Aug 18 - Psalm 6:2

Have compassion on me,

LORD, for I am weak.

Psalm 6:2

Did you hear the story about the poor man who ran up a bunch of bad debts?

That story is all over the news all of the time.

The story that is not all over the news – did you hear about this? – is the story about the rich man who’s been forgiving huge debts.

The accumulated debt that’s been forgiven by this tycoon is billions upon billions of dollars. At least, that’s the latest estimate I’ve heard of this man’s generosity.

Who is this rich man?

The rich man is God. In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus tells a parable about the magnificence of God’s generosity.

A king calls in his debts. A poor servant falls down and essentially echoes our verse for today, “Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.” And the king generously forgives the debt.

Leaving the king’s home, the poor servant encounters an even poorer servant. Though he’s recently been forgiven of a great debt, he won’t forgive the poor man a smaller debt. He callously ignores pleas like, “Have compassion on me … for I am weak.”

When I’ve heard the accounting of these debts in Jesus’ parable, I’ve always been led to believe that the debt that God forgives is big and the debt that the first servant refused to forgive is small. That’s not true.

• According to Jesus’ parable, the poorer servant owed the first servant 100 denarii. A denarii was equal to a normal day’s wage. Thus, 100 denarii was about a half a year’s salary. In modern American wages, imagine someone owing you twenty to thirty thousand dollars. That’s a big debt. 
• Which means what? Jesus is acknowledging the true cost of sin. Sometime people really do hurt us. They incur big debts. Thus Jesus is saying that he understands completely that sins are big, hurts are real, and forgiveness is not easy.
• If the debt owed to us by others is big, then what’s the debt owed by us to God? HUGE!

The poor man, we are told, owed the king 10,000 talents. Now do some math: If just one talent was worth twenty years’ wages, that means 10,000 talents was worth 200,000 years of wages.

Here’s another way to put it. When Jesus was telling this parable, the entire gross national product of the entire roman empire was less than 1000 talents. Thus, Jesus was saying, humans owe a debt to God that is ten times all the money that was being traded in the entire Western world!

In modern American terms, if our current GDP is about $14 trillion dollars, that means your debt to God is about $140 trillion dollars.

That’s the cost of Jesus’ death to you.

I think I’d better put on knee pads!

I need to fall on my knees and pray, “Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak” … and needy … and desperate … and willful … and sinful … proud.

And then I need to fall on my face and beg for compassion for another weakness. I need to confess that I’m unforgiving too.

“Lord, you’ve forgiven me for so very much.

Help me forgive the real but lesser debts

that others have incurred with me.

Help me reflect your grace.”

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who after subtracting

his entire net worth

still owes $140,000,000,000,000

, however, falls before the recently forgiven servant, he won’t extend the same generosity.

In this parable, he tells about a servant who owes a king ten thousand talents. A talent was worth ________. That adds up to _________.

Jesus’ point? He’s saying that’s how much every single one of us owes God. The Son of God died on a cross for you. How much do you owe him? Billions!

Or let’s put that another way: How much do you owe him? Everything.

In the parable, the poor man “fell down before the king and begged him, 'Oh, sir, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.'” The result? “The king was filled with pity for him … and forgave his debt.”

That’s our verse for today. It is King David … and you … and me … falling down on our knees and saying, “Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.”

But here’s another weakness that you, me, and King David have – though we’ve been forgiven much, we still have trouble forgiving others.

As a pastor, perhaps a quarter of the counseling I do boils down to the inability to forgive a “debt.” Imagine … something bad has happened. It is legitimately bad. In the parable, Jesus goes on to tell of the servant who’s been forgiven much, encountering another servant who owes him money. I’d always heard that this debt was a tiny pittance. For example, if the first slave owed the king a million dollars. The second slave owed the first one a few bucks. That’s not the way Jesus told the story.

The second debt was a major debt too. One hundred denarii was a half year’s wage.

Imagine! What’s a half year’s wages to you and your family? In America, that’s tens of thousands dollars. If someone – figuratively or literally – refused to repay me that kind of a debt, I’d be financially hurt. I would be angry, surely. I would probably be tempted to never forgive.

And that’s my weakness. Indeed, that’s a weakness that’s common to most all of us. Indeed, that’s why this story is one of the most powerful of the parables. Though we’ve been forgiven much, we still have trouble forgiving others. And that’s why every one of us needs to fall on our knees and pray, “Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.”

Remember, it’s not just that you owe Jesus for dying in order to forgive you for a long list of sins.

It’s that you owe him for giving you another chance to forgive those who’ve offended you – even in big ways.

Who do you know who “owes” you a great debt. Start praying today for the ability to forgive them.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who knows

that if he’s going to look like Jesus,

he’d better start imitating

his greatest trait: forgiveness.

Aug 17 - Psalm 4:7

You have given me greater joy

than those who have abundant harvests

of grain and wine.

Psalm 4:7

NLT

“Eat, drink, and be merry!” Do you know where that phrase comes from?

In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus told the story about a rich man with an abundant harvest. Perhaps you’ve heard the story. His outbuildings were so full that he tore down his old sheds and built bigger barns. Figuring that he’d finally accumulated enough wealth, the rich man said, “Now [I can] take it easy! [It’s time to] eat, drink, and be merry!”

Isn’t that what today’s verse describes as “The Normal Human Standard of Joy”?

Three thousand years ago, the human standard of success was abundant harvests, vast supplies of wine, and an excess of accumulated wealth.

It’s the same standard today, isn’t it?

A classic bumper sticker reads, “The one who dies with the most toys wins!”

An even more classic bumper sticker reads, “The one who dies with the most toys still dies.”

Jesus could have penned the second bumper sticker. In his story about the plump, drunk rich man, God cried from heaven, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?” (Yes, the one who dies with the most toys still dies.)

That’s why Jesus said – Luke 12:21 – “A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."

The greatest richness in all the world is a real relationship with God. In fact, everything else is fool’s gold. Everything else is a temporary illusion of happiness and security. Or – as today’s verse implies – the “great[est] joy” in all the world is “You [O Lord.]”

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who loved his grandpa’s old barn

(it was big and red, but only temporary;

a few years ago, a tornado took it down)

Aug 16 - Psalm 3:3

You, O LORD, are

a shield around me, my glory,

and the one who lifts my head high.

Psalm 3:3

What are you most afraid of?

Some will say spiders and snakes. Others are afraid of heights. Others quake at the mere thought of speaking in public.

Trace those fears back to their roots, though, and you’ll find that what we’re really afraid of is death.

•     We don’t like ladders and heights because we’re afraid that we might fall and die.
•     We don’t like dogs that bark and snakes that crawl because they might bite us and we might die.
•     We don’t like speaking in public because we might be embarrassed.

Wait … embarrassment is not a death.

No, not technically. But every time we’re embarrassed, we die a thousand little deaths. Every time someone gossips about us, it’s little a thousand little stabs in the heart. Every time we’re perceived as week or needy or foolish or vulnerable, it’s like a thousand little pin pricks.

As many opportunities as we have to sin, fail, and fall short (see Romans 3:23), you’d think we’d be accustomed to being pin cushions. But we’re not. We’re brittle. Therefore, instead of venturing boldly forward into life, too many of us isolate ourselves. We guard our feelings and hide our hearts.

Today’s verse tells us, however, that we should really be a little bolder. After all, we have “a shield around [us].” What is that shield? It is God – “You, O Lord, are a shield around me.”

I can still remember where I was when a light bulb went off in my wife’s head … and it sparked a newfound confidence in my heart. Reflecting on Romans 3:24, she said, “If God justifies us, we do we spend so much time trying to justify ourselves.”

Wow! Simple but profound.

We all waste so much time and effort in life trying to look good in the eyes of others. But really, there’s only one who’s opinion really matters … and that’s God! And God loves us. And forgives us. He calls us his child. He watches over our days. And by his grace, even death isn’t deadly anymore. Indeed, death is just the gate to heaven and an even better life.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s still

wise about ladders

and wary of snakes,

but is free in God’s

justifying grace!

Aug 15 - Psalm 2:1

Why do the people

waste their time

with futile plans?

Psalm 2:1

Futile means ineffective and worthless. It implies a lack of success. It means being utterly incapable of producing any positive result.

For example, my running a marathon would be absolutely futile …

… or would it?

In my present condition, coughing up a lung is much more likely than racing twenty-six miles. Nevertheless, with a lot of effort, I suppose I could whip myself into shape. Therefore, a marathon is improbable, but not futile.

Perhaps escaping the laws of nature is futile. Or is it? We cheat gravity (every time a plane takes flight). We breathe underwater (with scuba gear). We project our voice halfway around the world (through telephones). We even try to cheat death and destruction as we fight fires and battle cancer.

What, then, is futile? Utterly futile? Psalm 2 reveals the most futile thing in all the world. It is “plot[ting] against the LORD”!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never “plotted” against the Lord.

And yet, I do it all the time.

None of us wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror, and says, “I think I’ll be God today!” And yet that’s how we constantly act. We do what we want … when we want to do it. We make our own plans without consulting God (and then blame him when things go wrong). And most of us are just “little people.”

What about kings and business tycoons? The more earthly authority humans wield, the more prone we are to mistake that for real power. But today’s Psalm tells us the truth. It says that great “nations” may “rage,” mighty “rulers” may “plot,” and proud people may be under the illusion that we can “free ourselves,” but “the one who rules in heaven laughs.”

Some find that depressing.

I think it’s hopeful.

I know the trajectory of my life. I may momentarily stall the inevitable for another thirty or forty years, but my future is grayer hair, lesser strength, and weaker heart. If I’m in charge of my destiny, it’s ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Nevertheless, my future is not futile! When I let God be in charge of my destiny, it’s hopeful … and eternal.

Any power that I have is an illusion. It is temporary at best. Even more so, it is a gift.

God has created the circumstances of my birth – rich or poor, slave or free, an age of prosperity or a season of war. He’s breathed every skill – and every limitation – into my life. My health is a gift. My weakness is also a gift (because it encourages me to depend on God). For me to plot against God – and expect to win – is the very definition of futile.

To humble myself and depend on God is the very secret of hope … and peace … and joy.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy with grayer hair

and a brighter life

Aug 14 - Psalm 1:3

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season without fail.

Their leaves never wither,

and in all they do, they prosper.

Psalm 1:3

NLT

When I lived in New Mexico for many years, desert browns and juniper greens dominated the landscape.

Each October, however, a new color was added to the palette. Bright ribbons of cottonwood-yellow proudly announced the location of the valley’s rivers and streams.

These trees didn’t mean to disclose the location of the desert’s water, but they couldn’t help it. Only in the streambeds could a deciduous tree have a fighting chance in the dry soil, and their fall colors always disclosed the secret of living water.

That’s the simple analogy of Psalm 1. Much of Israel is like much of New Mexico; therefore, God’s people have always readily understood that it’s only in the streambeds that …

roots go deep,

fruit grows ripe, and

“leaves never wither.”

This Psalm invites you and me to be “like trees planted along the riverbank.” In fact, it tells us how to do this.

•      When we follow the path of righteousness – see verses 1 and 3 – scripture tells us that we will be happy, blessed, and fruitful.
•      When we follow, however, “the advice of the wicked” – see verses 1 and 4 – we will be “like chaff that the wind drives away.”

Which path are you following?

The path you choose will determine 1) where you wind up, 2) where you’ll be planted, and 3) what kind of fruit you’ll produce. Indeed, how many of us have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people ... and then been dumb enough to be surprised by the wrong results?!

I don’t know about you, but I want to produce strawberries of love, instead of the poison mushrooms of dissension. I want to grow the tangerines of joy, instead of the mold of anger. I want to nurture the grape vines of peace instead of the bacteria of wickedness.

But the choice is mine.

And the choice is yours.

Therefore, scripture repeatedly invites us to plant ourselves by streams of living water.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants a green thumb

instead of a gangrene heart

(see Gal 5:22-23 instead of Gal 5:19-21)

Aug 13 - Psalm 1:1

Oh, the joys of those who

do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with scoffers.

Psalm 1:1

NLT

Psalms is the longest book of the Bible.

It is the prayer book of the scriptures.

What is its purpose?

I’m convinced that one of the purposes of the entire book of Psalms is in its third word – “joy”!

Other translations render this first verse as a beatitude – a so-called “attitudes of how to be.” How can we be “happy”? How can we be “blessed”? How can our attitude be full of “joys”? In the very first verse, the Psalms give us three suggestions:

• “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked …” (NRSV).
• “Blessed are those who do not … sit in the company of mockers” (TNIV).
• And “oh, the joys of those who do not … stand around with sinners …” (NLT).

Have you heard the phrase, “You are what you eat”? Most parents teach their children a similar principle: “You begin to resemble the people you hang around with!” That’s how the Psalms begin.

From these three examples, we now have a partial list of things to avoid, if we crave a little more joy. But here’s an equally important question: Is there anything positive we can do to encounter greater joy?

My favorite place to go to discover a positive source of joy is the Gospel of Luke. Story after story proclaims that whenever God’s reign, rule, and kingdom break into human lives, there is joy!

Take a look at these examples …

• For hundreds of years before the birth of John the Baptist, the prophets had been silent, but then an angel came to Zechariah heralding the arrival of the forerunner to the Messiah, saying, “You will have great _____ and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at [John the Baptist’s] birth” (Luke 1:14).
• When the first human encountered the Messiah at barely the dawning of this infant King’s reign, John the Baptist – even in utero – “leapt for joy”! (Luke 1:44).
• When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they weren’t just proclaiming the birth of a baby; they were proclaiming the coming of the a King: "Don't be afraid! … I bring you good news of great _____ for everyone!” (Luke 2:10).
• In the Beattitudes, Jesus tells us, Luke 6:21, that, “God blesses [those] who weep now [in this world that’s under the reign of sin and death, but when we accept the reign of Christ and enter the fullness of his kingdom,] the time will come when [we] will laugh with _____.” “Yes, leap for _____,” continues Christ the King in Luke 6:23, “for a great reward awaits you in heaven.”
• In the parables, Jesus says, Luke 8:13, that “those who hear the message [of Kingdom and Messiah] [and] believe [discover] _____.” But he simultaneously warns of the danger of “shallow roots” and “wilt[ing] when the hot winds of testing blow.”
• When “even one sinner repents,” says Jesus in Luke 10:21, “there is _____ …” Indeed that’s what the sinner Zacchaeus discovered when he opened his house and his heart to King Jesus, “great excitement and _____,” (Luke 19:6).
• At the resurrection – when the full glory of the king was being revealed – his followers were “filled with _____ and wonder” (Luke 24:41). Then when Christ the King ascended to his heavenly throne, we are told that the disciples “worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem with great _____.”

As you journey through the Psalms remember the third word – Joy! That’s the word that fills in every blank above, and that’s what fills in all the greatest blanks and holes in our lives.

As scripture tells us, you can avoid a lack of joy by staying away from sinners. Or you can discover the blessing of joy, positively, by drawing nearer to the King!

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants

to discover greater joy!

Daily Devotional Group

Daily Devotions will be starting back very soon!

Two things before then …

 

Are you looking to grow your faith this fall?

Join one of several fall Discipleship Studies.

Are you looking to grow your faith even more?

Then take a leap of faith. Lead a study!

Call me! We’ll train you, and you’ll be blessed!

Last Chance to Submit Stories of Faith.

Some of you said you were going to …

This is your final reminder!

 

 

 

July 24 - Why I'm fasting ... starting tomorrow

Declare a holy fast;

call a SOLEMN ASSEMBLY.

Summon the elders

and all who live in the land

to the house of the Lord your God,

and cry out to the Lord.

Joel 1:14

 

A solemn assembly has been declared in Charlotte. Have you ever heard of one of those?

 

Let me introduce the concept with recent reflections from Billy Graham. This aging preacher doesn’t speak often nowadays. Therefore, it’s worth paying attention when he does …

 

The bad news: “My heart aches for America and it’s deceived people,” he says, as he references a Dark Knight massacre, further silencings of public prayer, and “the terrible downward spiral of our nation’s moral standards.”

 

The good news: Well, it’s not just good news, he says! “The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy.”

 

The conditions, then, for God’s abundant mercy: The great old preacher continues his previous sentence on mercy, saying, “… and [our Lord] responds to repentance.”

 

Repentance is always the first and necessary precondition for mercy and restoration. Based on today’s lesson and yesterday’s, here are several more devotional practices that lead the hope and healing for a nation …

 

The Lord says, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name …

·         humble themselves,

·         and pray

·         and seek my face,

·         and turn from their wicked ways [which is repentance again],

then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” The Lord adds a few more preconditions in Joel 1:14, at a similar time of national distress, saying,

·         “Declare a holy fast;

·         call a solemn assembly.

·         Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God,

·         and cry out to the Lord [which is prayer again].”

 

Thus a solemn assembly is being called in Charlotte. It’s purpose is humbleness, prayer, and seeking God’s face.

 

And to prepare myself, I am starting a forty day fast tomorrow in preparation for the September 2 event. (I’m not sure of the complete details of my fast other than it will involve a curtailing – not elimination – of food and of television. I’ll tell you more on Sunday.)

 

For more information, watch the video at

http://www.charlotte714.com/714-story/

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants to be

hungrier for God

than for food

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 23 - The Dark Night Rises - reflections on Aurora

The Dark Night Rises

The murderer rises in the dark …

Job 24:14

Surely you’ve heard about the massacre at a Colorado premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. The headline in my newspaper this morning reads, “The Search for ‘Why?’”

I can tell you why.

And I can tell you why most in our culture will answer this question incorrectly.

Let me start with a story ... Batman is my favorite superhero. In the seventies, I grew up watching reruns of the campy sixties version of the Caped Crusader. Now, it may sound strange, but crime dramas and mysteries have traditionally expressed a Christian Worldview.

Really? Think about it … The setting is good versus evil. The plot is a passionate pursuit of truth (by the main character, a detective).  And while the story starts with sin and violence (a biblical given), the whole point is the restoration of justice and order (a biblical goal).

We used to call our comic book characters “super” and “heroes.” In my Batman of old, the violence was even cartoonish and implied. I know it seems hokey by today’s standards, but rather than showing a punch land, the comic-book word “Pow!” would flash across the screen.

“Hokey?” Maybe. But what are today’s standards? It is an increasingly graphic portrayal of violence.

Conflicting reports say this weekend’s shooter was dressed as the villain from the last Batman movie. “The Joker” from 2008’s Dark Night was perhaps the most evil character ever portrayed on screen. A good actor is supposed to “inhabit the character” he’s portraying. It is said, that just the opposite happened with actor Heath Ledger.

Did the sickness of the Joker so thoroughly inhabit a young actor that it led to his overdose and death at age 28?

Did the sickness of the Joker so thoroughly inhabit another young man that he shot 58 at the next Batman premiere?

Wait!

Here’s the problem with the question of “Why?” … Most will focus on what went wrong in one young man’s life to prompt such cruelty. Yes, some sadistic switch flipped in one young brain, but that’s not really the problem. The real problem keeps coursing – daily and increasingly – throughout our culture.

This problem is worse than the over-abundance of violence on our television and movie screens.  It’s worse even than constantly desensitizing our children to shooting human beings in their video games. The problem is that we’ve completely pulled the carpet out from under our children and our society.

While it sounds compassionate in our post-modern world to teach our kids to be sensitive to each individual’s and each culture’s diversity, what we’re really doing is teaching them that there is no ultimate right and wrong. And that’s just plain wrong.

If there is a God, then there is a Truth – one truth. Indeed, that is the reason that America’s collective heart is breaking over this movie theater massacre. Deep down – and created in God’s image – we yearn for Truth and justice and “heroes” that are “super.”

And yet at the same time, hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent this week on a complex and brooding comic book character that was the backdrop for these murders.

Why?

Thousands of years ago, a man named Job was fond of that question too. In a section entitled, “Job Complains of Violence on the Earth,” this grieving old man cried …

"1 Why are … 13 those …

who rebel against the light,

who are not acquainted with its ways,

and do not stay in its paths[?]

14 The murderer RISES in the DARK,

that he may kill the poor and needy;

and in the NIGHT he is as a thief.

15 The eye of the adulterer

also waits for the twilight,

saying, 'No eye will see me' …

Job 24

It’s an age-old question. But there is an age-old answer too. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord says to his people …

if my people who are called by my name

humble themselves,

and pray

and seek my face,

and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The movie at the center of this tragedy is The Dark Knight Rises. It’s a play on words, but let us pray …

·         that The Dark Night Ceases to Rise across our nation and throughout this culture;

·         that Americans – starting with us and for our children’s sake – will start to pay only for movies where the heroes are more super than dark, brooding, and violent;

·         that Americans – starting with us and for our children’s sake – will stop desensitizing our souls with video games in which we even figuratively shoot at human beings;

·         that Christians – starting with us and for our children’s sake – will testify to the true Truth, instead of permitting the continued encroachment of relativism and ambiguity;

·         that we as a nation – starting with us and for our children’s sake – will follow the call of 2 Chronicles 7:14.

In Christ’s Love,

a Pastor who prays

for our land to be healed

Daily Devotions are on vacation until the fall.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

July 4 - Hope

the propitious (i.e. favorable) smiles of Heaven

can never be expected on a nation

that disregards the eternal rules of order and right

which Heaven itself has ordained

George Washington

Sunday’s sermon sparked a lot of conversation. Good!

The saddest comment came from a 12-year-old who said, “I’ve never known a time when God has smiled upon our nation.” Think about it! In his memory, what has life in America looked like?

·         All his life has been lived in the shadow of twin towers toppling and terrorism.

·         As a nation he’s only seen America constantly in war.

·         His view of American politics has been increasingly polarizing and partisan – not to mention the age old and ongoing problems of scandals and corruption.

·         Our young people see a country that’s utterly divided – left and right, red and blue, white and brown, richer and poorer, Christian and secular.

·         About all they’ve known of America is economic upheaval. In their neighborhoods (if not their own homes) they see job losses, foreclosures, lack of insurance, and the resulting worry, stress, and fear.  

·         Their experience of American families is filled with too many broken families.

·         Their experience of American culture is crass, course, sexually charged, and devoid of innocence.

·         Their glimpses of America have too much violence, abuse, and human-trafficking.

·         They see all around them self-centeredness, materialism, drug use, and depression.

So where’s the hope?

Look in the mirror.

Now … that’s an intentional overstatement. We must look, of course, to God! But look at the words in that list above. What do you think God thinks about constant war, utter division, self-centeredness, crassness, materialism, teen pregnancies, rampant secularism, and way too many broken families?

Let’s ask that another way: What did God repeatedly say to Israel when they were off track? Turn, return, and repent! That was Jesus’ first sermon too: “The time has come! … Repent and believe” (Mark 1:15).

I pray, therefore, for revival. I’ve told you that before. I’d love to see a national revival. Indeed, America has historically been known for its Great Awakenings. And with constant war, utter division, self-centeredness, materialism, and broken families, we definitely need revival.

But where does it start? Look in the mirror. If you’re one who wants a better future for our kids, grandkids, and nation, then I invite your prayer to be: “Revival, Lord! Me first, then our church, then our nation.” It’s like ripples in a pond, but it starts with looking in the mirror and praying, “Lord, me first!”

That’s our goal at Spirit of Joy for the next several months. We want to partner with one another to enliven faith. Please see the final two P.S.’s at the end of this letter, but I invite you to invest in hope through …

·         Prayer: Spurred by our Deeper Life Conference, Spirit of Joy is focusing on prayer -- indeed, power praying -- in the Summer of 2012. Prayer is a living connection to our living God.

·         Passion: For the Fall of 2012, we are working on several studies and initiatives, to partner with you to ignite deeper faith and passion. Undergirded by prayer, we will invite every member to join a Discipleship Study.

·         Purpose: Do you want your life to count for more? Do you want to change the future for our kids, grandkids, and nation? Faith ignited, let’s inspire one another to reach out even more fully. The goal for 2013 is to joyfully make a bigger difference in life together!

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Ed