History of St. Patrick's Day

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is a little backstory on Saint Patrick himself.

At the age of 16, Saint Patrick was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland where he became a slave to the chieftain of Ulster. One night, after six years of slavery, Saint Patrick heard a voice, "Behold, thy ship is ready." He traveled two hundred miles on foot to a place where he knew no one and had never been. He wrote in his autobiographical account, "After this I took flight, and left the man with whom I had been six years; and I came in the strength of the Lord, who directed my way for good; and I feared nothing till I arrived at the ship. And on that same day on which I arrived, the ship moved out of its place."

Patrick made his way back to Britain, found his family, and could have lived out the rest of his life in relative comfort in the land of freedom. But in 432 AD, he had another vision. He saw a man coming to him from Ireland carrying innumerable letters. "And I read the beginning of the letter containing 'The voice of the Irish.' And while I was reading aloud the beginning of the letters, I myself thought indeed in my mind that I heard the voice of those who were near the wood of Foclut, which is close by the Western Sea. And they cried out thus as if with one voice, "We entreat thee, holy youth, that thou come, and henceforth walk among us." And I was deeply moved in my heart, and could read no further; and so I woke."

Saint Patrick went back to Ireland as a missionary. No outside religion had penetrated Ireland in a thousand years. Saint Patrick founded more than 300 churches and baptized more than 120,000 people. His ministry was so influential that he came to be known as the one who "found Ireland all heathen and left it all Christian."

The Big Move- Greater Things!

In John 14:12, Jesus says “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

This verse promises so much hope for us! Earlier in the passage Jesus talks about the miracles he had performed. Then in this verse He states that His followers can do greater things than the miracles he performed. Those miracles included acts such as turning water into wine, raising people from the dead, healing the lame, walking on water, healing the blind, I think this gives us a clear picture of the acts that Jesus did.

As we prepare to make the BIG MOVE to Grand Occasions, coming SUNDAY FEBRUARY, 14^TH, I think of what the “greater things” might mean for us as a church. I sense that God is going to open doors for us that we have never been able to walk through before. We’ll reach people that we would have never been able to reach staying at the school. The lives that will be transformed as result of LifeBridge will be nothing short of miraculous. Would you pray with me that God would do “greater things” in us as we prepare for our big move? In fact I’m calling an all church prayer meeting this Sunday evening, 6:30, at our house. I hope you’ll be able to make it! Not only does God want to perform miracles in our church, but He also wants to perform miracles in your life. I can’t wait to see what God does for you and for us this year. See you Sunday.

I love being your pastor!

Kevin

Btw- here’s the link to Grand Occasions so you can get a sneak peak at the facilities: http://www.gograndoccasions.com/index.html

Vision 2009

This past Sunday we discussed how life without vision, that is, the ability to see God’s preferred future, is death. Life gets so crazy and stressful that we fail to see beyond our present circumstances which often times paralyze us, and distracts us from our primary purpose.
How is life keeping you from pursuing God’s vision for your life today? It could be the economy, a relationship loss, a job loss, or just the stress of the holiday season. Let me encourage you to ask God now to help you to rise above your circumstance to see God’s future reality for you!

We also shared the vision that we sense God has for our church in 2009. If you were not able to hear it you can do so now by listening to our podcast by clicking here. We’ll see you this Sunday!

It's December Already!

They say as you get older time goes by faster. I’m turning 36 one week from today so this reality is becoming more and truer for me. It seems that just not so long ago I turned 35 and 2008 seemed so far in the future. Now I’m closer to 40 than I am 30, WOW!

As I’m reflecting on how fast time goes by, this passage from the Bible comes to mind: "So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." Ephesians 5:15-17

As I prepare to celebrate my 36th birthday I am challenged by this verse to make every moment of my life count for eternity. Particularly, because it feels like life is flying by so fast! This verse challenges me to ask myself these questions: Do I really need to play the Wii for 2 hours, or will a half hour be enough? Do I really need to be on Facebook for 1 hour, or will 20 minutes be enough? Do I really need to surf the internet aimlessly for 3 hours or will 1 hour each day be enough??

I’d like to challenge you to evaluate the “time wasters” in your life. What are some areas you can clear up in your life to make room for “what The Lord wants you to do.” The mission we accomplish for His Kingdom will last forever! Take a moment right now, go ahead, right now, and ask God to reveal areas in your life where you can make the most of the moment!

I can’t wait to see you Sunday as we’ll celebrate together what God has done this past year, and look forward to what God has for us in 2009! Have a God-filled week!
I love being your pastor!
Kevin

I'm Hoping!

Life would sure be depressing if it were not for hope. In fact, so many people get depressed because they honestly believe that life will stay at the same level they have always known. Many people believe that their finances, relationships and life will never become anything more than the dysfunction they currently experience. I can relate! There are times in my life where I tend to focus more on the negative situations around me instead of the changeless promise that God has for me. When I focus on the negative I immediately replace my trust in God with trusting myself or some other illegitimate means of trust.

This is the point depression begins to settle in. We were never created to trust in our selves. God created us to trust in Him. So much emotional distress could be avoided if we would simply learn to trust Him when life is spinning out of control. Trusting God is the foundation for true hope, and hope diminishes depression. Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. Wow! How would our life be different if we consistently “overflowed with hope”?? I venture to say that we would make major marks for The Kingdom in our communities with this overage of hope.

Crazy Thursday Night

Tonight's our small group night! Thursday nights are pretty crazy with getting the house in order, preparing the lesson, and entertaining the kids seemingly at the same time. As much as it is a challenge preparing to hang out with friends, it is worth it!
The fun, growth and just being with each other outweighs any inconvenience that is experinced. So despite all the things that make buliding true community difficult, I can't wait to see everyone in about an hour!

Are you isolated?

That is probably not a question that you are asked every day, but it really could be one of the most important questions you would ever want to ask yourself. We talked on Sunday how isolation kills community like a poisonous gas, you don’t know its affecting you until it’s too late! It’s one of the most lethal, unsuspecting weapons the Devil uses to kill true, authentic, biblical community.Busyness, offense, and hurt contribute greatly to the isolation that exists in many churches today.
I painted a picture on Sunday of a church that would truly care for, help and serve each other. I am excited because I believe that this is beginning to unfold in our church. This can only continue to happen as we fight off the poisonous gas of isolationism. If we can continue to go against what our culture values most, and go after what God’s idea for our lives, in community, we can be incredibly influencial for God’s Kingdom. Ask God to reveal to you right now if there are any ways you are allowing isolationism in your life, and then ask Him to give you the courage to overcome it!