Kenwood Campus- What it means to me!

Kenwood Campus is a huge spiritual marker for Grace Community Church.  We are taking a giant step of faith and trusting God to provide the financial resources to fund this campus.

This is not about joining the movement to say we are a multi-site church.  We are serious about reaching the families in the Kenwood community.  One of the most exciting things I have witnessed so far is the enthusiasm of our staff and volunteers.

We are ready and Lord willing on Sunday January 30th Grace Community Church Kenwood will open the doors and worship.

A Costly Gift

I really like the story of kindly 90-year old grandmother who found buying presents for family and friends a bit much one Christmas, so she wrote out checks for all of them to put in their Christmas cards.

In each card she wrote, “Buy your own present” and then sent them off.

After Christmas festivities were over, she found the checks in her desk!  Wouldn’t you have loved to seen the look on the grandkids’ faces when they got the card with no check?

In the midst of this busy Christmas season, it is my prayer that you and I don’t forget the price that God paid.  Jesus is the source of all that is good in this season.  As someone a lot more creative than me once wrote, “Jesus is the reason for the season.”

Contentment

We accumulate money and possessions because they provide a feeling of security against the uncertainties of the future.  But even at their best, riches are unreliable.  They give no real assurance in the present world and absolutely none for the eternal world.  That is why God describes as a fool the rich man who imagined that he had “plenty of good things laid up for many years ” only to have God call the loan on his life.  He not only doesn’t control his wealth; he doesn’t control his life.  His money could not shelter him from the certainty of death.

Someone shrewdly observed that we fear death in proportion to what we have to lose.  If we store up treasure for ourselves on earth, we stand to lose everything.  The Lord’s counsel is, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:20-21).

Contentment is the product of security in God, the product of trust in His character and His promises.

 

 

 

Your Wealth or Lack Thereof

Your wealth or lack thereof is a direct result of the decisions you have made about every dollar that has passed through your hands.  Owning that truth is a powerful thing, but it’s difficult to accept.  Most Christians never get there.

You can get there if you will go to that uncomfortable place and listen to what God wants to tell you about your behavior and attitudes toward your money.

It is my pray that you will not get caught up in the holiday season with all the promotions and incentives to buy gifts on credit or spend money not previously budgeted for gifts.

Now is the time to take control of your money and not allow your money to control you.  The time has come for truth, simplicity, and freedom, so we can live our lives lined up with the promises of God.

Obsessive Compulsive

Would you believe that I have been described as an obsessive compulsive person?  My response to that analysis is “I could be much worse”.

Being allowed the opportunity to work on staff at Grace Community Church has helped to develop my spiritual maturity in regards to being an obsessive compulsive person.

The longer I live, the more I think that spiritual maturity is less about figuring out the future and more about a moment-by moment sensitivity to the Spirit of God.  I know we must plan.  The staff around here knows my thoughts on planning.  However they are teaching me to use a pencil with an eraser.  I have even purchased a shredder for the upstairs.

I believe in planning.  I believe in-goal setting.  But there are some things in life you can’t plan or predict.  I am literally the old man in the office.  This young and gifted staff is teaching me new things everyday.

When witnessing to folks I will tell them to let Jesus have control of their life.  Literally to get out the driver’s seat and allow Jesus to have the wheel.

I need to trust Him more and practice what I preach.

Lifestyle

I understand how vitally important it is to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.  I see so many opportunities to share and tell someone about Jesus.

I find myself asking the important questions about eternity and why one should be allowed into the presence of God.

I see how very strong Satan and his evil forces are involved with every detail of our lives.

We will be victorious but we must continue to ask ourselves “What would Jesus do” and be ready and willing to act as He directs us.

My Testimony

I feel fortunate in the fact that my parents always attended church.  In my early years my Dad served a church as the minister of music.  We were always in church every time the doors were opened.  I must say my actions did not reflect that I was any different from my other friends.

I was attending a church service as a young boy when I decided to change my life and direction.  I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.

I sincerely desired to live every day to please Jesus.  But you know I’m human.  I have failed Him many times.  But I continue to trust Jesus to help me grow and mature. He has blessed my life and truly given me a purpose and direction to live for.

Don’t Just Retire

While reading my devotions this morning, I came across the following question.

Did you know that God told the Levites to retire from their regular duties at age 50?  (Num. 8:24-25).  But He did not want them to stop helping others.  He said that they should “minister with their brethren…to attend to needs” (v.26).  We cannot take this incident as a complete teaching on retirement, but we can see a godly implication that continuing to serve others after our working days are over is a good idea.

Life takes on new meaning when we invest ourselves in others.  Whether you are considering retirement or not, I urge you to serve others thru your local church.  If you don’t have a church, I invite you to checks us out at www.gcomchurch.com!

Profitable for Growth

Which of the following quotes are in the Bible?

1. Cleanliness is next to godliness.

2. God helps those who help themselves.

3. Confession is good for the soul.

4. Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

5. Money is the root of all evil.

6. Honesty is the best policy.

Believe it or not, only one of the those quotes is found in the Bible.  The fourth one is from Job 5:7.

We don’t need to feel guilty if we don’t read the Bible every day or as much as our pastors.  But consider with me reading it through at least for the rest of this year-not so that we can answer some trick questions about it, but because it was given to us by God and is profitable for our spiritual growth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Read the Bible to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy.

The Heart of The Church

What makes a church successful?  A big turnout on Sunday morning?  A multimillion-dollar budget?  A state-of-the-art building?

We all  know those things aren’t the criteria that define a successful church. Whether your church has stadium-size crowds or just a few in attendance, numbers are not the measure God uses for success.  He looks at the heart of the church.

Congregations, church buildings, and budgets come in different sizes.  The true measure of success is demonstrated by followers of Jesus who love God and each other, and are committed to living holy lives.  Our challenge can be found in the words of the prophet Micah: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

A small church with a big vision has greater impact than a big church with a small vision.