Changing Lives for Good

Helping Haiti

The Church at Sendera Ranch is partnering with Thirst No More to help change lives for good in Haiti. After the 7.0 earthquake decimated the country just before 4 pm our time on January 12 the country is in desperate need for help. The Church at Sendera Ranch will accept donations on Sunday which will be sent directly to Thirst No More or you can give directly through their site.

One of my friends and mentors, Craig Miller, is the President and Founder of Thirst No More and is on his way to Haiti this evening.

Craig was interviewed by a TV station in Austin and you can see the interview here:

In an earlier conversation the following supplies were said to be needed:
IV fluids and tubing
Angio tubes (needles to put in arm to receive IV)
Injectible pain meds and antibiotics
wound supplies and bandage supplies
iodine
oral antibiotics
Antibiotics: Keflex, Rocephin IM and oral. Children's oral keflex 

If any of these items are donated we will get them to Haiti as quickly as possible.

And please pray for Haiti... that the light of Christ would shine in the darkness and hope would arise from the rubble. Pray for Craig and the team he is going to meet.

Thirst No More was also featured here and here.

Here I Raise Mine Ebenezer

I love the line "Here I raise mine Ebenezer" in the great hymn Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Every time I sing it there's a profound feeling of God's faithfulness that wells up within me. And yes, I realize that you're probably wondering why raising an Ebenezer would inspire me. It's a fair question because the only Ebenezer many of us are familiar with is from Dickens classic A Christmas Carol that is about to be played by Jim Carrey in the soon to be released A Christmas Carol by Disney. Ebenezer Scrooge, with all his "Bah Humbug," just doesn't seem to fit a song of praise. So what gives? Well consider this:

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." (1 Samuel 7:12 NASB)

See, whenever God did something great in the life of the Israelites they would erect a stone to serve as a reminder of what God had done. This stone which Samuel erected was called Ebenezer or The Lord our Help and served as a testimony to the Israelites that God had helped them that far and that He would continue to help them. Here's what Weirsbe comments on this verse:

The setting up of stones to commemorate significant events has been a part of the Hebrew culture since Jacob set up a memorial at Bethel (Gen. 28:20-22; 35:14). Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan (Josh. 4:9) and twelve more on the western bank at Gilgal to mark the place where the waters opened and Israel crossed into the Promised Land (vv. 4:1-8, 19-21). A great heap of stones in the Achor Valley reminded the Jews of Achan's disobedience (vv. 7:24-26), and another heap marked the burial place of the king of Ai (8:29). Another heap stood at a cave at Makkedah to mark where five kings had been defeated and slain (10:25-27). Before his death, Joshua set up a "witness stone" to remind the Israelites of their vow to serve the Lord alone and obey Him (24:26-28).

"Ebenezer" means "stone of help" because the monument was a reminder to the Jews that God had helped them that far and would continue to help them if they would trust Him and keep His covenant. The founder of the China Inland Mission, J. Hudson Taylor, had a plaque displayed in each of his residences that read "Ebenezer—Jehovah Jireh," Together, these Hebrew words say, "The Lord has helped us to this point, and He will see to it from now on." What an encouragement to our faith! Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Weirsbe

We all need Ebenezers in our life. Those rocks we can cling to when our worlds seem to be folding in against us. Those reminders of God's faithfulness in the past and the assurance that who He was then He still is today. Those bedrock truths or passages of Scripture that He has impressed upon us which encourage, inspire, comfort, and even challenge us.

Tonight, God took me back to an Ebenezer in my life. The section of Scripture from which He called me to ministry came alive for me again this evening and a promise within it reassured me deeply. I needed it! This week has been fabulous on many fronts. I've had great conversations with people in our church, celebrated the arrival of a little 9 lb 1 oz bundle of joy with a couple I led to Christ, been encouraged and challenged by our children's curriculum, and been inspired by the excitement of one of our newest members. Nearly everything I love about being a pastor I've experienced this week. And yet it has also been a very hard week. And though Satan would like to distract me with the challenges of the week, the Ebenezers around me won't allow me to mire myself in the muck. They remind me of the awesome, faithful, loving, gracious, forgiving, and holy God who has proven Himself in my life over and over and over again. So...

Come Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of God's redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither to Thy help I'm come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wand'ring from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

What are the Ebenezers in your life? Remember God's work in your past and know that He hasn't changed or gone anywhere. He is the same God today that He was then. Lean into what you know of Him and find His help there. I praise God for all my Ebenezers for we truly serve the GREAT God!

A Life-Changing Wedding

Tonight I officiated an amazing wedding. Yes the wedding was great and the ceremony nice and meaningful but it was something that wasn't planned that made the evening. But to understand the significance I have to take you back to Father's Day this year.

Every week after service at The Church at Sendera Ranch our men (18+) get together for what we call our men's huddle. The huddle is 2 minutes related to the message where we give out a small item to help the men remember the message and to act on it that week. On Father's Day, after a message about being Real Men of Jesus, we gave each man one poker chip. I said to them that it represents their life... they only have one and they have to go all in. Will they go all in for Jesus or all in for themselves... whose glory were they going to live for, whose desire were they going to pursue, and whose kingdom were they going to build. I'm well aware that many of the men in our church are considering following Jesus but they aren't quite there yet so I told them that the day might come when they (flinging my chip to the floor at the front) might need to come forward and go all in for Jesus.

In my last premarital coaching session with the couple that married this evening I asked where they each were in their standing with Jesus (something we talked extensively about in our first session). The guy said he was close, wasn't quite sure, and didn't know what was holding him back. But then he told me that he was carrying that poker chip around and really thinking about it. Fast forward to this evening.

The couple that married tonight were blending a family and wanted to include the kids in a unity sand ceremony as opposed to the unity candle. Each person in the family gets a vial of sand and they join the sand together in a container to demonstrate their new unity as one. As we started the ceremony I had the groom lead and pour a little sand into the jar... but he didn't do it right away... he was fiddling in his pocket for something. In a few seconds that felt like more he pulled out his poker chip and put it into the container as he poured in a little sand. ... I almost lost it and his bride almost did as well. She had wanted him to lead and trust Christ and here he was, on his wedding day, going all in for Jesus.

What an awesome evening and a truly life changing wedding. God is doing so much in this couple's life right now that it's exciting for everyone around them. It's a night I won't soon forget. And I can't wait to tell the story at their baptism in August.

A celebration point

It's been a whirlwind day full of amazing blessings and important reminders and in this hectic-I'll-blog-when-when-I-get-a-chance world I had to stop down for a few minutes and reflect on what's been a great day.

Sundays are very hectic for me and for any other pastor on the earth and this while this week wasn't less hectic, it was extremely special. We dedicated children to the Lord this morning in both of our services. It's the very first time we've done that as a church and it caused me to stop and notice what God has done in our church to this point. Nine families dedicated 14 children to the Lord this morning. We had less people in our church last year than stood with me to offer themselves and their children to God this morning, and while that's awesome in itself it was who was standing there that blows me away. These were parents who are new to following Christ in most accounts. Sure there are a few who've walked with God for a little while but many this morning are new to following Christ and God has used The Church at Sendera Ranch to help them discover His love for them. It's amazingly awesome. And it's cause for celebration!

After service I came home to three presents on the table. They weren't massive but they were meaningful. Each of my kiddos gave me a used book and each is now a treasure. They're treasures not because of what books they are but who gave them to me. I am blessed to be a daddy and I have the most wonderful wife and the greatest kids in the world. Not a day goes by that I'm not humbled by God entrusting them to me. I only pray that I'm a good husband and a good father who points my kids to Jesus Christ. My wife and kids are a reason to celebrate!

Next was a visit to a couple in our church who were celebrating the dedication of their children earlier that morning. Such a blessing to hear their story and to get to visit with them. I'm so glad they've jumped in to The Church at Sendera Ranch. This young couple is representative of the many I've gotten the privilege of knowing and leading in a pursuit of Jesus Christ... yet another reason to celebrate.

Back at home it was time for a short nap and a few phone calls to guests at church. I left a few messages but was excited that one person had marked that they were trusting Christ today and another rededicated their life to Jesus today. Celebration time for sure.

And then this evening we went to see UP. I wasn't expecting a lot and was very pleasantly surprised. Watching the couple grow old together and experience life's joys and pains made me realize the immense blessing my wife is and how I long to grow old with her. She is definitely a cause to celebrate before God.

And as I sat down tonight and began this blog I couldn't help but think of the awesome men's huddle we had this morning in both services. There are some awesome men in our church. Reason to celebrate. I thought of the 3 guys coming to my house in the morning. Reason to celebrate. I thought of where we are as a church. Reason to celebrate! And I could only thank God for all He's done, is doing, and is yet to do... definitely reason to celebrate!

And it doesn't take long to find reason to celebrate for the week ahead either... we're baptizing this coming Sunday. And as I said this morning, the Bible says that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents. Why should we let heaven have all the fun? Baptism Celebration is coming and we have a lot of reasons to celebrate!!

What Easter means to me

After a completely awesome day at The Church at Sendera Ranch I wanted to put down a few things that Easter means to me. To me Easter means...

It's washed away... all my sin... all my shame
HOPE - paid for, demonstrated, delivered, guaranteed, eternal
Heel bruised on Friday... Head crushed on Sunday (see Gen 3:15)
Sacrifice accepted once for all
Sin has lost its power... death has lost its sting
Proof of His power and deity
Everything changes
New life
Freedom -  the shackles are gone
Jesus is risen... He is Savior and Lord of all

And that's just a few... what would you add?

Our Easter Mailer

Our Easter mailer should be hitting mailboxes this week and here's a look at it:

Hoping for a great turnout at The Amazing Egg Hunt and at both of our services on Easter Sunday. LOTS of great things happening at The Church at Sendera Ranch!

Busy, Busy, Busy

My last blog post was Feb 10 and a TON of things have happened since then which is largely the reason I haven't been blogging.

First of all we have moved to Premier Academy on Sunday mornings and we're loving it. Such a wonderful facility that will serve us well for the present time.

Joey Vanderveer is doing a fantastic job of leading us in worship. He has a huge heart and great understanding of worship. God is good to have brought him to us during this time.

We've grown over the past few weeks as well which introduces its own little challenges but always good challenges.

Cassidy Prather has stepped in as our Children's Director. HUGE blessing for our church and our children's ministry is definitely poised for growth both in health and ability.

Planning The Amazing Egg Hunt and two Easter services. Lots of fun happening at The Church at Sendera Ranch.

The .1%

Sunday I said it. I was 99.9% sure we'd be in Premier Academy on Sunday but I was going to leave the .1%... just in case. Well, we need the .1% this time around.

I went by Premier Academy this afternoon and they've had their share of setbacks. Pray for them because they have a lot of deadlines to meet and they are at the mercy of some contractors who are dragging their feet. They still plan on being open for business on the 23rd with an open house the 28th but we're going to push back our arrival until Sunday, March 1st.

Messages now online!

The Sunday messages from the past several weeks are now online!

Getting the Picture - a study of Ephesians
2/1/09 - Perceiving the Signal

Encountering Jesus series
1/11/09 - Quenched - John 4
1/18/09 - Seeing Clearly - John 9
1/25/09 - Forgiven - Luke 7:36-50

1/4/09 - The Bible in an Hour

http://www.thechurchatsenderaranch.com/pwsite/page.php?linkID=20291

I am now a full-fledged Texan

I am a full-fledged Texan now. I cannot deny it any longer. Monday night as the threat of icy weather descended on the metroplex, I insisted on going to the store to stock up on food and firewood. Never mind that ice in Texas doesn’t last any longer than the bag you buy for your Super Bowl party, but I had to go and so I trekked out with my traction control turned on and got necessities. Yes, I admit it… I am now a full-fledged Texan. I only hope my snow driving skills have not been so maligned by this exploit that, should I ever need them again, they would decide to betray me.

 

The icy weather has maligned many weeks I’m sure. Teachers with lesson plans and off days that have to rescheduled, activities canceled and rescheduled, and even my own appointment full week crashed to a halt Tuesday morning. I have firmly concluded… it’s next to impossible to get any productive study and message work done when all my kids are in the house with unfettered access to me in my open room office… something must be done. And soon… Southern Customs to the rescue… sometime in April most likely… when an open room becomes an office with insulated walls … (insulated, not padded for those of you trying to concoct a joke).

 

Although the icy weather hasn’t been a complete waste. I got to start and burn a fire in our fireplace for almost two complete days. Nothing… ok, well very few things… smell as good as a fire burning in the house. And then Jen and the girls fixed cookies on top of it. Talk about a pleasing aroma. WOW. I miss fires. It rarely gets cold enough for long enough to actually enjoy a fire here in Fort Worth, Texas but the past two days were the perfect storm in that regard. And we’ve had some fun as a family as well. I’m thankful for the time together. I’m also stressed about the amount of work I have to fit into a very small window now.

 

Speaking of… there’s an update on the church to write with a new date for our move (courtesy of the icy weather and regular delays), meetings to reschedule, a phone issue to work out with Verizon, design elements to finalize, signs to print, brochures to design and print, interior signs to design and print, nametags to design and print, pictures to be taken, a worship folder to design and print, a website and calendar to update, small group dates to finalize, a long list of needs to pray for God to provide, emails, phone calls, IRS donation reports to mail, children’s curriculum to deliver, a message to research and develop, a handout to design and print, small group questions to think through, layout, and print, children’s stuff to print, volunteers to be recruited, volunteers to be appreciated, a map sheet to design and print, a projector lamp to research and possibly replace, and speaker stand to get replaced, and did I mention the message to finish by Sunday. Phew… I’m tired even thinking about it.. and that’s just off the top of my head.

 

No actually I’m enthused by it. I absolutely love my job and obviously not because of the list above. I love my job because of the people I get to serve God alongside and the people’s whose lives are going to be changed for good by Jesus Christ because I’m doing all I can to do what He’s called me to do well. It’s an absolute honor to pastor The Church at Sendera Ranch. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in and through our church in the coming months. And I hope you’ll come and join us.

The Depth of Forgiveness

I am never ceased to be amazed by God. Yesterday I taught from Luke 7:36-50 where Jesus tells Simon the Pharisee the following story even as the city prostitute is anointing Jesus' feet with expensive ointment.

(Luke 7:41-47ESV)
⁴¹ "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
⁴² When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
⁴³ Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."
⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."

My concluding point was that our love for God is based on our perspective. Not simply our perspective of how deeply we've sinned, but more importantly our understanding of how deep and complete Christ's forgiveness of us runs.

Do you realize that as someone who has trusted Jesus to forgive your sins that you are welcomed in to the presence of God and told to come boldly before His throne?

Do you realize that God promises that once our sins are cleansed by Christ, He will remember them no more?

Do you realize that our sin is separated from us and cast as far away from us as the east is from the west?

I can not fathom the depth of God's forgiveness of me. Everyday I get more and more of a peek and I am simply blown away.

TCASR Update - The "Are we there yet?" ed vol 1

God is most definitely good! When I compare the activities of last year to those of this year I really get an idea of how far we have come as a church in a year. Last year, January 13 to be exact, we had our very first Bible study as The Church at Sendera Ranch. Both Jen and I were wondering if anyone would show up and people did. And over the course of a year we’ve seen God add more and more people to our church. From zero to 50 in a year… not bad at all. Especially considering the challenges we’ve faced with location, worship, and children’s space which will all receive an upgrade as we make a move this next month. Hence the “Are we there yet?”

Don’t you just love that question when you’re going somewhere? (And yes that is sarcasm) You’re fighting traffic and all of a sudden from the back of the car in a slightly whiny voice comes, “Are we there yet?” You try to ignore it but it seems to echo with alarmingly regular precision, “Are we there yet?” Until you figure out how to quell the noise by saying something close to, “Not yet, but we’re getting closer.” Which seems to satisfy the sound for all of… a tenth a mile. “Are we there yet?”

Jen and I have learned to quell the voice in our car by telling her exactly what we have remaining. The trip to Gran’s house suddenly dissolves from this grand journey in her mind into a series of rights and lefts. And it’s funny how she will seemingly count every turn and recount what we have remaining to us along the journey. “Right, left, left, left. … Right Mom?”

In the next few updates we’re going to let you know where we are in the are in certain areas and in the move to Premier Academy. We won’t ignore what’s happening now but we’re developing as a church and I want you to get an idea of where we are and where we’re going. And let me be clear, you’re welcome to ask “Are we there yet?” at any time. Let’s look at what’s happening and then we’ll look at our children’ ministry and where we are in its development.

This week:
We’re in the second week of Encountering Jesus and we’ll be studying John 9. It’s a great encounter and you won’t want to miss Sunday at 10:30 am. (We’re meeting at Haslet Elementary each Sunday until Premier Academy receives their certificate of occupancy.

On the Calendar:
Sunday, February 8 – 1:00 pm
Women’s Luncheon

Sunday, February 8 – 5:00 pm
Prayer and Praise

Wednesday, February 11 – 6:30 pm
Women’s Bible study begins

Are we there yet? – Children’s Ministry
Are we there yet? … we’re getting closer. One of the biggest challenges in any church, much less a brand new church, is getting the children’s ministry together. You could always use more volunteers and there’s usually room for improvement. We had the additional challenge of the space we had to do ministry. An open gym isn’t the best place to try and organize a brand new ministry that would benefit from rooms with actual walls and actual doors. It’s definitely not impossible and I’ve seen it done really well in a gym but trying to actually organize the entire ministry in that space has been a challenge most churches don’t have to deal with on a weekly basis. We’ve come a long way in our children’s ministry in the past month and the move to Premier Academy is a new day for our children’s ministry. Our children’s space goes from trying to adapt an environment to an facility designed for kids.

Our babies through 2’s will be in their own areas with the walkers and non walkers in separate walled in areas in the same room. We’ll have 3 background check volunteers in the room to care for these kids and teach them that God made them, God loves them, and Jesus wants to be their friend forever through Bible stories, activities, and lessons. (www.myfirstlook.org)

We’re soclose to having three separate children’s classes. We only need three more volunteer helpers once a month to be able to have separate 3-5’s and K-5th classes. As a creative solution we will have those two classes in the same room. We’ll break the 3’s-5’s away for their own curriculum to learn (www.myfirstlook.org) while the kindergartners through 5th graders are focusing on the monthly virtue and learning about it through solid, creative Bible teaching and activities (www.252basics.com).

You can find out more about these curriculums here and here on our website.

And let me say something about our volunteers. We are building a great team of children’s volunteers. Our volunteer children’s leader, Aubyn Wood, has done a great job of helping us take small steps forward in developing our children’s ministry. I cannot thank her enough for her commitment to helping us develop a ministry that will truly change lives for good by making Sunday mornings the best hour of every kids week. And we’re blessed by committed and caring volunteer teachers and helpers as well. If you’ve served in our children’s ministry, thank you. Your selfless service to our kids is greatly appreciated and you have reason to be excited about what’s coming.

Are we there yet? We’re getting closer every day.

Thinking about Small Groups

One thing that's EXTREMLY important to the health of a church it's relationships. And a Sunday service isn't enough to truly develop deep, meaningful relationships. The best vehicle for these relationships to develop are small groups. Up to this point in the life of The Church at Sendera Ranch we have not started small groups. Why? Because we were one. But I believe the time is coming for us to slowly and intentionally develop a small group system that's focus is on furthering our vision to change lives for good by helping people discover Jesus Christ and develp as fully functional followers of Him.

This February I will begin meeting with people in our church as a first small group to train facilitators for small groups and we will likely launch groups after Easter and possibly again in the fall. Initially our groups will meet to discuss the most recent Sunday's message and how it applies and relates to life. This will keep it simple for everyone involved while reinforcing the Biblical teaching from Sunday helping us all to be shaped by God's word.

As I've prayed and thought and prayed some more about this whole process I'm convinced that it's time to prepare for the launching of our small group system. If you'd like to be part of a small group once they're started then please let me know.

It's been a year since our first Bible study

One year ago today The Church at Sendera Ranch had it’s very first meeting and Jen and I were wondering if anyone was going to show up to the Bible study. Some of you did and it's been an amazing year.

 

This year we’re planning the move into a brand new preschool facility just outside Sendera Ranch, we're mobilizing people for ministry, and preparing to begin our first small group of leaders to launch our small group system. God is definitely good. I look back at the last year and everything that has gone into it and I’m pleased… very pleased.

·         We baptized 6 people last year… awesome… and have a few others awaiting baptism.

·         For a year, we were without a worship leader and now God has blessed us beyond belief in that area with Joey Vanderveer leading and Abbi Schmidt singing. God is good and is bringing people who have a heart for God to lead us in worship.

·         We have a great name in the community. This past week two people from our community contacted me to pray for them during a difficult time in their life. This is exactly the church we want to be! When people in our community are struggling that they know where to turn.

·         We’re poised to have a great 2009 with an increasing level of excitement in our church and many people stepping forward to serve in ministry. We’re definitely moving forward.

·         We’re moving closer to the community into a brand new facility. This is going to be HUGE for us.

The new facility has a lot of advantages. Here are the most important for our future growth:

• Proximity – Our best days of growth were when we were close to Sendera Ranch. Moving to the school was a necessary step (all that was available) but it wasn’t “here”. Coming back to the community will only serve to help us reconnect in the community and serve it better.

• Children’s areas – We are going from a makeshift arrangement in a gym to a facility designed for children. Our children’s ministry moves ahead by light years just from the facility we will be renting beginning in February. Not to mention the burgeoning interest in serving in the children’s ministry. I think this is a year where our children’s ministry grows immensely in both quality and quantity.

• Common Space – the school was not conducive to greeting guests and hanging out after service. The lobby of the new facility provides us with that ever critical common space and allows us to move our children’s sign in into the lobby. A HUGE plus for us.

• Cost – The new facility is will cost us less each month. As we grow, we will rent additional rooms and it will increase but that increase should be something we can absorb fairly easily.

 

January at The Church at Sendera Ranch

I'm very excited about January at The Church at Sendera Ranch. We're going to look at three encounters Jesus had with individuals and by so doing, encounter Him ourselves. Join us at 10:30 am on the following Sundays as we study John 4, John 9, and Luke 7.

January 11 - Quenched
January 18 - Seeing Clearly
January 25 - Forgiven

TCASR Update - prepping for 1/11/2009 and beyond

What a great Sunday! It was wonderful to see everyone this past week for the Bible in an Hour. Joey and Abbi did a fabulous job leading us in worship and I actually made it through the Bible in 51 minutes. If you missed it or want to go listen to it again it’s available online at http://www.thechurchatsenderaranch.com/pwsite/page.php?linkID=20291. I’ve also posted the notes, references, and all the verses in a pdf you can download as well.

 

Guys… I did my best Cowboys in December impersonation and blew it this past Sunday. I had planned to do the men’s huddle time after the service but completely forgot. Mike Payne reminded me after breakdown was mostly done. My bad. We’ll pick it back up this week. Just the men (18+) meet me after the service for 2 minutes or less and I’ll have something for you. (And yes Mike, I’m aware that your team made the playoffs)

 

This Sunday is going to be great as well. We’re going to look at John chapter 4 and an encounter with Jesus. Join us at 10:30 in Haslet Elementary!

 

Jen and I toured the new facility on Monday. There’s still a lot of work to do but a lot of people there doing work. I can tell you this. Premier Academy is going to be a great move for our church. The facility has a great floor plan and is going to be very conducive to Sunday morning worship services. The biggest gainer in the move… children’s ministry without a doubt. Obviously being a preschool it’s designed with kids in mind and our ability to use these top notch facilities is going to be great. But I honestly think we’re gaining in every aspect but square footage. I challenge you to drive by and see if you don’t get excited about The Church at Sendera Ranch meeting there in February.

 

 

Here’s what else is happening:

THIS SUNDAY NIGHT … January 11

Sunday Night Prayer and Praise

5:00-6:00 pm

Tim and Tarah Day’s

(14336 Polo Ranch Dr.)

We’ll be praying through the 2012 vision that is posted on the message board: http://z4.invisionfree.com/TCASR/index.php?showtopic=48

 

Women’s Luncheon

Sunday, February 8

Following the Sunday service… more info coming soon.

 

And the final note… the December financial report is available at the message board: http://z4.invisionfree.com/TCASR/index.php?act=idx

If you haven’t already you’ll need to register on the board and the board admin will give you access.

Just toured the new facility

Jen and I just walked through Premier Academy where The Church at Sendera Ranch will be moving in February and my excitement level is rising. It's under construction inside but it's looking really nice. The kids rooms are going to be fantastic and the facility is well designed. It's going to be a great preschool and is a great layout for our church as well.

One of the reasons I wanted to go and check out the facility was to see where we would need to do children's sign in, refreshments, an informational area, and resource table. I'm going to rough sketch some documents so we'll be ready when we move in. I hope you'll join us February 1st as we begin Getting the Picture, a study of Ephesians. We all just need to pray that they get their certificate of occupancy in time for us to actually move in on February 1.

But you don't have to wait until February to come to The Church at Sendera Ranch either. This Sunday we'll be at Haslet Elementary studying John 4. We start at 10:30 and would love to have you as our guest.

A GREAT Sunday!

What a way to start a new year and thank you to everyone who came today. Joey and Abbi did a great job of leading worship and I finished "Through the Bible in an Hour" in 51 minutes... phew. I'm very excited about the year ahead of us and its off to a fabulous start. I can't wait to see what God is going to do in 2009 through The Church at Sendera Ranch.

If you'd like to listen to the Bible in an hour (or 51 minutes to be exact) then please either click the link to the right under Brett's Messages or follow this link to the church website and player. If you follow the link after January 11 you might have to scroll through the library for January 4, 2009. I am also going to put the note sheet and verses list on there as well.

The Bible in an Hour

I'm wading through 14 pages of selected Scriptures and getting extremely excited about Sunday at The Church at Sendera Ranch. It's amazing how much more understandable the Scriptures are once you see the big picture of the Bible. The Bible becomes less of a daunting, hard-to-decipher book because you get the idea of what's happening in God's revelation history. I'm interested to see how our church reacts tomorrow. If all this seems old hat or if it ignites a hunger to read and study God's word. Obviously the latter is my desire... primarily because it's God's desire and will bring Him glory and those who pursue HIm joy.

I hope you'll join us at 10:30 in the morning. But if coming to church in Haslet, TX is a little off your map then the audio and notes should be posted early next week. I'll make sure I post links here when that happens.

HAPPY NEW YEAR from TCASR -- and some BIG news

Happy New Year!

The old has gone and the new has come… and that’s my prayer for you and your family this year. That you will be renewed by Jesus all throughout 2009 and know the blessing of living life with Him. And there’s not a better way to start than being at The Church at Sendera Ranch this Sunday! We’re going to go through the entire Bible in one hour and I can guarantee that this will enhance your understanding of the Bible and your relationship with God. I’m so excited about Sunday that I don’t want you to miss this great opportunity. We’re going to make this message an essential part of the membership process at The Church at Sendera Ranch. It’s that important… and hopefully that good! So don’t miss this Sunday, January 4 at 10:30 a.m. in Haslet Elementary (by Nance Field).

BIG NEWS:

Welcome Joey Vanderveer!

Joey Vanderveer has led worship on a few Sundays for us and now he is going to be leading worship for us for the next 6 months. I’m really excited about Joey coming to lead worship. He has a huge heart for God, great talent, and an immense desire to lead people in worship. Joey and Kyle live in Sendera Ranch and are new proud parents of Max. Come and welcome Joey into the family and let’s rejoice that God has answered our prayers in bringing him to us.

Move upcoming… Premier Academy just outside Sendera Ranch

We will be moving into Premier Academy on Willow Springs Rd. (the new Christian Pre-school being built outside Sendera Ranch) as soon as possible with a targeted date of February 1. We will keep you updated on progress and when we will actually make the move. I am definitely excited because this will allow us to dramatically improve our children’s areas, move closer to our community, and improve our worship space as well. It’s a great move for us and I hope everyone of you will join us there for our grand opening.

Ephesians series starting in February…

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians covers a lot of practical theology and real life issues. I can’t wait to jump into our first book study and I know that as we study God’s word together you’ll gain a much better perspective of who God is, who you are in him, and how we can live for His glory every day. It’s going to be great and I hope you won’t miss a week.

Ladies Luncheon

Sunday, February 8

More details to come

Ladies Bible Study starts Wednesday, February 11

Details forthcoming

TCASR Update - The CHRISTmas Edition

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
 
I want you to know how blessed it’s been to have each of you be part of The Church at Sendera Ranch or one of our services or events. Thank you and we hope to see all of you again soon. We have some great opportunities to get together coming up in the next week, some BIG news about the future, and a little year-end reminder.
 
Come Carol with Us!
We’re caroling on Sunday and we’d love for you to join us! We’ll be meeting at the front amenity center at 5:30 pm to begin caroling and already have a few requests. We’re going to have a great time and I hope you’ll come. Can’t carry a tune? Well we allow lip syncing so that excuse doesn’t work. See you at 5:30 in the front amenity center. And if you can’t make caroling but would like for us to stop by the house to carol to you, just let me know by replying to this email and we’ll be sure to stop by.
 
Christmas Eve Service
Wednesday, December 24th
4:00 pm
Jamie and Shannon Spake’s Home
Contact Brett for a Map

The Spake’s have generously offered their home for our Christmas Eve service and it was a real answer to prayer. We had so many people interested in being part of our Christmas Eve service Jen and I were worried we wouldn’t fit in on living room and dining area. Come and be part of a very low key family Christmas Eve experience with a little singing, a brief family oriented message, and likely a few treats as well.
 
 
Want to know the BIG news?
We’re moving closer to the Sendera Ranch community in February and into Premier Academy! We’re very excited to be getting closer to the community and having the quality of facility that Premier Academy will allow us to have.
 
Grand Opening
February 1st
in Premier Academy
14081 Willow Springs Rd., Click for a map 
 

 
 
Little Reminders
In order for your year-end donations to be apply to your 2008 taxes under charitable giving we must receive the donation by 11:59 pm on December 31, 2008 or the donation must be postmarked December 31, 2008. The Church at Sendera Ranch is a Non Profit 501(c)3 organization and your donations are tax deductible as charitable giving.
 
Did you know that you can now help The Church at Sendera Ranch when you shop at Amazon.com. Simply go to this page of our website click on the link to amazon and buy what you need. The Church at Sendera Ranch will get anywhere from 4-10% of the revenues from the sale. Or you can follow the direct link. 
 
Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Fall Fest Tomorrow - 6:30-9:30 pm

It's shaping up to be a great Fall Fest this Friday! We're partnering with the HOA and a few other organizations to provide a HUGE Fall Fest for our community and I hope you will come and be part of what we're doing.

The Church at Sendera Ranch is providing:
SeaCreature Crawl
Pirate Ship
70' Obstacle Course
Toddlers Combo
Air Bots
Bounce House
along with 6 carnival games. And there's candy available for everything.

Plus there will be hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, trunk-or-treaters, a DJ, and lots of fun activities.

And we'd love for you to be our guest at The Church at Sendera Ranch! We meet at Haslet Elementary at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday. Dress is casual and if you have any questions feel free to check our website, TheChurchAtSenderaRanch.com,
or email me.

Order of Worship for Sunday 11/2/2008

We mixed up the service a little this past week and I think it went really well. Here's what you'll find on this Sunday:

Greeting
Everlasting God
Welcome
Here I Am to Worship
Wonderful Cross (When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)
Message: God Judges (The doctrine of the fall of man)
I Will Rise
Announcements

if you'd like to help with worship drop me an email.

And don't forget to set your clocks back on Saturday night... an extra hour of sleep... woo hooo!

Order of Worship for Sunday 10/26/2008

Greeting

Be Glorified

Welcome

How Great is Our God

Made to Worship

Message: God Loves (Imago Dei)

You Never Let Go

Announcements

 

If you'd like to sing and help lead worship on Sunday let me know. I'm very excited about Sunday and trust that God is going to move in our church. This past week of praying has assured me that He is in control and if we're faithful then He will grow His church. Be praying for this service and come ready to worship.

The Captivating Power of Extended Prayer

My prayer life just took a big step forward by reclaiming a practice I had left uncultivated. Years ago in college it was a common practice of mine to spend focused, concentrated time in prayer and some of my most powerful encounters with God came from those times.

Then I began to practice prayer more as the "without ceasing" practice that Paul talks about 1 Thessalonians. I would pray for people and things as they came to my mind. It was a necessary development in my life because it helped me to understand that the Christian life was to be lived second by second and not just as planned periods of extended time. Practicing prayer in this manner helped me immensely and increased both my awareness and practice of prayer. And slowly this practice replaced my former extended periods of prayer. My time in prayer was now broken into minute, 3o second, and even 10 second intervals.

Last week God, through C.H. Spurgeon, called me back to the closet of prayer for those extended times, not as a replacement for the "without ceasing" practice but as the fuel and supply for it. I am now purposed to spend 30 minutes in prayer for at least 30 days.

It hasn't been easy to reclaim the practice of extended prayer. I have a lot more to do than when I was in college. The demands of a new church plant and a family of five are a little greater than a 15 hour college schedule and part time job. There is always something that needs to be done and needs to be done now. But what I've found is that 30 minutes sets the tone for my day and makes me more aware of God and His direction for me. It gives depth and passion to even my 10 second times of prayer for others. It infuses me with faith knowing that my Father in heaven has heard my prayer and is answering according to His will. And it has helped me connect more deeply with God.

As for answers to prayer... I am already beginning to see them. There's no doubt that God wants to show His power to those whose heart is completely His (2 Chronicles 16:9). And I have to admit that I longingly look forward to the extended time I am spending with God in prayer.  

So let me encourage you to set aside time for extended prayer. If 30 minutes seems like a long time then start with 10 or 15 minutes. If 30 minutes seems too short then go for an hour or two. It's not how much time you spend as much as it is the time you spend in focused, concentrated, uninterrupted prayer.

And with that... I'm off to my closet to pray because with two preschoolers running around the house trying to scare one another by yelling at the top of their lungs and then laughing incessantly at each other... it's the quietest place in the house.

TCASR Update 10/21/2008

We had a great weekend. The family movie night was once again a very fun family evening. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make it such a great night. And thanks to all of you who came as well.

And what a great Sunday! Welcome to all those who are new to the TCASR Update. I hope to see each and every one of you at church this Sunday. If everybody showed up we’d break 100 in a service easily. It’s a goal for us to pursue so invite your neighbors and come this Sunday as we discover how man is created in the image and likeness of God and why it’s important in the first place.

Ladies, don’t miss the Bible Study tomorrow night at Angie Witten’s home (email for the address). The fun starts at 6:30 pm.

FALL FEST – OCT 31- 6:30-9:30 at Sendera Ranch Elementary

It’s time for another HUGE community event in partnership with the HOA. You won’t want to miss it! Can you monitor an inflatable, run a game, pass out candy, or man our booth with door prizes? If so please contact Tarah Day. Here is what we’ll be providing for the Fall Fest:

6 Carnival Games       Sea Creature Crawl       Halloween Bounce House

Air Bots Interactive       70’ Deluxe Obstacle Course       Pirate Ship Combo

Toddler Combo       Candy, Candy, and more Candy       Registration Table and Door Prizes

If you would like to monitor any of these games or areas please contact Tarah Day and let her know where you’d like to serve. We’re asking people to serve one of two shifts so that they will be able to enjoy the Fall Fest as a family as well. You’re not going to want to miss this GREAT event.

We’ll be celebrating the Lord’s Supper and Communion on November 23 as we look at the doctrine of the Cross. Don’t miss this special service!

Sermon.net is finally back online and so are our Sunday messages. If you’ve missed a week you can listen online, download an mp3 for later, or even subscribe to the podcast. Go here to listen now.

And stay tuned for a special time in the works for all of us to get together and enjoy being a church.

A good start

Sunday was a good start to our We Hold These Truths series as we studied the Trinty. For those who missed, the message will be avaible online as soon as sermon.net is actually functional.

I'm really looking forward to this week as we study how God has revealed HImself in God Speaks. Hope to see you Sunday at 10:30 am.

And we're off... I'm super excited

I'm off to get the trailer and get ready for a great day at The Church at Sendera Ranch as we begin We Hold These Truths. This morning we're studying the Trinity and I am super excited. Should be a great Sunday changing lives for good by helping them discover Jesus Christ and develop as fully functioning followers of Him.

By the way... here's the definition we're exploring this morning: The Trinity is one God eternally existing as three distinct and complete persons--Father, Son, and Spirit--who are each fully and equally God.

Looking forward to seeing you this morning!

We Hold These Truths...

I couldn't be more excited about our next series We Hold These Truths. As I've prepared for this week's study on the Trinity (God Is), I've once again been struck by the grandeur and magnificence of God. It's absolutley amazing that God, who is fully complete in HImself, would allow me to come near to Him. And yet He not only allows me ... He actually welcomes me. And the fact that this was all made possible for me through the blood of God the Son, Jesus, takes God's grace, love, and kindness to another level entirely. I can't wait until Sunday. I'm still putting the message together because on numerous occassions I've had to stop and worship such a magnificent God!

By the way... here is the first mailer in the history of The Church at Sendera Ranch.

 

How Does a Christian Respond to the Financial Crisis? Part 3

In the past two blogs we explored how a Christian should respond to the financial crisis with faith and with good stewardship and a lot of people will probably stop there. But I want to go a step further because it's entirely Biblical and not only a way to help one another but also a way to cultivate Christian community. First let's look at Acts 2:44-47:

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47 ESV)

A Christian should respond to the financial crisis in community. As Christians we should respond with a commitment to one another. We should help those in our churches even if it means giving them things, selling stuff to help them, or even welcoming them into our homes.

This past month I've been preaching on community through the book of Acts. It's been a great study but little did I know I'd have to experience it as well.

Our AC went out last week. (Now if you're reading this from a place where it's not still in the 90's then you're probably thinking it's no big deal. But I'm in Texas and it's still in the 90's during the days and often into the evenings. Air conditioning is a fact of life here usually until late October and even November.) Back to our broken air conditioner... the good news was that the part that broke was under warranty. The bad news was that it would take 2 weeks to get here. All of a sudden that rainy day fund was looking like a great reason to upgrade the whole system on Monday rather than waiting a week and then paying for the labor and puron. ... Enter the community.

How Does a Christian Respond to the Financial Crisis? Part 2

A second way a Christian should respond to the financial crisis is with good stewardship.

We covered tithing in part one so I'm not going to touch it other than to say that tithing is an important part of good stewardship because its a constant reminder that everything we have has been given to us by God. We're stewards not owners. Everything we have, God has given to us. He is the owner, we're not.

But outside of that what is good stewardship? Good stewardship means that you bring no offense against the owner of the resources you are managing and that you manage those resources well.

Essentially good stewardship means bring glory to God as you tithe, plan, save, live within your means, and pay your bills on time. It also means that you understand debt and avoid it when possible. As mentioned tithing was already covered so let's look at these other elements.

How Does a Christian Respond to the Financial Crisis? Part 1

All the talk about the financial crisis that we are in seems to be pervaded with a sense of hopelessness which feeds the stress and uncertainty of the situation. As a pastor, it got me thinking about the individuals in my church and in my community and the pressures of paying the mortgage and the car loan and the HOA dues and the grocery bill and everything else that accompanies life these days. And while most all of us are cutting back on expenses as much as possible, it got me thinking about how we can avoid the hopelessness and the stress of the situation. How is a Christian to respond to the financial crisis?

First of all a Christian must respond with faith. Not a faith in government or politicians or plans, but a firm trust in God who tells us in Matthew 6:25-33:

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

And He also tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:8: And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.(NLT)

Now this verse follows a series of verses talking about giving generously and not reluctantly or under pressure. As a Christian begins looking at their finances and the areas to cut back let me say that the last thing they need to look at is their tithe.

I know what you're thinking... that 10% is a lot and could go a long way to helping you maintain a certain level of comfort. But it's not about the amount, it's about your faith and who you are trusting. If you want to declare to God, "You know God, I think I can do a better job providing for my family with the resources I have than what You can do with the resources You have." Then go ahead and cut the tithe. Forget about the fact that the tithe is "Holy to the Lord" (Lev 27:30). Miss out on God's power to provide for your family through the wealth of resources He has at His disposal. Tithing isn't an issue of amount or what you can afford. Tithing is an issue of trust.

Trust God. Don't stop, suspend, or cut your tithe. Consider the story of Luke 21:1-4

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." (ESV)

It's easy to give out of abundance. Sure there are other things you could do with the money, but giving out of your abundance doesn't require large amounts of faith to trust God either. But to give out of your poverty... whoa... now that requires faith.

And I can tell you from personal experience that God rewards that kind of faith. Don't expect a new BMW in the driveway, a million dollar check in your mailbox, or the rich uncle to finally be discovered and decide you're his favorite nephew or niece. But you can know that God will take care of you.

So respond to this financial crisis with faith. Trust God to provide and obey Him by giving at least 10% of your income to your local church to enable your church to effectively reach your community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the next blog we'll look at the second way a Christian should respond to the financial crisis.

TCASR Update - We Hold These Truths Vol. 1

It’s October and I can hardly believe it. We had a great month in September and welcomed many of you, for the very first time, into The Church at Sendera Ranch. This Sunday we start We Hold These Truths… and I want to encourage you to come and to bring a friend this Sunday as we look at the importance and application of the doctrine of the Trinity in God Is. I hope you’ll be able to join us this Sunday at 10:30.

 

Also, one thing you may not know about… our church message board. I want to encourage everyone join the board so we can gather and communicate during the week. There are already forums for introductions, prayer requests, announcements, classifieds, and chit chat. And we’ll soon be adding the opportunity to ask a question, plan events, develop ministry, and keep up with financial information. And currently you can get a peek at our first mailer right here. Again.. you’ll have to join the board to see it but joining is easy, you sign up and then will receive a confirmation shortly thereafter.

 

What’s Happening This Week:

TONIGHT

Women’s Bible Study

6:30 – 8:00 pm

What’s in a name? All the power you need! Join us on Wednesday evenings as we study the names of God in Kay Arthur’s Lord, I Want To Know You. Meeting at Angie Whitten’s home (13433 Fishing Hole Ln., 76052).

 

Sunday, October 5

We Hold These Truths…

God Is

10:30 am at Haslet Elementary

First Look (Babies/Toddlers): God made light and dark. Day 1: Light and Dark (Genesis 1:1-5)

October Key Question: Who made the world?

October Bottom Line: God made the world.

Memory Verse: “God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NIrV

252 Basics (Elementary): Keep doing what you should do even if it’s hard. (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27; Acts 20:24)

October’s monthly virtue:  Determination: Deciding it’s worth it to finish what you’ve started.

Memory verse:  “Let us keep running the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 NIrV

 

Important Dates to Remember:

October 9 – Teacher Appreciation Luncheon – appetizers that fit a soup and salad theme. A few ideas include cheese and crackers, veggies, fruit, sliced tortilla rollups (“pinwheels”), etc.  Please let Tonya Payne know if you are able to help.

October 12 – Children’s Ministry Meeting  - anyone curious, interested, or already serving in our children’s ministry needs to attend this meeting right after service. For more information please contact Aubyn Wood

October 17 – Family Movie Night – The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything

October 19 – BELONG Class – If you want to become a member of The Church at Sendera Ranch then you’ll need to complete the BELONG Class. We’ll cover everything from what we believe to how we intend to help develop fully functioning followers of Christ. If you want to be part of this class which will be from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm then please let Brett know.

October 31 – Fall Fest – We need all hands on deck to help make this a wonderful time for our community and a great time for us to invite people to The Church at Sendera Ranch. If you can help for an hour we can use you at one of our inflatables, games, or information table. Contact Brett.

What's next??

This week at The Church at Sendera Ranch - 9/15/2008

We had another great Sunday at The Church at Sendera Ranch and God continues to bring people into the life of our church. This coming Sunday we’re going to continue our study of community in the book of Acts as we look at Mastering the Plays and what community looks like when it’s realized. I hope you’ll be able to join us this Sunday at 10:30 am in Haslet Elementary!

 

What’s Happening This Week?

 

Monday, September 15, 7:00 pm

Men’s Monday Night Football Party

Meeting at Mike and Ashlee Pannell’s off Basswood

Guys… just us and the Cowboys vs. the Eagles. If you’re planning on coming please email Brett so he can make sure to have enough wings and coke.

Wednesday , September 17, 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Women’s Bible Study

Meeting at Angie Whitten’s home

 

Join the girls as they begin Kay Arthur’s Lord, I Want to Know You, this week. You will be blessed as you study of the names of God and get to know one another in the process.

Childcare is available at Brett and Jennifer’s and we are looking for other guys to volunteer to help Brett watch the kiddos. If you have questions about the study email Jennifer. If you’d like to sign up to help Brett watch the kids email Brett.

Friday, September 19, 6:30-8:30 pm

Girl’s Night Out with Karol Ladd

Troy and Charla Moore’s

You won't want to miss this opportunity to hear Karol share seven principles from her popular book The Power of a Positive Woman. For more about Karol and her bestselling books, see www.positivelifeprinciples.com.
Admission is free, so feel free to invite your friends! Several books will be given away as door prizes, and Karol will be happy to autograph them. For more info and directions contact Jennifer.

Sunday, September 21, 10:30 am

Worship – Living Life in the End Zone- Mastering the Plays

Children:

First Look (babies-3’s) – God loves me when I am sad. David and Jonathan say goodbye. (1 Samuel 20:3-42)

252 Basics (4’s-3^rd) – When I make the wise choice, it helps others do what God says. (Daniel 1)

 

 

Opportunities to Serve

Chlidren’s Ministry – We’d like to move to three classes in our children’s area as soon as possible (babies-2, 3-5, k-5) but we need help to make this happen. Would you consider joining the children’s team on an every week, every other week, or once a month basis? If you’d be willing to help please contact Aubyn Wood. And if you’re worried about missing the service, don’t be. We’ve started a service specifically for those who are serving in the children’s ministry so you’ll have your very own worship and message time on Sundays.

 

Movers and Shakers – Our movers and shakers are responsible for set up and breakdown every Sunday. They arrive at 8:30 am on Sundays and begin to set up the worship area and the children’s area. We need 6-8 people on this crew every week. Please contact Don Miller if you can help.

 

A few other areas and contacts:

Worship – Brett

First Touch – Charla Moore

Cookie Follow-up – Brett

Prayer – Brett 

Strategic Planning Team – Brett

Financial Team – Brett  *requires membership and 3 month history of consistent giving*

Web design/update – Brett

Print design – Brett

 

Want to start a ministry? Here are some needed areas:

Youth

Small Groups

Contact Brett

What a GREAT Day/Night

This morning I braced myself for a very busy day and it helped true to form. But at the same day it was a fantastic day.

The morning began with door hangers distribution. I stepped out of the front door and I think I lost 5lbs  before I took my first step. Hot and HUMID. The girls each helped me with a few homes but mostly it was me, my thoughts, and a lot of time to pray for the houses I was walking by. We had a great group of people to help distribute door hangers. Thanks to everyone who helped.

Tonight... the back to school bash. It was an absolute blast. The HOA did another great job of organizing an event for our community and I'm glad we got to be part of it as well. We fed 250 people at least. We bought 144 third pound patties and 160 hot dogs and our people had to empty their freezers to keep feeding people. The last few people got hamburgers on bread because the local c-stores only had a package of hamburger buns each. GREAT NIGHT.

And that great night isn't possible without all the volunteers that helped. Have I mentioned lately how great our church is? It's awesome to pastor such a great church. Thanks to each and every one of you who helped out tonight. What a great time.

And for the many, many people I got to talk with tonight. Thanks for coming, having fun, and letting us show you the love of Christ in a practical way. I hope you'll come to the church for our kick off on Sunday Sept 7 at 10:30 am. God bless!

The Countdown to Kickoff

While The Church at Sendera Ranch kickoff isn't until September 7 it feels like it's here and I couldn't be more excited. Our church is ready. Tomorrow we're going to put door hangers throughout our community and then top the day off by providing a cookout and six inflatable games for our community as part of the HOA end of summer/back to school party. I'm looking forward to meeting new neighbors, deepening relationships with others, and especially seeing our church serving the community in a very practical way. We've come a long way so far and we have a great start as we look to grow forward.

It seems like eons ago that I walked into a preschool prepared to lead our first Bible study and only knowing that 5 people were going to be there... and they were all riding home with me... three of them in car seats. It was just Jan 13 of this year but that day seems like so long ago when I look at our church right now.

Easter weekend was a big for us as we hosted our first ever community event (The Amazing Egg Hunt) and then had our first "service" that Sunday. We met in a tent on an early Easter and it was cold.. but it was a huge step forward. And looking back it's a God thing that our little barely 3 month old church was able to do what we did that day. God is good.

Since that day we've moved into Haslet Elementary (a huge step) and a few weeks ago celebrated our first Lord's Supper (Communion) service and Baptismal Celebration.We baptized 6 people last month and we already have 2 others waiting for our next one. God is good.

Tomorrow we take a big step forward as we step into going public. I'm a tad nervous, but not nervous scared... nervous excited. I feel like I'm about to step on the field for the first game of the season. The adrenaline is rising, the anticipation is motivating, and the significance of the event is sinking in. I can't wait for kickoff. It's going to be an awesome time. I hope you'll join us for it and become part of what God is doing at The Church at Sendera Ranch.

Bull Riding and Church Planting

"Never take your eyes off your hand!"

In college I ran around the rodeo circuit with a couple of bull riders. I played guitar, wrote songs, and sang a lot of Chris LeDoux among others ... and I wanted to ride a bull. The guys went pretty easy on me to get a good idea if I was athletic enough, serious enough, and crazy enough to actually climb on the back of an animal that would love nothing better than to forcibly eject me from his back and then find me on the ground. Finally the day came!

We were headed to a real rodeo where a stock contractor they knew was providing the rough stock (broncs and bulls). They coached me incessantly in the truck and one thing kept echoing... "Keep your eyes on your hand." It didn't make a lot of sense to me but they were the pros and I was the wannabe. When we finally got there my buddies were successful in getting me on a bull that another bull rider had turned out (refused to ride). In retrospect, I should've realized that a real bull rider was refusing to get on this bull for a reason. He had paid his money to enter and walked away from it because of the bull. But obviously I wasn't thinking that way. I was thinking about riding my first bull.

He was a high horned Charolais (upright horns, white bull) and he did not want me to get down on his back. He kept raring up in the chute and they actually had to let the rider that was supposed to follow me go before me because my bull had forced himself against the back of the chute and I couldn't get my leg down. When I finally got down on him, they tightened the bull rope, and one of my buddies said, "Never take your eyes off your hand!" They guys outside the chute asked if I was ready... I nodded... and............

The bull flew out of the chute and I covered his first moves as perfectly as a first timer could. I had a great seat and I was stuck to him. But then I wondered what it looked like through this bulls horns. So I took my eyes off my hand and peeked through his horns. It was only dirt through a bulls horns but it was one of the prettiest sights I have ever seen. It was so pretty that I said, "Wow" and relaxed just a little... that was all the bull needed and the next thing I knew I was on his side. I tried to do everything I could to get back on top but I was relinquished to riding his rib cage instead of his back. Knowing that all it would take for me to get really hurt was for this bull to turn left and put me in the well (the inside of his spin)... so I opened my hand and looked for some dirt to land on.

How does all this relate to church planting? Well, The Church at Sendera Ranch is about to launch a great adventure that will definitely be a wild ride. The rest of the year is packed with outreach events and tons of opportunities for people to connect. There's a whole lot going on. Just like at that rodeo.. there was a whole lot going on... the other riders, the fans, the clowns, the bull's unruly demeanor in the chute, the judges, ... I could go on and on. In the midst of all the activity, sometimes we can forget the most fundamental aspect... "Never take your eyes off your hand!"

We have to remember the entire reason we're starting this church in the first place. We are starting a church to change lives for good by helping people discover Jesus Christ and develop into fully functioning followers of Him. We are starting this church to be a source of life, strength, help, and community within our larger community. We are starting this church because God demonstrated His love for us that while were were in the depths of our sin, Jesus Christ died for us. He gave His life in our place and He offers forgiveness for our sins and eternal life with God if we'll turn our sin and our life over to Him. Our "hand" is to remember whose we are and what He has us here to do. He's called us together as His body to carry out His work in this world. And He's called you to be part of that body. So let's keep our eyes on our "hand" and ride this one at least until the buzzer sounds.

The Door Hangers .... finally

After much trial and tribulation our doorhangers are off to print. Here's what they look like:

Looking forward to a great Sunday

This Sunday morning we're celebrating communion for the first time as The Church at Sendera Ranch and then that evening we're baptizing 6 people in our first baptisms as well. I'm really excited and it's going to be a great Sunday!

If you'd like to celebrate communion with us we'd love for you to join us this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Haslet Elementary. We have the link to a map on our website www.changinglivesforgood.com.

And if you'd like to know more about baptism please email me through the link on the right and I'll be in touch with you soon.

Youth

I've been very burdened for the youth in our community over the past couple of weeks and we're beginning to plan for a youth Bible study. I'll definitely update here when we plan on getting it started exactly but look for something in the next 2-6 weeks.

By the way, if you'd be interested in being part of a youth Bible study then please email me through the link on the right or just leave a comment.

Addressing purpose-driven - part 3

I guess it's no longer a "rumor" since I stated that we are purpose driven in my last post on the subject. What do we mean by purpose driven? Hopefully you've been able to catch the idea that we believe the church should be carrying out the Great Commission by helping people fulfill the Great Commandment. And that is the entire reason why we are "purpose-driven".

Our vision as a church is to change lives for good. Ultimately lives will be changed for good as we live out our mission as a church: to help people discover Jesus Christ and develop as fully functioning followers of Jesus. How do we intend to carry out our mission? By fulfilling our purpose as a church:
  The Church at Sendera Ranch exists to help people
     belong to Jesus Christ and His church,
     grow to become more like Jesus Christ,
     serve God and others through ministry,
     share the message of Jesus Christ with others, and
     worship God with all their lives.

Obviously if we're helping people belong to Jesus Christ then we are helping them discover Jesus Christ, but what about the rest of that statement? Why is all that there? Because that's what a fully functioning follower looks like... they belong, grow, serve, share, and worship.

If you what to know how this plays out go to www.changinglivesforgood.com and listen to the message on The Church at Sendera Ranch Development Process. 

Hopefully that will wrap up the "rumor". And if you hear anything else about The Church at Sendera Ranch please ask me about it so I can address it publicly. If it's true I'll let you know. If it's false, I'll tell you why. If it's misunderstood, well hopefully I can make it understandable.

Addressing the purpose-driven "rumor" - part 2

In the last post about the purpose driven "rumor," before being interrupted by the telemarketing jehovah's witnesses, we looked at three passages that do a good job of summarizing what God desires. Those verses were Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, and Mark 12:29-31:

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Acts 1:8 (ESV)
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Mark 12:29-31 (ESV)
²⁹ Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹ The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Now I don't honestly think anyone would argue... let me take that back... someone would argue... I don't think many people would argue that the church should be about making disciples. And most affinity for purpose driven or angst against it arises from the "how" of purpose driven. And, ironically, you could probably find the extremes I'm about to mention in what would be self-termed a "purpose driven" church.

See... making disciples involves two thing essentially. The first part is helping people discover Jesus Christ and in turn trust Him as their Forgiver and Leader (or Lord and Savior if you prefer). The second is helping them develop into fully functioning followers of Jesus Christ. That's not to say that you can truly have one without the other biblically but essentially you have justification and sanctification.

Some churches major on helping people discover Jesus Christ and kind of hope that the development happens. There is some structure to aid discipleship but not a lot of focused and concerted effort. If these churches aren't careful they will birth a lot of Christians but never really have a high maturation rate. And there's the danger of housing a bunch of comfortable christians whose lives really don't change a whole lot once they've met Christ.

Other churches major on the developing followers of Jesus Christ.and kind of hope (or assume) that the discovering Jesus part happens, There is some instruction to equip people to help people discover Jesus but there's not a concerted effort on the behalf of the church as a whole to help the people of their community really discover Jesus Christ. Now there might be things at the church designed to "reach the community" like Christian concerts, cantatas and musicals, and special Christian guests, but they don't make an effort to go out and engage the community on neutral ground. They expect the community to come to them. If these churches aren't careful they will help people learn about the Bible, doctrine, and a host of other great things but they won't help them integrate these truths into their lives. Another danger is that they become private communities within the community and close themselves off from the outside world. These churches will help people grow deeply in their faith but it may be a privatized faith.

How does all of this fit into the whole "purpose-driven rumor"? ... thanks for asking! It fits because so many people assume that purpose driven means a church that is in the first camp. It's a church that is either seeker-targeted (seeker-centered) or seeker-sensitive and that invariably does not disciple people.

I find it a little funny because when I first read The Purpose Driven Church,I saw a church trying to reach people that was also committed to developing those people. In fact, they developed a process to help people mature in their faith. I honestly saw a book laying out a plan to accomplish both parts mentioned above. Has it always resulted in churches effectively accomplishing both parts of discipling the nations? No, But the results are in the application by different churches not in the purpose-driven proposal.

So ... is The Church at Sendera Ranch a "purpose-driven"? Yes... we are driven by Jesus' commission to go and make disciples of all the nations teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.

Do I have my copy of The Purpose Driven Church laying open on my desk? No. But I do have my Bible open and that's the book we're consulting as we build this church.

Are you going to preach the Bible or just good ideas on how to live life? I am going to preach the Bible because only it has the power to change lives for good. We will walk through books of the Bible, consider topics in the Bible, learn from the people in the Bible, teach the theology of the Bible, and build our lives on the Bible. And honestly.... it's not just good ideas on how to live life... it's the truth we need to build our lives on. for more on this head on over to www.changinglivesforgood.com and listen to my messages in the Rock Solid series.

Why do you say The Church at Sendera Ranch is a purpose-driven church? Well... because we're a church with a mission and vision on our hearts a purpose to be here. We're not starting a church because we think one should exist in the Sendera Ranch area. We're starting a church that will literally change lives for good by helping people discover Jesus Christ and develop as fully functioning followers of Jesus Christ.

We're definitely not a perfect church. We're going to make some mistakes and take some missteps... we're human. But we're not going to give up or give in because God and this community deserve our all.

And if you want to help build a church that is going to make huge impacts into our community, our city, our nation, and our world then come on... join the adventure this Sunday at 10:30 am.

Addressing the purpose-driven "rumor"

It's come to my attention that there's a "rumor" out there that we're a purpose-driven church and the fact that it's considered a rumor probably means those talking about it view being purpose-driven as a wholly bad thing.

First off, I have to say that I'm very grateful for the person who actually asked me about it and then asked intelligent questions to clarify. So in an attempt to quell any concern over some misunderstandings of The Church at Sendera Ranch or purpose-driven I'm going to write a series of blogs that I hope bring clarity to the "rumor",

For those of you in the dark about "purpose-driven" it comes primarily from a book called The Purpose Driven Churchby Pastor Rick Warren who started and remains the pastor at Saddleback Church in California. You might be acquainted with The Purpose Driven Life which Warren also authored and was part of a huge church campaign across the country called 40 Days of Purpose. You'll get a good idea of what is being talked about in the book throughout the blog series so I won't go into great effort to explain it here.

And let me start out with a little bit of a straw man. If a church isn't purpose-driven then what is it left to be driven by... no purpose at all? Well... I definitely don't want a church to be driven by nothing. And if you say that the church should be community driven, or evangelistically driven, or Bible driven, or anything else driven... haven't you defined the "purpose" for which the church is driven? Yes its a straw man but there's truth to the straw man that I think gets overlooked by people who don't really understand what is meant by purpose-driven.

Are we building The Church at Sendera Ranch from a book? Yes... the Bible. We want to build this church according to Scripture. When we look at Scripture we see a couple of scriptures that stand out as indicative of what the church should be doing. They aren't proof texts, or the only scriptures that could be pulled out. But they do give us succinct signposts as to what we're to be driven by as a church and as followers of Jesus Christ.

The first is Matthew 28:18-20 which is often referred to as the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

and Acts 1:8 that echo the same theme with a plan on how to make disciples of the nations:

Acts 1:8 (ESV)
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

It's clear from these verses that we're to be driven by a Jesus' desire to reach the nations... and not simply to reach them but to disciple them by teaching them to obey Jesus' commands. Obviously nations refers not to governments but people groups. Jesus didn't come to change government to fit His desires. He came to change the lives of people for good knowing that changed people would result in changed families, changed communities, changed areas, changed states, changed nations, changed continents, and ultimately a changed world.

But what constitutes a "disciple" of Jesus Christ. Well, a disciple is someone who is following Jesus, obeying His commands, and having their character shaped more and more to be like Jesus'. We believe that Jesus laid out the basic definition of what a disciple is in what is often called the Great Commandment (or the Shema if you're Jewish). The Great Commandment is found in Mark 12:29-31:

Mark 12:29-31 (ESV)
²⁹ Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹ The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Essentially everything it means to be a disciple (or fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ) is wrapped up in these verses. So if we're going to disciple the nations then we're going to see people loving God with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength. And they will be loving their neighbors as themselves.

The Church at Sendera Ranch is driven by what these verses, as representative of the rest of scripture, tell us we should be driven by.

Now if you're one of the "christians" that believes the church shouldn't ever reach out to those outside the faith but should instead be some secret society that only exists for itself then let me respectfully say that you are not following Jesus for the exact reasons listed above. If you're not going out to make disciples of the nations then you simply aren't following Him.

If you're response is that the church isn't supposed to do that but that individual Christians are, then I'd have to ask you what the church is exactly. If it's a building used once a week then yeah you're right because I've yet to see a building talk and lead someone to Jesus. But biblically you'd be in no man's land because the church is described as people in Scripture... it's likened to a body, a family, a bride. We, as the church, are to be making disciples of the nations.

It's that kind of church we're building. A church focused on seeing God change lives for good through us. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 is one place to find out more about it).

That's it for now. I'll take up more in my next blog.

The Local Church

On June 4th I posted a blog about the church and mentioned that I'd get back to talking about the local church at some time... I tried unsuccessfully before we left on vacation and a user error or device malfunction lost my post forever... oh the frustration. But here we are (and yes I just saved this as a draft) so let's jump in with both feet...

The thoughts forthcoming really grow out of my thinking about the C.S. Lewis reading I mention in my June 4th blog. Basically, one of Satan's strategies seems to be to focused on having Christians look for a suitable church and as a result they become church consumers and critics rather and contributors. This in turn cripples the church and God's kingdom because Christians are looking for what is best for them and will help them the most. And scripturally, as followers of Jesus Christ, we should primarily be concerned with what is best for God's kingdom and where we can be the most help to our local church.

It sounds almost foreign to our current American mindset where "You deserve it", "We make it your way", and everyone seems to be "Looking out for #1." But the honest truth is that churches do not exist to simply make people feel better, have better relationships, and improve their self-esteem. And none of these can be the purpose of the church. Now, a lot of that does happen when Jesus Christ changes lives for good as the direct result of the church chasing the mission God has given it. Somehow, Christians have to take that selfish attitude fostered by a godless culture where it's all about me and see Christ transform it into selfless action in our lives. And when that happens, there are churches, communities, cities, families, and people whose lives will be forever transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.

One of my good friends was going to a church in Chicago that didn't seem to fit his theological framework as nicely as others might have. The puzzled look on my face when he told me where they were going to church asked my question for me. He responded by telling me that a seminary prof had encouraged them to attend the closest church to them and help that church accomplish God's mission. Sure there might be minor differences in theology but if they were a doctrinally solid church then minor disagreements over debatable passages and practices should be overlooked. At the time I thought it was neat. I admired him for it and the fact that he was truly doing what he could to help that church by serving. But something else from that brief conversation has stuck with me.

My friend talked about reaching his community. He lived on a college campus as a grad student and many people did not have cars. They walked or took the train to get around Chicago. He chose the church because he could invite people to church and honestly expect them to 1) be able to find the church) and 2) legitimately consider the invitation because of proximity. He had made the decision on his church primarily because he wanted to be as effective as possible at helping people discover life in Christ and develop as followers of Him.

And this is where the local church fits in... I said in my previous post that church shopping was legit when you had moved to a new area, your church was drifting from sound Biblical doctrine, or even if a church was started nearer to your area. The first two seem to make sense but why the third?

Well... because it makes it more likely that you will be able to be contribute the time and talents God has given you to serve Him in ministry. It makes it more likely that the friends and neighbors God has placed you among will actually come with you to church and be able to see themselves coming again because its not far. Basically, it brings your personal mission field home to your community and gives your faith roots in your own community.

Think about it... God has given you everything you have... including the friends and neighbors you currently have. Do you think He might want you to help them discover Jesus Christ and develop as followers of Him? I wouldn't bet against it! Do you think He might want to use your spiritual gifts and talents to build a church that will focus on reaching your friends and neighbors? I wouldn't bet against it!

The best book ever!

We just got in our first shipment of Bibles for kids who need a Bible and for new believer's. I'm excited! There's simply nothing better than handing someone a Bible they can actually read and understand. Interested in what direction we went...

For our younger kids we purchased a case of The Adventure Bible for Early Readers. It's the New International Reader's Version or more commonly referred to as the NIrV. It's on about a 2nd-3rd grade reading level and really tries to make the Bible understandable for 6-9 year olds. And it's a great Bible for parents to read to their younger kids as well.

For kids who are a little older we purchased a case of The Adventure Bible. It's the NIV, or New International Version which is a little more true to the Greek and Hebrew texts and on a 7th-8th grade reading level. It's ideal for those who are reading well and even adults.

For new believer's we're going to provide the New Believer's Bible. It's the New Living Translation which is a very readable translation and the helps in the Bible are geared toward new believers. I can't wait to begin going through a few of these with people. The NLT is on about a 6th grade reading level and is very readable and engaging.

What's my preferred translation? ... Well hands down I prefer the New American Standard because it is the most literal translation. It's was updated in 1995 to read more easily and I really enjoy it. It is, in my estimation, the best Bible to use for your personal study. If you're looking for one make sure it's an updated version unless you have a special affinity for Thee's and Thou's.

That said, I enjoy reading other translations as well. I enjoy reading the NLT and The Message. NIV is always handy and I use it a lot in messages because most people can understand the NIV. Currently I'm reading through the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) and I'm enjoying it as well.

Doing the little things

I confess... I'm a big picture kind of guy. I'm a visionary that sees potential in people and places. My weakness is seeing the little things... really tracking the individual steps toward the pictured end. It's not that I can't do it... it just doesn't come naturally to me. I usually need time to really think the process through and lately that time hasn't been available. Being a pastor often tests your juggling ability and starting a church really pushes it. There's so much to be done and only so many hours you can devote to it (especially when working it part time). And that's why people stepping in to ministry helps soooo much.

I can't tell you how encouraged I was to drive back into town and see our signs up. John has taken responsibility for the signs off of me and it's allowed me to focus on other areas. Thank you.. and by the way... they look better than when I did them. GREAT JOB!

Shane and Ethan working the sound has been a huge help. Ron, Keith, Paul, Zeke, John, Charla, Rhonda, Emily, Don, Jason, and Tom have all lightened the load on set up. And the gang of children's workers helping from week to week has been wonderful.

I'm excited about what God is doing in our church.

More room to grow

God is growing our church which is a GREAT thing. It's exciting to see so many people building relationships and new friendships with their neighbors and finding a church they can call home. In fact we've been growing so much we were beginning to outgrow the day care we've been meeting in.

Which is one reason why I'm excited to announce that we will be meeting at Haslet Elementary School this coming Sunday at 10:30 a.m.! It's a bit spur of the moment for reasons you know about if you were there on Sunday but I know it's a God thing.

I'll be emailing our people the details and then a larger announcement to everyone on our email list. If you'd like to be added please email me and let me know. We promise not to sell or share your information with anyone.

We expect a few growing pains as we acclimate to our new space but we're glad to have more space and opportunity to change lives for good!

Helping Parents Impart a Spiritual Legacy

I was excited about our children's curriculum... but now I am absolutely stoked.

One of the supplements to 252 Basics, our elementary curriculum, is called FamilyTimes. FamilyTimes Virtue Packs are designed to help parents impart a spiritual legacy and they focus on the same virtue that the kids will be studying all month at church. Each Virtue Pack contains:
*Meal time cards to help facilitate a family discussion around the Bible lesson and virtue during dinner time once a week
*Morning time cards which are designed for you to write a note to your child once a week
*Bedtime story cards designed for you to read to/with your child once a week during the month. It also highlights the month's virtue.
*And a Drivetime CD with a story for the kids and parenting tips for the parents that help you integrate the month's virtue into your child's and your family's life

We've started using the pack already and it's put together very well. I can't wait until we can offer these to every family in our church. They will truly help us equip parents to help their kids develop spiritually.

Thanks to The Church at Sendera Ranch

What a blast!

We had a church cookout at the gazebo this evening and it was an absolute blast. Thanks to everyone who is coming to The Church at Sendera Ranch and really making this a great church. It's a honor to pastor such great people who really want to be part of changing lives for good.

I wish I had pictures to put up from the cookout. If you have pictures of any recent events please feel free to post them (if typepad allows) or email them to me. I've love to include them here.