Pastor’s Church Corner

With the annual business meeting approaching we are looking at individuals for the new board member position that is coming available.  It’s a church leadership position that focuses on managing and caring for the business, finances and assets of the church.  With that, is it wrong for a person to want to be a leader in the church?  The quick answer is NO: 1 Timothy 3:1 NEB says, “To aspire to leadership is an honorable ambition”.   However, Jeremiah says, “Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not.”  Jeremiah 45:5.   As you can see Jeremiah uses the words “for yourself”.   If you are inspired to be in leadership for the glory of God.  God for it!  If you are inspired to be a leader to see souls won and lives changed through the gospel of Jesus Christ, that is perfect.  But if you want to be in leadership to get a personal agenda through and or simply govern people. That is wrong as far as church leadership.  I would love it if everyone would aspire to church leadership as long as it was there desire to simply want to serve and work to advance the kingdom of God and see lives transformed.  That is my goal and objective as a church leader. To simply Serve! To simply try and make decisions that brings glory to God and not self.

My challenge to everyone:  Aspire to leadership but not out of personal ambition but out of a desire to bring more energy and help to advance the kingdom of God and at bless God.   Realize God has blessed you with talents and abilities but stay humble and serve and grow into a profound person that leads with Godly leadership and one who has Godly ambition.  : )   Love you all, Pastor “J”

“Smile Jesus loves you”  is something many of us have said or probably heard, And It is a statement that many of us need to grab hold of.  We have a lot to smile about!  The fact that God does love us so much, that he made away for us to have eternal life.  The fact that we can now have unashamed fellowship with God the father because of what Jesus did on the cross for us.  The fact there is now not more condemnation for us who are in Christ, Jesus.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  We have a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  Wow! We should be smiling. We have been given everything.  Smile Jesus Love you, Pastor “J”

I went coon hunting with a friend of mine in Sheridan.  It was amazing,  the stars were bright, the temp. was perfect, and the coyote’s were talking.  It was poetry for the senses.  Then  all of a sudden, we looked up to the sky and noticed a shooting star.  Immediately, tingles when through my body, I just seen one of the most special things in the world.  Why me? I ask.  But then I realized God was just giving me a wink, letting me know He was around and faithful as ever.  A scripture that comes to mind is:  “All of creation declares His glory” …. and that is what that shooting star did.  It declared how beautiful, wonderful, big and awesome God is.    I challenge you to look around for the God winks in your life.  And remember you are loved more than you will ever know. Pastor “J”

Spring is here!  The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and the flowers are springing forward, making everything beautiful.  I would like to challenge you to let this spring, help you to spring forward out of the old ruts of the past.  Maybe be you have been depressed, maybe fearful;  as you watch the flowers spring forward with all there beauty,  you spring forward into the beauty that God has for you.   I love the scriptures that says:  “He makes all things beautiful in His time”.  I believe it is His time to make things beautiful in your life.  So allow Him to do that by springing forward into the peace and fullness of God.   You are loved more than you know.

 a “sweet smelling savor unto the Father”,  is that how we are living? Are we living for God and following Christ in such a way that we have a fragrance of Christ on us?  I hope so!  I went to the dentist today and one of the assistance goes to our church.  I shared with the doctor that you can tell that her employee and our church member walks with God.  The doctor totally agreed.  You could sense the spirit of God in her life.  So what do people sense from you?  That you have the Spirit of God in your life or that you are just another person who carries emotions and bad attitudes on their sleeves.  Lets be a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord, and be a blessing to the world. Love In Christ, Pastor “J”

^{James 3:13}Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.    ¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousnessI love that discription of wisdom in verse 17 and 18.  Wisdom comes from God and walking in His Spirit.  If we don’t walk in His Spirit we are not walking and living in Godly wisdom.  And inevitably we will not produce a harvest of rightousness which should be all of our goal.

I am thinking about how it is cold outside, but what a blessing it is that it is warm inside.   It is amazing to think how blessed we are to be able to have warm houses, warm cars, warm food while at the same time it is 20 degrees F.  out side.    We are so blessed. However even more we are blessed to have the Warmness of God in our life.  The warmness that comes from knowing we are forgiven. The warmness inside that comes from understanding His love.  The warmness inside that exist because of the mutual love relationship and fellowship we have with God on a daily basis.  I can’t help but feel warm in the midst of the winter!!!  Love In Christ!

Had a great service tonight, studied Mark 6.   I was amazed at how Jesus sent his disciples out and told them to take nothing except a staff.  No food, extra clothing, no money, basically nothing.  It inspired me to realize that in life regardless if we have a job or do not have a job, we need to have that same reliance on the Lord as the 12 disciples.  Realizing that He is our source of hope and Provision.   All in all we need to keep looking up and find our hope,  purpose and satisfaction in Jesus.
Love you, Pastor “J”

Here is the Vision statement and Mission of our church that we have been working on.  It also includes some of our 2010 goals that we are contemplating. Let me know your thoughts? Pastor “J”

 

Vision:

Honoring God, Transforming lives.

 

Luke 1:37 “nothing is impossible with God”

Mission:

Reaching around in love and fellowship, showing those around us the compassion and love of Christ.   Ephesians 4:29

 

*Men’s ministry

*Women’s ministry

*picnics and parties

 

Reaching up in worship and prayer,  bringing forth heartfelt praise and worship that touches the Lord.  Psalms 22:3

 

*prayer meets

*dynamic cooperate worship

*Tithe

 

Reaching out in Evangelism and outreach, to all people groups, expecting God to radically change lives.   Colossians 4:5,6

 

*Missions

*Feeding the Homeless (feed my sheep)

*special outreaches

 

Reaching in through discipleship.  Training men, women and children in the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:11-13

 

*Sunday School

*Jr. Bible quiz

*Home groups

*preaching

*youth and children’s ministriesGoal for 2010—Prayer, Prayer, Prayer plus: Continue current ministries with greater communication and encouragement. 

 

 

Develop Reaching in (Discipleship)  home classes that we will call summit groups.  Establish 2-3 summits of discipleship that will manifest several different home groups through out the year.

 

Maybe—One major local out reach in October called “Hell House”/”Judgment House”

“Unstoppable, God’s plan and purpose is unstoppable.” That is a powerful statement but what does that statement mean?

I believe it means different things to different people but over all it is a statement of faith and assurance that God has everything in control!!!  It is a statement that reminds us that He works all things out for good for those that love Him and are call according to His purpose.  It means that He is God! And as children of God we can know that everything is going to be ok.  So be of good cheer and keep moving forward in the “unstoppable” plan and purpose of God.           Love in Christ,    Pastor “J”

So what will heaven be like?
Revelation:

• It will be a holy place (Revelation 21:27) - NO Sin, no temptation!
• It will be a place where everything is new (Revelation 21:5). Everyone likes new stuff but the difference is there won’t be any repairs from decay!
• It will be a place where the curse and all it’s consequences will be gone (Revelation 22:3)
• It will be a place where there is no pain, death, darkness, sorrow or tears (Revelation 21:4)
• It is a place where we will know everyone (I Corinthians 13:12)
• It is a place of great rejoicing (Revelation 4)
• It’s a place where we will be able to spend eternity

Heaven is a place that we should look forward to with great anticipation. Some people have a misconception of what Heaven will be like. They think we will be sitting around all day in white robes, floating on clouds, and playing harps. That’s kind of boring, but that’s not what Heaven is like!!  Heaven is beyond Paradise!!! So Everyone stay Faithful…. Love ya, Pastor “J”

“open your eyes-the answer is here”

In a world of discontentment, hopelessness, anxiety, I pray this changes your life.

“When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob.” Genesis 21:15 (NIV)

    When Hagar ran out of water, anxiety took hold of her entire being. She ran out of what only she could provide in her small skin of water, but she lost sight of the fact that God never runs out of provisions for us. Hagar did what a lot of people do; she simply gave up, turned away, and became so focused on her hopelessness that she could not see the answer to her problem. She seemingly had no place to turn to for help, yet God had other plans.

    I find it interesting that God heard Ishmael’s prayers. It makes me wonder if Hagar was so caught up in her misery, and was so overcome, that she could not even pray to God for help. God is faithful. God had promised Hagar in the past that Ishmael would grow up to be the father of a great nation. God seems so far away, though, when we are so bogged down in anxiety and worry. God never leaves us. We turn from Him. He is there, waiting like a patient father.

    Notice the solution to Hagar’s problem is within sight of her? Notice that God’s answer was right there in front of her, in the form of a well? When Hagar stopped and listened to God, Hagar was given the answer. When Hagar was depending on Hagar, there was no hope. With God there is hope, and through Christ there is hope for all of us.

There are many ongoing ministries that you could be a part of.  Praise God, He is growing our church!

Discipleship opportunities:
The Discipleship Walk is a three-day weekend designed to give believers an opportunity to take a break from regular routines and experience the love of God in a new and fresh way. It is heavily patterned after the Walk to Emmaus and other similar weekends across denominational lines.

ALPHA - Home discipleship at Pastor J’s - Discipleship walks for men and women.  Contact Pastor J for dates.

Marriage Retreat and renewals are always available.  Contact Pastor J for all the details.

Building Fund
Pray about what the Lord would have you give towards our building fund.  We will be purchasing carpet, paint and many other items.

Monday Day off
Monday-Friday 1:00pm-4:00pm
Saturday By Appointment