This morning as I reflected upon a Scripture verse; I want to reinforce the fact that we have a God who truly wants to loves us and wants use each of us for His Glory. We belong to Him. He created us and we are His. He’s knows us by name (Isa.43:1-5).

“Now you belong to him . . . in order that you might be useful in the service of God” (Romans 7:4 TEV).
Our call to salvation includes our call to service. They are the same. Regardless of our job or career, we are called to full-time Christian service. A “non-serving Christian” is a contradiction in terms.

The Bible says, “He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose” (2 Timothy 1:9 TEV).

Peter adds, “You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you” (1 Peter 2:9 GWT).

You see we are called to serve God. Growing up, you may have thought that being called by God was something only missionaries, pastors, nuns, and other full-time church workers experienced, but the Bible says every Christians is called to service (Ephesians 4:4–14; see also Romans 1:6–7; 8:28–30; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 9, 26; 7:17; Philippians 3:14; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:3).

Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, encourage them, assist them, disciple them, you are fulfilling your calling. The Bible says, “Now you belong to him . . . in order that you might be useful in the service of God” (Romans 7:4 TEV).

How much time are you being useful in the service of God? In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying, “Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with.” Wow! What a thought! If only we could realize the impact God wants to have on others through us.

Father, I praise you this morning for your grace and love. You are truly a great God worthy of being loved back by each of us. It’s so easy to get caught up in our world and our lives that we forget we are to be just like Jesus and live as He lived among us. As we reflect upon our usefulness, help us to realize the impact we can have if we just live “holy” lives and quite worrying about the things outside of our control. Open our minds and thoughts to your will and way. Help us to be disciplined in our seeking you and to be authentic and genuine in our service for you. After all - we are your chosen people! Amen!

The traditional family as we know it is an endangered species. Family life in America has taken on a new look in the past 20 years...to such an extreme that we can't even define or recognize the family any longer. What should family life look like? Is it possible for the family to refocus and be transformed into the original plan God had for the family?

No doubt, it will take an extreme effort on the part of every family member...if we are to become the families God created us to be. But what is the family suppose to look like in character and lifestyle?

Where do we go to find the answer? God's Word the Bible. The Bible will guide us as parents, grandparents, single parents, children and youth. God has described for us what family life ought to look like...so join the journey and adventure and lets discover the principles together from God's Word that will restore the family unit. It's not too late, but it will take an X-treme commitment from us if we are to return to the healthy family unit God intended for us to be. Will you ?

In this series you will discover what God has to say about family life and roles of the family members. Note the titles of the messages below:

"The Family that Goes the Distance"

"The Marriage that goes the Distance"

" Are you kidding me...You don't know my parents!"

"Try following the parental example of...."

"Relationships in the family...Really?"

"When a loved-one dies - What?"

"Before you say, I Do?"

"Before you say, I Quit?"

You can grow wise in Family Life, but you have to be here first! Invite a friend and learn what God's Word says about the Family.

"Take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you (Ephesians 4:22-24 MSG)."

Many religions (cults) and New Age philosophies promote the old lie that we are divine or can become gods. That is a lie straight from Satan. In fact, that prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they followed his advice, “you shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5 KJV).

This desire to be a god shows up every time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and people around us. But as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want you to become a god; he wants you to become godly, taking on His values, attitudes, and character. We are meant to “take on ... a God-fashioned holiness lifestyle” (Ephesians 4:22-24 MSG).

God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christ likeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality.

God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the Beatitudes of Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul’s great chapter on love, and Peter’s list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life (Matthew 5:1-12, Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 13, 2 Peter 1:5-8).

Every time you forget that character is one of God’s purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances. You’ll wonder, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time?” One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Remember, earth is not heaven!

Many Christians misinterpret Jesus’ promise of the “abundant life” (John 10:10) to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer. In a word, they expect the Christian life to be easy. They expect heaven on earth.

However, the “abundant life” is a life consumed of God. You literally have His heart and crave for His ways. The abundant life is not found in things, good health or success. It’s found in Christ. Christ is my hope and my life and that’s all that really matters. Life is all about HIM!

Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on earth to build and strengthen our character for heaven. We call that the “holiness lifestyle.”

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
-2 Timothy 3.16

Father we praise you today for your goodness to us. Reveal yourself to us today in a unique way. May there be no mistake about what you are saying to us. Open our minds and thoughts to the things of God Protect us from the evil one and his attack on our lives. May the ‘abundant life “be our daily pursuit and help us to listen carefully to your voice, as you lead us through the day. We love you…to you be the glory! Amen!

Are times hard? Are days of trouble upon you? ARE YOU DEPRESSED? When times are tough, the Lord is our only security. David assures us in his song that the Lord delights in us; He sees and cares about what is happening in our lives, this very moment.

The Lord is our support. In tough times He is our most reliable security. He rescues us because He delights in us. What encouragement that brings as the battle endures and exhausts us. David's song of triumph begins on this easily forgotten theme. I am thankful he reminds us of it.

For You are my lamp, O LORD;
And the LORD illumines my darkness. (2 Samuel 22:29)

That reminds me of a scene from my boyhood days. When I was just a lad, my dad and I used to go frog gigging, a popular pastime in our day. We'd carry a flash light in one hand and a two-pronged spear in the other (called a gig) as we walked along, knee-deep in the shallow water along the shore or went in flat bottom boat. As we walked, we'd listen for the sound of the frog and then shine the light right in his eyes. The flash light provided just enough light to reveal the frog (blinding him) . . . and just enough so that we could see a few feet ahead as we waded through the water. We were aware that snakes like frogs too. Actually, it was all the light we needed. It penetrated just enough of the darkness so that we could see where to walk or steer the boat, but not much beyond that.

The same is true of the light we receive from God. At times we stumble along, trying to peer too far into the darkness or depression ahead. Yet God gives us just enough light so that we can see to take the next step - safely. That's all the light He gives and, in reality, that's all we need.

Have a Blessed Day!

Believe it or not, many people consider the O.T. to be irrelevant to today's culture and society. However, I have found a gold-mine of truth hidden in the forgotten books of the O.T. The Sunday evening series of faith lessons will be rich in spiritual insights and practical truth that is unearthed by pastors Don, Jim and Richard. Each week one of them will bring timeless truths that will assist you in developing your spiritual health. We hope you will make Sunday evenings part of your spiritual diet. Come and invite a friend and take them out for fellowship afterwards

THE 2012 INITATIVE
The New You in Christ!
.....Coming in 2012

New Creations. In 2 Corinthians 5.17 the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come!” If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, that statement describes you! What Paul is saying, in a nutshell, is that the same God who created us in the first place has re-created us in the image of His Son. The thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, purposes, habits, speech, and conduct that belonged to the old self have been re-placed with new ones! Or have they?

If we’re honest, we all recognize that while Paul’s statement is absolutely true - we ARE new creations - there certainly seems to be a lot of that old creation hanging around. We say things, do things, think things, and act in ways that reflect more our old self than this new self; we have a sort of identity crisis going on.

Identity Crisis. This ‘identity crisis’ is explained by the fact that there is a struggle going on inside us. In Galatians 5.17 Paul says, “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” The sinful nature (our old self) does not want to give way to the new self (which is being led and empowered by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us). So what are we to do?

Take Action. We’re not called to simply throw up our hands, declare “that’s just the way it is,” and wait around to go to heaven (an approach that far too many take). Rather we’re instructed to take action! In Colossians 3.5 Paul says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature...” and, in 3.10, “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” This requires active engagement in our own growth in Christ; the ‘new you’ must take action!

Yes, take action and live more and more as the new you in Christ. We are going to study the book of Colossians and discover from it the secret to living a 'new kind of life...Christ in YOU, the hope of glory." 1:27

2012 is shaping up to be a transformational year.
We invite you to join us on this exciting adventure!

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU TO BEGIN READING THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS IN PREPARATION FOR THIS NEW JOURNEY AND ADVENTURE. IT PROMISES TO BE AN EXCITING LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE.
PASTOR DON

The 2012 Initative: The New YOU in Christ. This is a study through the book of Colossians. You won't want to miss this worship series that will help you know how you can truly make a difference in the lives of those you love and also those who are in your sphere of influence. Hope you come each Sunday beginning in January! Invite a friend and make a New Years resolution to be in Church each week possible.

7 Passionate Steps.ppt

A Faith Worth Duplicating.doc

A Life Worth Living.ppt

A Heart for God.ppt

Becoming A Great Church.ppt

Building God's Family God's Way.ppt

Building Relationships That Last-1.doc

Being a People of Passion Powerpoint Office Version.ppt

Breakthrough Church Growth.ppt

Casting A Vision for the Future.doc

Church as it Should Be.ppt

Connecting With Others.ppt     Connecting with Others.doc

Embracing Authentic Love.ppt  Embracing Authentic Love.doc

Formula For Renewal.ppt

Five Things That Hinder Church Growth.doc

God gives through People.ppt 

An Overview of IMPACT.doc

IMPACT.doc   IMPACT.ppt   IMPACT Bulletin insert.doc

IMPACT - A Harvest Emphasis.doc

IMPACT - Buidling God's Church Through Relations.doc

IMPACT - The Harvest Plan.doc

IMPACT Message- No One Cares for My Soul.doc   IMPACT - No One Cares For My Soul.ppt

IMPACT(insert)- The Harvest Principle.doc   IMPACT - The Harvest Principal (powerpoint).ppt

IMPACT -OTHERS Sunday.doc