Just saw this movie tonight! Awesome movie with an incredibly clear and strong message about marriage! Highly recommend it for couples struggling in their marriage or for anyone looking to strengthen their marriage. It is playing at a number of local theaters. This is a movie that will impact many for the glory of God!
You can find out more info at www.fireproofyourmarriage.com.
Just finished reading "It" this morning. Great book! "It" is by Craig Groeschel, Pastor of LifeChurch. I laughed out loud at "It", I cried as I longed for more of "It" at CCF, and I resonated with this brother as he talked about what it is, how to get it, keep it and spread it. I highly recommend this book! You may be wondering what "It" is. After 188 pages, I get it! If you want to know about "It", you gotta read "It"!!
This week, I am hoping to finish Pastor Dave's new book (not published yet) entitled "Now, Go Forward"!
--Noah
If you were in church this morning, you heard an announcement shared regarding a tragedy that has struck a young couple in our church community. Although Katie Alsop and Steve Sadelson did not attend CCF every week, they came periodically and consider CCF their home church. Katie and Steve have 2 daughters (2 and 6) together and were engaged to be married. Steve has been struggling with life choices and emotional health for years. Steve was a guy with a great heart and a desire to do right, but with a tough past to overcome. Well, on Thursday night, Steve ended his life. The pain that his fiance, family and friends must feel goes beyond words. I will be officiating the funeral this Wednesday in Calvert County. This morning, we gathered around Katie twice and prayed for her. That is what the church should be about.
Perhaps you want to know how you could help. Here are some ideas:
Thanks, CCF for doing what you are so good at! Genuinely loving people! Even people that you don't know. That is precisely what it is to be like Jesus!
--Pastor Noah
Here are a few thoughts and verses from this morning's message to reflect on:
There has never been a time when the Holy Spirit has not been active in history. Genesis 1 says “the Spirit moved over the face of the deep”. My very favorite Biblical description of the Holy Spirit is in John 3:8. It speaks to the mystery of the Holy Spirit when it says… “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Just think of the wind of recent hurricanes. You can’t see the wind, but you can certainly see it effects and feel it!!
A few more thoughts:
Many of us do not recognize the Holy Spirit at work around us, because we don’t know what he looks like.
Excerpt from Mark Batterson’s book, "Wild Goose Chase"
The Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit that has always intrigued me. They called him An Geadh-Glas or the Wild Goose. I love the imagery and implications. The name hints at the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger and air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious at first earshot, I cannot think of a better description of what it's like to live a Spirit-led life than Wild Goose Chase. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something that institutionalized Christianity has missed out on. And I wonder if we have clipped the wings of the Wild Goose and settled for something less-much less-than God originally intended for us.
I think that we will see the Holy Spirit at work more in our lives, when we see him at work more in scripture. The Word of God shows us the Holy Spirit as.
Just checking in and sharing some things on my heart. Have a happy rainy day!
--Noah
Another great Small Group tonight! We did "Making Connections" Chapter 2, "Being There". We love our group. You know you are comfortable together when the group has refrigerator rights. After meeting, we fed several group members our leftovers from our dinner because they came right from work. Love it! So glad to be connected to the Body of Christ through a Small Group. I really feel like it is helping me grow spiritually, too.
30 Days after Tricia and I got married, we went shopping for a new car. We were going to buy a Toyota Camry. While we were looking, a used Avalon caught my eye. I never thought I could afford one, but because of the high mileage on it (40,000), it was the same price as a new Camry. It drove like a stinkin' dream!!!! We bought it (Yes, the picture below is US the day we bought it). Best Car I have ever owned....probably that best car I will ever own! We have thoroughly enjoyed the Avalon. It's on a Lexus Chasis...it is basically a Lexus with a Toyota sign on it.
Anyway, I like to take very good care of my automobiles. Find it to be a lot of fun and feel like it's good stewardship. I am really blessed to have a mechanic as a Best Friend. My buddy Joel hooks me up!! He and I have been waiting on the Avalon to reach 150,000 miles so we could treat her to some lovin'. Well, she reached 150k this week. So, she got an oil change, trans service, radiator flush, new rotors, new pads, 4 new tires, new speaker that was blown, new sensor that fixed the check engine light, a 4 wheel alignment, air filter, cabin air filter, and a full detail!! All in time for a 500 mile round trip to PA tomorrow!!
Most of you could care less about all of this, but I am pretty excited, so I wanted to share! (And yes, the other picture blow IS my car on a beach of Lake Ontario)
--Nite
I read a blog called Swerve almost everyday. Why? It builds my faith and often corrects my actions for the glory of God! I am always looking to grow and that needs to never stop!
The posts this week on Swerve have REALLY stepped all over me. I can totally relate to much of what is being said. I have been trying to put this into words ever since I became a Pastor. It may not speak to you as much since it is written for Pastors, but I thought I would share because it has implication for you too in whatever role you serve, even at work.
Click here and read the last 5 or 6 entries if you have a few minutes.
--Noah
Heard this passage shared today in a meeting I was in and it struck me in a new way.
Matthew 13:52...He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
As a leader of an ethnically, economically, denominationally and generationally diverse congregation, I am always looking for beautiful biblical expressions of our actual/unique experience at CCF! This verse is one of those expressions.
I like the way that this verse brings forth the importance & place for both the old and the new. The Kingdom of God embraces this. It's like wisdom and fruitfulness in fusion! Lord, help us to live in the mature wisdom of the old AND the effective fruitfulness of the new.
You know that I read several Pastors blogs. This evening I cam across one that had me laughing out loud! Click here to read it. Warning: it's PG-13(ish). :-)
I promised last week that I would post about unhealthy church culture. However, I have not done so yet. I kinda don't feel like it. Lost my passion for the idea. Look, I have been forced to face enough negative over the last few years. I am rapidly learning to try to shift that focus. Behold, God is doing a new thing!
If you were one of the folks waiting for that post, here is what you do. Click here and read my post about healthy church culture. Unhealthy church culture would be defined as the exact opposite of what I wrote there.
I will just share what I see as the top negative quality that I think is present in too many churches. It is this: People (Christians) being more interested in their own preferences and opinions than in Jesus's mission for the church and the lost! Church has become about "me" for far too many people and it is hindering the spread of the gospel...a gospel that is all about sacrifice.
...greater love has no one than this....that he lay his life down for his friend! (John 15)
...if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me! (Luke 9)
Over the last week I have been working on a draft of a Ministry Map for 2009 for CCF! It has energized me more than I can express. Seriously! I am getting so incredibly excited about what is ahead for us as a church. The Ministry Map is birthed out of a desire for all staff, leaders and members to be on the same page and headed in the same direction. No guessing games. No mid-play changes. No anxiety in the system. Just clear, concise direction and vision for the year. Of course, we always remember to write our plans in pencil. Holy Spirit can change what he wants, when he wants.
Thought it may be cool to share with you what the ministry map will involve. The ministry map will address the plan for the coming year with regards to:
Really looking forward to the staff, Executive Board and ministry leaders helping to form and shape this map as we move through these next 2 months.
PRAY!! Pray for the Lord to lead us and for there to be Kingdom passion and energy among us!
Want to do some great reading? Read the last 8 chapters of the book of Acts. This is good stuff, man! Paul is an amazing example of what it is to be lost, found, transformed and sold out for the mission of Jesus Christ (while facing all the struggle that comes along with that)! Something BIG struck me this morning. Paul had many struggles and opportunities to give up and throw the towel in, but.....
Paul was too sold out to be a sell-out!!
I urge you to spend time in the word of God. Let it shape you! I know that some of it is hard reading, but you can gain energy from other parts that are thrilling to read. Hey, and try the Message translation of the Bible. You may find that you get it easier.
--Noah
This Sunday after service we will be holding our first newcomers guest reception. This will be in the Upper Room from 12-1 and will include nice appetizers and a casual time of visiting.
The purpose is for Staff and Small Group Leaders to hang out with new people and connect with them about taking their next step at CCF!
This is for all those that have started attending CCF since the start of 2008.
Spread the word!
God showed me something very meaningful this weekend through 2 sermons that I got to sit under (nice to be on the receiving end this weekend). What God showed me emerged out of 2 passages of scripture in 2 separate books.
Acts 28:1-10 (click to read it)
Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta and then he was bitten by a snake. Sounds like a bad day to me! But God had a plan! These 2 terrible things led to a divine appointment with the chief of the island. That meeting led to the whole island receiving healing and being impacted for the glory of God. This encouraged me that even when we may feel that are lives are shipwrecked or snake bitten and we don't understand why we are in this mess....we need to trust God's sovereignty. He has a plan. We just may not see it yet. If we did, we might mess it all up.
John 11: 1-43 (click here to read it)
In this passage Lazarus dies, Mary and Martha (his sisters) are grieving and Jesus shows up. But here is the problem. He shows up too late. At least that is what the sisters thought! You see, Lazarus was already dead and Mary and Martha are just convinced that if Jesus would have shown up earlier, he could have saved him (which didn't really matter since Jesus ends up raising him from the dead later in the passage). I don't know if you can relate to this, but over and over again I hear people second guessing tragedy and struggles. If I would have just..., I wish I could have...., If they would have just...., etc. We can all "could've, should've, would've" until we are blue in the face, but the reality is that God is still sovereign and he still has a plan. Again, if we knew too much about it, we would mess it up.
I think that John 11:4 captures God's intention for everything we face: "...it is for God's glory so the God's son may be glorified through it!"
God definitely has a plan for your life. He even has a plan for the bad stuff that seems to make no sense! What can you do this week to trust God's sovereignty more? You never know what he can end up doing with your shipwreck and your snake bite.
Hope you had a great weekend!
--Noah
Tricia and I had a very close friend in college named Bethann. Monday night, her Dad went for a walk, fell and hit his head and died. Bethann is a very strong woman but as death always does, this has thrown her for a loop. She was really close to her Dad. The suddenness of it resurrects memories of how we lost Tricia's Dad last year. It also reminded us of how Bethann and Chris traveled to see Tricia and love on her when her Dad passed. We believe it is right that we are there for Bethann today. We will be traveling to Lebanon, NJ today to support Bethann. We will be back tomorrow afternoon.
Please pray for the Fultz family.
Do you know anyone that did not sign up for the church retreat but now wishes they did. There is room. Tell them to call the church office ASAP! The retreat is October 24-26 in PA. Gonna be fun!
My Sunday Small Group Rocks!!! It was so big that we had to multiply into 2 groups the second week. Great group and amazing synergy already. Pastor Nelson says his is going great too. I am really excited about how this is unfolding. Including youth and kids, close to 50 people are coming out on Sunday mornings for small groups (already)! That is a win!
Our Thursday small group was outstanding last week too. Not sure if I told you. The Making Connections material led us to a time of open sharing and a snotfest. Lots of tears. Great stuff.
This and other stories are solidifying even more deeply my sense that life transformation happens in circles among trusted friends, not in rows among casual acquaintances.
--Pastor Noah
Well, I started blogging 1 year ago today. You can click here to read my blog from last September. I thought I would share a few things with you about this site:
It is probably evident that I have really enjoyed blogging this year. It has been a blessing, an outlet and a great joy to capture memories, ideas and thoughts that I will save forever. I thought at this one year mark, I would refresh the purpose of my blog:
(Note: In case you wonder....I probably invest an average of 15 minutes a day into my blog. If you are not familiar with how easy it is to post and operate, it may look like more.)
Thanks to all you who read it!
Much Love!
Lover & follower of Jesus, devoted to my wife Tricia & my kids, Davis, Lily & Graceson, serving & living in Africa as a man on mission for the Kingdom of God.
