning. Have a great day!

BTW

Einstein Bros. has "darn good coffee"!!!!!

Tony Morgan makes me think

What follows are some questions that I came across on Tony Morgan's blog. I don't think the idea is to do away with promotions. After all, most churches haven't even mastered that. We are still trying to figure out the best way to communicate what we have to offer others. However, while we are doing this the following questions should also be asked. If we are not willing to ask these then what questions should we ask?

"In hierarchy-thinking, we’re concerned about telling people about our men’s ministry or women’s ministry or small group ministry. We’re in promotions mode. We’re trying to promote programs rather than addressing the question people are asking. The person that comes through the front door just wants to know how can I meet other people?

In hierarchy-thinking, we want to tell people about our Bible studies and discipleship classes. The person that comes through the front door just wants to know is Jesus who he says he is and why does that matter to my life?

In hierarchy-thinking, we think people want to know our agenda and how we’re set up (leadership, denominations, structure, etc.) to fulfill that agenda. The person who walks through the front door just wants to figure out do I fit here, and, if so, what’s my next step?" (tonymorganlive.com)

Sunday night reflections

Wow! What a day this has been. The past two days have been packed solid. I've experienced some cool teaching, connected with old friends, heard some amazing music, heard a fantastic sermon, and worshiped an awesome God. That's a full weekend. It's closing in on midnight right now so I'll try and give some details later but did want to say thank you for praying for us this week. I can not tell you how honored I am that you would consider me and my family in your prayers. Thank you. We are having a blast.

ACGC Day 3

Today I spent most of the day in a seminar titled "Leadership from the Heart" by Dan Webster. It was a great day. Webster offered some really solid stuff on leadership. I'll give some bullet points here and I'll try to keep it to ones that make sense on their own.

• 
  Two aspects of leadership
  1-what we do
  2-who we are
• 
  “The great disease of our day is that people want to look good without being good”-Brennan Manning
• 
  People can lead ministries without becoming more like Jesus=SCARY
• 
  Self leadership= #1 job of a leader
• 
  “In the important things of life don't take short cuts.”-Mike Singletary
• 
  “Leaders who finish understand they have a unique vulnerability to temptation and they do the necessary work to protect themselves.”-webster
• 
  “Lord, we don't ever want it to become old when we say 'I love you”-Webster

Also tonight the service was awesome...putting all the music aside (which was amazing) Rev. Ray Marco brought the message tonight and it was GOOD. Here is just a piece of what he said...

"God told me...'I did not call you to promote Ray Marco. I did not call you to promote your church. I did not call you to promote the Advent Christian denomination. You are to make disciples. It's not about you it's about my kingdom."

Wow!!! Ray did a fantastic job of reminding us that it's not about us and what we want but about the doors that God opens and invites us to walk through. Great day overall!

ACGC Day 2

Today was pretty relaxed. I went and picked up Logan and Chris Phillips @ Ohare. We made a Target run. Talked with a ton of people. I did get to meet Kevin...the current pastor in Villisca. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. We've heard some great things coming out of Villisca in the past year and I firmly believe God has set it up for Kevin and his family to be there.

On kind of a down note...Natalie doesn't seem to be feeling too well. She may just be tired from the travel and the over stimulation of so many people wanting to see her.

Tomorrow is the leadership workshop by Dan Webster. I'm really looking forward to it...I just hope I can think of some good questions throughout the day.

I wonder...do you think that everyone tries to make themselves look their best for events like this?

The Church and the Boston Celtics

If you get the chance check out Clayton's post on "What the Church can learn from the Boston Celtics"...it's good stuff.

Chicago pizza ROCKS!!!

We are here in Naperville, IL for the next week at the Advent Christian General Conference triennial meetings. Allison, Natalie, and I arrived by plane today from Jax...2 1/2 hours with a child who refused to take a nap. But...it could have been worse. The day made a complete turn around when we went to "Geno's" pizza for dinner. That pizza just melted in my mouth...it was sooooooo goooooood!!! The next several days will be spent in meetings, workshops, and worship services. Keep us all in prayer that everyone will walk away more motivated to spread the gospel. (and if you don't mind...pray that we get some more of that awesome pizza...did I mention how good it was?)

Hi...my name is...

Hi...my name is Chris and it's been almost two weeks since my last blog. I just thought I would introduce myself again. This past week was slammed! We had two VBS's going all week. One in the morning and one in the evening. This was slightly complicated by some type of bug that was going around wiping out several of us at different points throughout the week. Yesterday was Father's Day and our VBS closing program during the morning service. This is all taking into account the usual...every week stuff that we come across. Wednesday we leave for IL and the triennial General Conference meetings. With just today and tomorrow to finish getting ready we are ON THE MOVE. I will be trying to keep the blog updated while we're gone with tidbits from the conference. Keep checking back for updates.

tired and still

If you are interested in what our day looked like yesterday you can read about it on Allison's blog. She did an awesome post about our day. http://www.sidestreet-allison.blogspot.com/ Title "Yesterday".

Today I'm a little tired. I didn't sleep all that great last night. Now it's the middle of the afternoon and there is so much more to be done. However, today I've come across two things that have forced me to slow down a little. One was a blog by a pastor here in Florida who shared how he and his wife experienced pregnancy for 14 days before losing the baby. He talked about how for 14 days he was a dad and how that has spurred him on to a deeper love for God and for others. 14 days changed the way he viewed everything.

The second thing was my preparation for Wed. night Bible study. We're going to look at Psalm 46. In that chapter is a verse that God plants in front of my face from time to time. "Be still, and know that I am God..." (vs.10). Wow! So I'm going to sit here for a little bit and be still. Then I'm going to go pick up my daughter and spend some time with her.

First video blog

Communion

This Sunday we are celebrating communion in our morning service. It always blows my mind to think of all that Christ did for us on the cross. To think He willing died so that I might have life. I don't deserve it but He did it anyway. My prayer is that anytime you celebrate communion you will have a fresh AWE concerning God's grace and forgiveness. Wow!!!! What a savior!

New Music

Today I came across some new music and thought I would share some of what I found. So far I've only listened to 2 or 3 songs from each CD but here it goes.

POD-(When Angels and Serpents Dance)- For those who like to rock this is definitely worth checking out.

tenth avenue north-(Over and Underneath)-These guys were a pleasant surprise. After their hit "Love is Here" they have a few others that are ipod worthy.

Hawk Nelson-(...is my friend)-I can see why our middle school girls liked these guys at the Revolve tour...but don't get me wrong...their good.

Toby Mac-(Alive and Transported)-The first song just wore me out. I don't see how one person can have enough energy for a show with this much power and intensity. Toby Mac does it again.

Delirious-(Kingdom of Comfort)-The inside cover reads..."Save me from the Kingdom of Comfort where I am king from my unhealthy lust of material things". Wow!

There you go...I know these are not in depth reviews but oh well. Thanks for checking out the blog. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Mommy's home!!!

Allison made it back from Iowa last night. Her plane landed @ 10pm so I wasn't sure what type of greeting Natalie was going to give. However, as soon as I said we are going to pick up mommy Natalie woke up, her eyes lit up and she was the happiest child in the world. She gave Allison a huge hug and kiss when she came down the concourse. Thank you to everyone in Iowa and Missouri for sending mommy home to us. Yeahhhhh!!!!

Pic of the week

How much fun can you have at a birthday party?...LOTS!

Milestones

Today marks two milestones for me. It was one year ago on this date that I participated in my first official Sunday as the co-pastor at WJACC. This year has flown by. Natalie has grown by leaps and bounds. We have been home owners for over a year now. It doesn't seem possible that we have been in Florida for that long. We have had some new challenges this year and have grown a lot through them all. I learn more about my wife all the time and constantly impressed by her. I can't wait to see what God has ahead for us as a family and the ministry at WJACC.

The second milestone is the fact that my counter on this blog has hit 1000. I haven't had the counter on the page that long. That blows my mind. Thank you to everyone who has participated with comments and/or simply read this page. I am honored that you would spend time seeing what I might have to say. Hopefully I'm becoming a better blogger than when I first started a couple of years ago.

When I woke up this morning I had no idea what today would hold. It was just a regular day. It's fun to see what God can do with a "regular" day.

Thursday morning stuff

Here are some random bullets for this morning.

• Tonight the WJACC softball team begins the post-season tournament. 7:50 @ Ringhaver park. Everone come out and cheer for our team.
• This Sunday I have the opportunity to give the message at New Life Community (AC) Church. I am excited to travel to downtown Jacksonville again to share God's Word. Please remember me in your prayers and this church that we will all see God in a fresh way this Sunday.
• Also, pray for the service here at WJACC as Logan shares what God has laid on his heart.
• This morning I had what we believe to be cyst removed from my forehead. Now I have one of the largest bandages in the world covering a large part of my forehead. This is the second time since the beginning of April that I've had to have my head cut on so please pray that this is the last one.
• VBS is just around the corner. June 9th-13th. We're excited to see what God is going to do that week.
• Allison and I will be teaching a SS class at General Conference in June. This will be the first time we have actually done a tag-team type of teaching. We are pumped about the possibilities.
• My head is still a little numb from earlier so there is a real possibility none of this makes since.
• If you get the chance I put new pics on myspace. Let me know what you think.

board suggestion

So I shared with the church board how in a moment of brilliance I dumped coffee on the church laptop and it was no longer running efficiently. The suggestion from the board was to start using cups with lids. The words "sippy cup" were used. Oh well, one of these days I'll get to eat at the big people table. :-)

A Day of Love

Today we partnered with several other churches in an effort to reach out to an inner city community here in Jacksonville. We gave away clothes, food, drinks, and sno-cones. We had inflatable games for the kids, free blood pressure checks for the adults and plenty of music for everyone. The day was all about investing into the community and encouraging the residents there. I had the opportunity to meet some awesome new friends and reconnect with some that I've known for a little while now. Pastor Moses, his family, and his friends are being exactly what God has called them to be...a light to a dark world.

I had the chance to meet some of the guys at Journey church. Check them out here. http://www.journeychurch.org/ They are doing some cool things in their journey with God.

Today was a good day. It wasn't about who got credit for what. It wasn't about who was in charge. It wasn't even about how much WE were doing. It was all about Loving God and Loving People. It was about seeing God supply more than enough of everything so that nobody went without. It was about being open to pray with someone who was discouraged. It was about making sure the kids were safe on the huge inflatable slide. It was about knowing that the loudest sermon we could preach was serving an all you can eat meal to a man who could (and did) seriously take full advantage of that opportunity. :-) It was about God. It was about people made by God.

Today was a good day.

Mix CD's

Last night I burned 3 mix Cd's for the outreach downtown tomorrow. That's over 200 minutes of music. Over 3 1/2 hours of music praising God from a variety of styles. Gospel choirs, rap, hip hop, motown, and even Kirk Franklin who is a category all by himself. I'll try to post the play lists soon. This is going to be OFF THE CHAIN!!!!!!!

Remembering things

Ministry can be an exciting adventure. This weekend will be a prime example. Saturday we are participating in a clothing giveaway/outreach event in downtown Jacksonville. We are just one of five churches working together to encourage this neighborhood. I'm curious to see all the ways God will reveal Himself on that day. Sunday is Mother's Day and I am pumped about the message. We will be looking at Hannah and the struggle she had in I Samuel 1. We are also having two baby dedications Sunday. That ROCKS!!!!

But even though things are happening and God is moving and we are trying our best to follow Him...it is easy to get distracted from my core purpose as a believer and a pastor. Yesterday, I revisited a book I've had for a long time. "The Disciple-making Pastor" by Bill Hull. That's it. I am commissioned to go and make disciples.

It's not that outreach and preaching are bad things but if the goal is anything but the gospel and making disciples then they become just something else to "do". Jesus called us to "be" disciple-makers.

I am called to "be" a disciple-making pastor. What does that look like? We'll visit that one a little later.

3 words

Lemon-Berry Slush....YUMMMMMOOO!!!!!

prayer

"She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. " (I Samuel 1:10)

Sometimes we get caught thinking of prayer as just a peaceful activity. We talk about the calmness of prayer, the security of prayer, and even the "peace that passeth understanding." However, sometimes we just need to cry out to God from the very core of our being. Sometimes God allows us to get to this point so that we will actually surrender all to Him.

Hannah was in a miserable situation. She had a supportive husband which was great but she needed her awesome God even more. So in her distress she prayed and "wept bitterly" in her prayer. She gave her situation over to God and concluded that He was in fact her only source of hope.

Sometimes we just need to let all of our frustration, our anxiety, our distress out to God. He's a big god. He can handle it.

computers?...what an age we live in

Well, it is official...coffee and computers do not mix when placed together in an unnatural way. Let's just say that the little arrow on my screen is now frozen and will not respond. So...until I can get it fixed I need to be a little creative with how I access other's computers. If you check here for regular updates I apologize. I am working on being more consistent (it is a goal for this year). Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Please pray for pastors everywhere. I see so many that are either depressed, discouraged, dismayed, disheartened, or just plain down. I may right more on this topic later but for now please lift up all pastors in your prayers.

Monday morning bullets

Here are some "bullets" from yesterday's message.

• " If you always tell the truth you never have to remember what you said.”
• Truth is an essential element of worship.
• If we say God is good and holy then the best way to worship Him is with honest truth.
• Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.-John 8:32
• Freedom means we have the opportunity to love God/love people.
• Freedom means we can explore the character of God without fear of rejection.
• Freedom means we can explore who we are without fear that what we find will be insignificant.
• Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
• Jesus IS truth. If truth is insignificant then Jesus is insignificant. That is not the case so truth must be a significant part of our lives today.

Just a few points from the message that I thought I would share here.

Family

Today I am struck from all sides by the importance of family. It started this morning when my wife reminded me that tomorrow is going to be a fun "family" day. We have both intentionally blocked out tomorrow so that we can all do something together as a family. Then on my way to the office I left messages for two people out in the mid-west that we consider to be a part of our "family". I was then working on my sermon for Sunday and received a phone call from a friend letting me know that they will not make it to Bible study tonight because they have had a crazy week and need to spend some "family" time together.

There are so many families that are satisfied with just cruising along and slowly drift away from each other. It is encouraging to see families that are making intentional moves towards each other. It's not always easy and I know I'm not always the best at it but having a family is so special we all need to constantly ask ourselves..."what moves am I making towards my family?" How many, different, way have I told my spouse I love her/him? How many times has my child/children had my undivided attention lately?

I am constantly trying my best to improve as a pastor. I am always trying to learn new things. I always want to grow as a leader and a pastor. But if my family crumbles then ministry will instantly seem very empty. Please pray for your family and mine that we will all be intentional about building strong families.

Duffy Robbins

Last week Logan, Randy, and I had the opportunity to sit in on an all day workshop led by Duffy Robbins. The whole idea of our time together was to answer the question..."How do we more effectively communicate the gospel?" While Duffy was specifically referring to speaker with youth, much of what he said pertained to adults as well. Here are some bullet points I took from the conference.

• who you are is more important than what you say
• profanity tends to shut people down
• "My heart was filled with love, my eyes with tears, my mouth with arguments"-John Wesley
• It's not what we say but what they hear.
• The more concrete the illustration the more weight it carries.
• Repetition can be a good thing.
• The average American watches 21.8 seconds of a 30 second ad online.

Natalie pics

I just wanted to add a couple of Natalie pics to my blog before Allison put them on her's...teeheehee...

FIA

Wow! What a day we had yesterday! God did so many cool things as we reached out to the community yesterday. As you saw in my previous post we had many jobs to do at the ballpark and everyone tackled them with energy and excitement. God supplied people who were willing to cover the nursery so others could work. God provided cold drinks for everyone at just the right time. God allowed us to make some connections with some of the coaches from the ballpark. God worked out a minor problem we had with some of the paint. God made sure we had plenty of supplies. God helped people connect with each other in a new way that they had not been able to do on Sunday mornings previously. God supplied plenty of great attitudes all the way around and showed us what He can accomplish by allowing us to follow Him as a group.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who participated in the ballpark clean up yesterday. Thank you for allowing God to work through you to make an impact on this community. Thank you for being the church outside of the "church" walls. Thank you for just being you.

Faith in Action

I am excited about this Sunday. As a church we are going next door to the city ballparks and cleaning them up the best we can. We are going to rake, pick up trash, paint over graffiti, clean bathrooms, and whatever else we can think of. The goal is to love our community with God's unconditional love. We're not trying to get people to recognize what a "good" church we are. We're not trying to convince people they are going to hell. We are simply trying to love the community around us. If we can't impact the place right next to us then how in the world can we expect to impact someone far off?



If you are a member of WJACC here are a few tasks and supplies we need.

Task-blow out leaves and debris from under the stands and from around each structure (concession stands, etc.) rake and bag
Tools needed: blowers (most likely gas powered), rakes
Task-paint bleachers, picnic tables, graffiti marks, etc.
Tools needed: paint brushes/rollers, paint pans
Task-clean bathrooms
Tools needed: sponges, rags, paper towels, brooms
Task-brush and paint parking pylons
Tools needed: wire brushes, paint brushes/rollers, paint pans
Task-pick up trash around park
Tools needed: hands

If you can help with any of these tasks and/or have any supplies that we can use please feel free to let me know.
This is going to be a great day of working as a body to reach into the community. Thank you to everyone who has already responded and is excited too.

forgiveness

Lately I have had more than one person ask me about Christ's forgiveness. It seems like some really struggle with whether or not they are forgiven for acts of sin committed after they believe in Jesus as their savior. What follows is the response I gave to one person recently.

At the core of Christ’s forgiveness is the issue of “identity”. In I Corinthians 6:9-11 the Apostle Paul is talking to the church at Corinth-the believers. As he describes those who “will not inherit the kingdom of God” he is reminding them that they are no longer these things. They are “new creatures” (II Corinthians 5:17) with new identities. They are no longer defined by their sin but rather are cleaned up and made right with God (vs.11). Then Paul spends the rest of the chapter encouraging them to “flee from sexual immorality” (vs. 18) and “honor God with your body” (vs. 20). In other words, act like who you are-let your actions/deeds fall in line with your identity in Christ.

Now you also mentioned Christ dying once for all sin (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27). Hebrews 10:10 tells us that by His will “we have been made holy (pure, clean) through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Once you are made clean that cleansing lasts. At the time of Christ’s sacrifice all of our sins were future sins. Yet His sacrifice was sufficient to cover even these. There is nothing that I can see in scripture that tells me that sin I commit after knowing Christ is not covered by that same sacrifice.
The Apostle Paul spends a great deal of time encouraging the believers to leave sinful acts and grasp their true identity in Christ. He does this with the knowledge that even he struggles against sinful desires (Romans 7:15). As Paul tries to do what is good and right he knows that he can not fix himself but can only find his freedom in Christ (Romans 7:24-8:2).

I know this is a lot all at once but there are a few more scriptures that come to mind.

If you feel there is something in your life to confess to God then as you do so He is faithful and just to forgive (I John 1:9).

What does God do with that sin when He forgives? He forgets it. (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17)

When does God forgive? Right now. (II Corinthians 6:2)

I do not see anywhere in scripture where someone successfully “cleansed” themselves. If this were possible then verses like Galatians 2:21 would not exist or at the very least mean nothing.

I know this is not an exhaustive statement on Christ's forgiveness but it is a starting point. My prayer is that more and more people will experience the freedom that is available in Christ Jesus...not to gain a "license to sin" but in order to live the abundant life Christ freely offers (John 10:10).

The weekend that was...

Wow!!! What a weekend! From Thursday night ‘til Sunday morning God supplied everything we needed to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. This weekend two of our elders shared what God had laid on their hearts and they both did an outstanding job. Scott shared with us on Thursday night as we celebrated with a communion service and foot-washing. He shared how we should be focused on serving each other and how that love and service should reach out to the community. As Scott talked about Jesus washing the feet of the disciples he mentioned several times how here in America we don’t usually come across too many “dirty” feet as we have so many paved roads and we all wear shoes. As I started washing the feet of others I soon realized that Scott was right. The feet I was supposedly “washing” were already pretty clean.

Then it happened. One of the kids from the “neighborhood” came up and asked if she could have her feet washed also. As I poured water over her feet I saw the amount of dirt and filth falling into the basin. As I wiped her feet down I noticed the towel I was using turning black from the grime. All I could think was even here in America with our paved streets and shoes to wear ther e are some who need a simple act of love. It reminded me there is never a moment when we don’t need a Savior. All of us. The nicely dressed. The ones in rags. The church people who know how to “behave” in church and the ones who simply know that if they come on a Wednesday night they will get a free meal and a chance to play some ball.

But it did not end there. He came up and asked me if he could wash my feet. Someone I have intentionally invested in. Someone I have made it a goal to serve. This person who I have tried to pour into was now pouring what he had into me. In a moment he was Jesus to me. He was serving me. He was investing in me. I can not even begin to describe how overwhelming it was to have someone you are intentionally discipling turn around and disciple you in just a moment.
But that was just Thursday.

Sunday morning we had our Sunrise Service at the church. I’ll be honest I was not looking forward to it. We did not get much sleep Saturday night and then I got up at 5 am to get to the church on time. I know some of you get up at 5 am all the time but I do not. In any case, as we were setting things up outside for the service all I could think about was how I could get out of being at the Sunrise Service next year. What excuse could I come up with…mmmmmmm. Then another one of our elders, Paul, shared the message God had laid on his heart. Wow!!! All I can say is…it’s all about God. It’s all about what God is doing and what God wants and what God is providing. It’s not about us…all we need to do is obey and watch what God does. If you were there and were not encouraged and motivated in some way to view Jesus as not only your Savior but your Lord then you didn’t listen to the same message I did.

The regularly scheduled worship service was packed. We had chairs lining each aisle and an extra cluster in the front. God used Allison to write a beautiful service as we walked through the 7 statement Jesus made on the cross. As we observed the death of Jesus we ended that time celebrating His resurrection from the grave leading into the baptism of 15 individuals. Wow!!!
To say it was a good weekend doesn’t really seem to do it justice. God is good. He always has been and always will be. However your weekend looked God is always deserving of praise because He is God and we are not. I encourage all of you to praise Him in some way today. Don’t wait.

Maundy Thursday, Easter

Tonight we are celebrating Maundy Thursday. I just got back from setting the sanctuary up for this special service and I am pumped. Scott, one of our elders, is going to be sharing from God's Word and opening his heart tonight. I am very curious to see what all God does tonight and this weekend. Sunday morning Paul, another one of our elders, is going to be sharing at the Sunrise service. If you show up sleepy I'm sure Paul can wake you up. Afterwards, we get to eat some good breakfast here at the church and then go into our regular morning service. I say regular but it will be anything but.... Come help us celebrate Resurrection Sunday and bring a friend!!! I might even wear a tie for this one.

All time great question

I was on ragamuffinsoul.com this morning and came across one of the greatest questions I have ever read or heard. It was asked by a fairly new believer and it makes so much sense it's scary...here it is.

"Um…I have a question. Why do Christians spend over a month celebrating Christmas with parties, music, decorations, songs, and presents, then only a day celebrating Easter? I mean, isn’t Easter the reason we have our faith in the first place? Shouldn’t we be having Easter parties? It seems kind of backwards to me."

See...I told you...scary...

Correction

After rereading that last post I might have given the impression that the service this week was somewhat blah. Make no mistake when God moves...nothing is ever "blah". God rocks my world!!!!

Sunday night iritation

Tonight is Sunday night. I woke up. Got dressed. Went to church. It being Palm Sunday we had some extra music in the service with more musicians than we normally have. I was ready. We had a good service. God did some cool things in the service. Afterwards we had an easter egg hunt for the kids. Natalie had been in training for a month waiting for this moment. She was fantastic. My little girl ROCKS!!!! We left. Went to help a family in need. Went home. Etc. Etc. Etc...Overall a pretty good Sunday.

WARNING...what follows is a rant...yep that's it...a big fat rant. Tonight I had the chance to check out some of my favorite blogs and some new ones also. As I was scanning the www I soon realized there are some people who feel like it is their job to criticize and tear down other churches and other pastors for no valid reason at all! WHAT IS THE POINT IN THAT!!!!!! We have enough churches who are treating their pastors like dog food and as if that's not enough you have others who feel it is their job to criticize people they don't even know. Oh and did I mention there are people dying without Jesus every day and THAT'S NOT OK!!!!!

The level of stupidity that fills this world is astounding. Just a little something I felt like getting off my chest tonight.

Sunday night reflections

This morning EVERYONE was dragging. I have to admit I was having trouble finding my rhythm in the sermon. There was very little response from the congregation during the message. I usually play off of the responses I get whether it's verbal or non-verbal. Today I got very little. I guess the time change hit all of us a little. But some days are like that. Even though we were dragging God still showed up and He was glorified.

However...our practice for next Sunday was awesome!!!! Palm Sunday is going to be OFF THE CHAIN!!!!!! I am so excited about next week I can't even describe it. The next two Sundays are going to rock the planet. I encourage all of WJACC to come and bring a friend...or two...or three...or many...

Tonight...sleep.

Daylight savings

Just a reminder for everyone!!! This weekend is the time change for daylight savings. Set your clocks one hour forward Saturday night.

passion part #2

The idea that follows comes from Maxwell's book that I mentioned before. This is how he explained the relationship between passion and priorities.

People who have passion but no priorities are like those who are in a cabin on a cold winter day and light a bunch of small candles that don't give much light and don't really give off much heat. People who have priorities but no passion behind them are like ones who stack the fire place with wood but never light the fire. However, if someone puts their passion and priorities in line with each other then you have a fire place ablaze with plenty of wood giving off plenty of light and heat for the whole cabin.

So what does your fireplace look like today?

passion part #1

One of my most recent reads is John Maxwell's book "Talent is never Enough". One of the chapters emphasizes the need for passion in conjunction with talent. Maxwell offers three questions to help find where your passion lies.
What do you sing about?
What do you cry about?
What do you dream about?
My question is, "what do you feel so strongly about that it results in singing, crying, and dreaming?"

I have a dear friend that describes passion as "something you do and you lose track of time doing it."

If there is something that initiates song, tears, and dreams all within the same day...that's a full day.

How many "full" days have you had lately?

process

Making disciples is a process. Reaching out to the lost is a vital part of the process. If we never reach out then we become nothing more than a glorified club. However, if all we ever do is reach out and never teach and build up the ones God has put in front of us then our outreach becomes shallow and superficial. The third step in the process is to prepare people to go out and reach those God has put in their path. Sometimes we have noble intentions but never disciple people to walk with Jesus and to share their walk with others. Everyone is at a different place in the process and that's ok. What's important to know is that there is always someone who knows a little more that you can learn from and there is always someone you can help along the way as well.

This Sunday will be the best sermon I've preached yet. Some of you WJACCers may not even recognize me.

mission

I am on a mission America!!!! This weekend I traveled to West Virginia with two other men and my 19 month old daughter. We were literally 3 men and a baby. Every restaraunt and gas station we stopped at did NOT have a baby changing station in the men's bathroom. It is 2008 and I had to change my baby in the parking lot on several occasions because some places refuse to think that a man would actually change a diaper. I'm not going to leave my baby sitting in poop and pee. That's nasty and stupid. What about all of the single dads out there? They get no consideration at all. Their lives are hard enough and we're just going to make it that much more difficult for them by saying there's no place to change your innocent baby. Here's my challenge. Every time you think about it check and see if there are changing stations in the public places you visit. Restaraunts, gas stations, libraries, etc. If there is not one talk with a manager and suggest they put one in. This is a no brainer. With all of our resourses you would think we could do something about something so simple. Let's take a step together in the fight against stupidity.

I'm Chris Hall and I approved this message.

BIg Ski 2008

This past weekend was awesome! I had the privilege of hanging out with over 350 teenagers and adult youth coaches in Princeton, WV at the “Big Ski” retreat. Here are some highlights from the weekend…

1) Getting to the ski slopes first thing in the morning before the crowd makes it worth waking up!

2) Traveling more at night than by day will increase the possibility that your 19 month old daughter will sleep.

3) When approaching the top of the ski lift it is crucial that you raise the tips of your skis and slide to the edge of your seat!

4) It is possible to fall down while standing still.

5) Camp Dixie’s praise team rocks.

6) VH1 has some very stupid programming!!!! “Flavor of Love”??????? seriously!!!

7) God can use a very tired, very sore individual to preach His word. As long as God shows up and does the real work anything is possible.

8) My favorite highlight of the weekend…the kingdom of God is a little bit larger after this weekend. I’m not sure how many made a decision to follow Christ but I do know of at least one and that makes it all worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9) Ps…I called the Giants win in the super bowl…

2 reasons to celebrate

Yesterday 2 things happened that initiated some serious joy in my heart this morning.
1) Yesterday we handed out a list of ministries that we at WJACC are involved in. We invited everyone to prayerfully consider what areas of ministry they would like to be involved in. At the end of the service we offered a time where individuals could place these forms they filled out on the altar as an act of worship. The response was awesome!

Today we have been pouring through the sheets and I am pumped about what God may be doing next. Please pray for us as leaders that we attempt to help people plug into where they may be used to build the Kingdom of God.

2)The second thing that happened...well...you can read about it on Allison's blog here...http://www.sidestreet-allison.blogspot.com/
Read the event of a lifetime...

Monday morning thoughts

We saw God do some cool things yesterday in the worship service. At first we were curious how it was all going to work out. Our music coordinator was sick, our coordinator of technology was out of town. Things were not going as planned before the service. However, as He is in the custom of doing, God showed up in a very real way.

People were submitting to God and what He wanted to do in their lives. Even though things didn't go exactly as WE planned everything went just as GOD planned and it was good.

Next Sunday we are attempting something that I personally have never tried. Logan and I are going to tag team the message next week. That's right...two preachers...one message...one Jesus. It should be very cool. We'll see what God does next Sunday. I'm pumped to think of the possibilities.

Children of the World

I just wanted to remind everyone that we are not having dinner or service tonight (Wed.) at WJACC. However, we are hosting the children's choir "Children of the World" tomorrow night at 7pm. This is going to be a great evening for everyone. We will be serving dinner at 6pm so everone come out and enjoy this exciting performance.

re-post

Here is a post I actually wrote in December but left in draft form and never published. Sorry about the delay but here it is...

The past is a funny thing. It is a beast that can be tamed but when let loose to run wild can be a crippling force in our lives.

Case in point...a few years ago my Granny passed away on Christmas day. She had been sick for quite a while. She was in her 90's. Her death did not catch any of us by surprise but it was still very difficult when it happened. We had a beautiful funeral service for her and celebrated her life with friends and family. However, the next year the thought was how will we celebrate Christmas knowing this is the day the enemy of death had the chance to show its face again. We made the decision that yesterday's sadness will not stop today's celebration. Afterall, this is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Without Jesus my granny's life would have been a waste. However, she knew Jesus. Jesus knew her and she lived a full and purposeful life. Sometimes we just need to make up our minds and ask ourselves how long are we going to allow something in the past to impede the present or the future.

I can't change the past. The future isn't here yet. Today is the only oppotunity I have to make any decisions.

The Kingdom

It's all about THE Kingdom!!!! Tuesday I had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of one of my mentors/disciplers. This is one guy who has always been so dead on with his teaching. It's not just me either. Others make statements all the time about this man and use terms like "forward-thinking", "progressive", "real", "with it", "permission giving". Taking all of this into consideration what did he remind me of yesterday?...it's all about THE Kingdom!!!!

The more we focus on the Kingdom of God the smaller a lot of our worries and concerns seem to be. When we begin to love the lost more than our personal preferences we are better able to see God more clearly. Who is it that God is putting in your path today that does not know Him? Let's be intentional about the Kingdom and see what God is doing.

Britney Spears?

Seriously???!!!! The other night the lead story on the news was the breakdown of Britney Spears. We saw video of her being placed in an ambulance. We received a step by step breakdown of how she got to this point. We heard how her family is reacting to this situation. We also heard how this will effect her children. If I had paid attention I would have learned more about Britney Spears' mental health than I could ever use to help improve my life over the next million years or so.

This was the lead story. Surely there wasn't anything going on in the world this week. Surely nothing of any significance was happening in our nation or world.

I did hear something about a bunch of people getting all dressed up and debating different ideas concerning the future of our country. Someone said something about donkeys and elephants. I think they were in New Hampshire maybe? But that couldn't be real important compared to a self-destructing pop star. Could it?