The sun has set on this first Wednesday of September and already there is a growing anticipation among the people of Clearwater as we begin a new chapter in our short history. This fall brings more than cooler temperatures. It marks the arrival of a very exciting time for a young church that seeks to proclaim the renown of Jesus Christ to every corner of our city, nation and world. We relocate to Chelsea High School on Sunday but the objective remains the same...moving people onto God's agenda as we lead them from the "fields to the few"...which brings me to our newest ministry.
Connectivity began last Monday and after only two meetings my adoration for this ministry and these participants grows by the minute. I am so grateful for those who have committed to "GO" and show the love of Jesus Christ in practical ways as we build daily connections with those around us. Connectivity is the strategy we use to move people from the communities where we live to the church where we worship. The next semester of Connectivity begins in January. Pray now about this opportunity and seek God's direction as to your participation.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Blessed Hope
A soggy Sunday morning does nothing to dampen my spirit as I sit pouring over perhaps the single most defining passage of all of Christian life. We wait for the Blessed Hope. The glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-14). I will preach from these verses in a couple of hours, and with that exposed truth etched upon the hearts of our people, our time on HWY 41 will come to a close. Next week a new day dawns...a new era begins in the life of CLearwater Community Church as we look forward to great days ahead...until the greatest day when Jesus returns to claim us... a people that are His very own. For now, we will be worshipping at Chelsea High School and I believe that the intangibles of doing so will be measured only in heaven and only by the Hand of my Great God. But for now I sit here listening to rain fall lightly and I ponder sweetly our 5 years at a wonderfully beautiful little metal building on Dunnavant Road. God, You are great and glorious and You have revealed Yourself in powerful ways during our tenure their. My heart is filled with gratitude...I love You my Savior...my Blessed Hope!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Absolutely Useless!
Lately I have felt a little like getting a T-Shirt made with that sentiment on it. "USELESS!" At times it would seem to fit me well. I don't know about you but sometimes I come to these tunnels of despair that get a little overwhelming. Is this what they mean when people talk about a "mid-life crisis". You know...that point where you take stock of your life and realize that in terms of heart beats, most likely you have crossed the half-way point....more past than future...more thoughts of "post-mortem" than "post-modern".
It can weigh on you like a turtle neck made of sand bags. And it can cause you to consider the contributions you've made on this earth. Have I been used by God in any tangible way? Will my role in His story really count once I have moved on? Has my greatest adventure in this life come and gone? Did I miss my peak?
Probably a good time for a check up from the neck up. Back to the Biblical basics for that kind of foolishness. You see, there is a fundamental problem with this line of thinking, and here it is in simple terms so I can understand... IT IS NOT ABOUT ME! How self-absorbed! My calling is not to be significant for the kingdom. I don't need to learn to be creatively clever for the gospel's sake...and Jesus does not need me to be "useful". In fact, He doesn't NEED me at all. The One Who confounds the bright with the brainless ...the magnanimous with the mundane...the influential with the insignificant has called me to follow. He doesn't want ornate oration. He wants unwavering obedience. So, it is in my weakness and His cross that I boast for it is there that He is strong.
Not that I champion talking to myself, but here is a piece of advice to you "Mr. How Do I Fit In?"...OBEY! It's time to try that one on for size. Maybe even put it on a T-shirt...and you know the great thing about T-shirts? They're a lot lighter than turtlenecks!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Saved!
Wow! Two posts...one day. But I couldn't resist since this is Good Friday and I am so full of gratitude for my Savior's shed blood and the life that it gives me. Thank you Jesus...thank you...thank you...thank you. The cherry blossoms fall on my backyard like soft spring snowflakes reminding me that a new season has come and I will praise Him today for the cross...tomorrow for the borrowed tomb...and the third day for...He Is Risen! Enjoy today, believer. It is a gift coming down from the Father of heavenly lights. Hosanna ("save")!
In Keeping With Tradition
In a couple of days, people will gather in churches, and even if they only do so once a year, many will be there on this Sunday. For this Sunday is Easter...it is Resurrection Sunday. The day we commemorate the Risen Savior!! He's alive!! Does it get any better than this? The rhetorical answer is a resounding "NO!".
Many churches will do something special to acknowledge the occasion. Lilies will be displayed perhaps...congregational music will be chosen accordingly...the choir's best pieces will be selected...and the message is likely to be from a passage that comes late in one of the gospels. I love the fact that all over the world, the peoples of the world are going to be recognizing Jesus' resurrection and proclaim His name.
But our church won't do any of that this Sunday...certainly not because we don't celebrate the Risen Savior...nor are we trying to diminish the moment in any way. It is not that we have missed the point or messed with the tradition...and we only feel a sense of joy that so many will be keeping vigil over this distinctive event of the stone being rolled away! With every hymn sung..every verse read...every shout of "Hallelujah!" we join those voices to proclaim the matchless name of Jesus.
It is just that we long for this be our endeavor every single Sunday of every single week throughout the year. In other words, on April 11th (the Sunday after "Resurrection Sunday") we still crave to lift our voices...we long for them to be clear and desire that our minds are focused with just as much fervor as the previous week. Let our shouts be loud and "Hallelujah's" drip from our tongues like honey! So that a watching world will know that this is not just a tradition that we keep. It is a life that we live...a life that moves and has it's being only because He is risen...indeed!
I understand the celebration of Christmas once a year, because we are celebrating a birthday...the birth of our Savior...His advent. Wow! It is a momentous occasion. Easter is different. For without the lifeless tomb, I am left with a lifeless heart. If the cross is hopeless, then so am I...and if there is no victory over death, there is no reason to gather every Sunday...but there is victory! And I want to shout with all I have...all I am...every single week.
So, of course let Sunday be a day that you shout His praises...do not contain yourself...get undignified people! HE IS RISEN...we are alive because we are alive in Him...that gives us a reason to shout together. And after we have shouted, let's keep it up... all year long!
Many churches will do something special to acknowledge the occasion. Lilies will be displayed perhaps...congregational music will be chosen accordingly...the choir's best pieces will be selected...and the message is likely to be from a passage that comes late in one of the gospels. I love the fact that all over the world, the peoples of the world are going to be recognizing Jesus' resurrection and proclaim His name.
But our church won't do any of that this Sunday...certainly not because we don't celebrate the Risen Savior...nor are we trying to diminish the moment in any way. It is not that we have missed the point or messed with the tradition...and we only feel a sense of joy that so many will be keeping vigil over this distinctive event of the stone being rolled away! With every hymn sung..every verse read...every shout of "Hallelujah!" we join those voices to proclaim the matchless name of Jesus.
It is just that we long for this be our endeavor every single Sunday of every single week throughout the year. In other words, on April 11th (the Sunday after "Resurrection Sunday") we still crave to lift our voices...we long for them to be clear and desire that our minds are focused with just as much fervor as the previous week. Let our shouts be loud and "Hallelujah's" drip from our tongues like honey! So that a watching world will know that this is not just a tradition that we keep. It is a life that we live...a life that moves and has it's being only because He is risen...indeed!
I understand the celebration of Christmas once a year, because we are celebrating a birthday...the birth of our Savior...His advent. Wow! It is a momentous occasion. Easter is different. For without the lifeless tomb, I am left with a lifeless heart. If the cross is hopeless, then so am I...and if there is no victory over death, there is no reason to gather every Sunday...but there is victory! And I want to shout with all I have...all I am...every single week.
So, of course let Sunday be a day that you shout His praises...do not contain yourself...get undignified people! HE IS RISEN...we are alive because we are alive in Him...that gives us a reason to shout together. And after we have shouted, let's keep it up... all year long!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
A Life Well-Lived
I would like to share with you a thought process that was encouraged by a co-laborer with me at Clearwater who posed a question that I believe was a very intriguing one. For brevity's sake, I will share only the question and my response that came at the end of a day that was filled with spiritually thought-provoking comments from various members of our church leadership. Feel free to post your own thoughts:
(My friend) just posed a fantastic question that I would like to present (to you) today. Let's discuss it as we go through our daily activities and watch it propel us toward Jesus.
"Yesterday, I said that if you spent 12 hours everyday, reading your Bible, this endeavor would be a life well-spent. Does that not contradict what the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) says we should be doing?"
I'll enjoy entering the discussion. I will keep quiet for a while so that everyone may comment first.
My response:
I think there was very lively discussion on this topic. I am grateful to you for it. I share most of the sentiments expressed today. My heart in the statement was not to speak to every waking moment of our time, but rather to suggest that many may think that hours spent in Bible study and memorization would NOT be a life well-lived but rather a life wasted because of lack of productivity. I would say, on the contrary. I believe that if there were someone (and I long to be that one) in our congregation who did nothing all day (as opposed to going to a place of employment that required attention to other things) but studied the Bible (with usual breaks and time away, similar to someone who leaves the office for the same reasons and for the same amount of time) then that would not be a waste of time, but rather extremely valuable...especially in the pursuit of Matthew 28:18-20 as we seek to "teach all that He has commanded us". I will add that I also believe that other pursuits at a "place of employment" are productive as well and do not intend to demean these. I simply want to elevate here at this particular moment a life lived in the pursuit of the Truth of God's Holy Word.
Still I want to make it very clear that I believe (my friend) moved us forward in our pursuit by asking this question and I am grateful for it...and you.
In Him,
Chris
(My friend) just posed a fantastic question that I would like to present (to you) today. Let's discuss it as we go through our daily activities and watch it propel us toward Jesus.
"Yesterday, I said that if you spent 12 hours everyday, reading your Bible, this endeavor would be a life well-spent. Does that not contradict what the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) says we should be doing?"
I'll enjoy entering the discussion. I will keep quiet for a while so that everyone may comment first.
My response:
I think there was very lively discussion on this topic. I am grateful to you for it. I share most of the sentiments expressed today. My heart in the statement was not to speak to every waking moment of our time, but rather to suggest that many may think that hours spent in Bible study and memorization would NOT be a life well-lived but rather a life wasted because of lack of productivity. I would say, on the contrary. I believe that if there were someone (and I long to be that one) in our congregation who did nothing all day (as opposed to going to a place of employment that required attention to other things) but studied the Bible (with usual breaks and time away, similar to someone who leaves the office for the same reasons and for the same amount of time) then that would not be a waste of time, but rather extremely valuable...especially in the pursuit of Matthew 28:18-20 as we seek to "teach all that He has commanded us". I will add that I also believe that other pursuits at a "place of employment" are productive as well and do not intend to demean these. I simply want to elevate here at this particular moment a life lived in the pursuit of the Truth of God's Holy Word.
Still I want to make it very clear that I believe (my friend) moved us forward in our pursuit by asking this question and I am grateful for it...and you.
In Him,
Chris
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