Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Moving Along

Man things are moving along with the youth building! Last week Zech and Jake finished the floors (thanks Jake - Immaculate Flooring!), and the concrete stain looks REALLY COOL! Today Dan and Robin came in and hung all the lighting, black track lighting with really cool heads - another sweet touch! And I started putting up the trim. The red mahogany looks really nice.

We are working hard for an April open. I really really really will put up some pics this week.

Clay

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Cleaning Heart

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Matt 12:43-45

In this statement, Jesus hits us with something that we all tend to do: Cleaning up the outside.

How many times have you heard someone say “Man, I’ve got to clean up my act?” And then they’ll commit to stopping some habit, or they’ll decide to start doing a good deed. But when you check in with them a few months later, things are worse than ever!

What happened? That person focused on changing the outer person, without first changing the inner person. They took a broom, went through the house, swept everything clean, stood back and thought “great, everything looks clean!” But let me tell you, as the father of two young boys, one sweep does not clean the house! Ten minutes later the ‘twin-tornados’ come back through, and it looks like a bomb went off!

Jesus is telling us that we cannot just “clean house,” we have to “clean heart!” And there is only one way to a clean heart. It’s not a program, or a new regimen, or a new outlook: It is the person of Jesus Christ, who came not to “reform” but to “regenerate!”

PC

Monday, March 23, 2009

Just Awesome!

Wow - that's all I can say. Sunday was just - wow. God is doing a great work in our midst. People are being broken before the Lord, coming to repentance, the worship service was just anointed. I love God, and I love God's people.

PC

Friday, March 20, 2009

The Unpardonable Sin

Have you ever thought that something you did was so bad that God could never forgive you? Have you every wondered if you had done so many wrong things in your life, that they could never be righted?

If so, I have good news for you - God's grace and forgiveness is all-encompassing, and all-including! There is no sin against God, or His Son Jesus, or another person, that cannot be forgiven! When Jesus was on the cross, He said "It is finished", and He meant it!

But there is one sin that cannot be forgiven, the unpardonable sin, and that is the "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit." This particular sin confuses many people, and some wonder if they have somehow committed it, and thus condemned themselves to an eternity of damnation.

What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Join us Sunday, and together we'll explore this teaching of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Clay


In His Service,

Pastor Clay

Friday, March 13, 2009

Dont Rock the Boat!

For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." Matt 12:8

Ever know someone who always "rocks the boat?" There are some people who are always stirring things up!

We tend to have a negative opinion about that person, but there are times when it can be a good thing to rock the boat, to stir things up. A person that stirs things up in a positive way can also be noted as "an agent of change." When we are able to impart change to something that has gotten stale, something that has gotten 'off-track", then we are implementing "positive change."

That is exactly what Jesus was doing as His ministry progressed. Under the Pharisees, worship had become stale, routine, and legalistic. Jesus came and brought new life, new wine into old wineskins, if you will. But the Pharisees were not happy at all about this change.

Chapter 12 begins a new period in Jesus ministry, when the Pharisees began to actively oppose and plot against Him. And the first point of opposition was the Sabbath.

Join us Sunday as we explore the Sabbath, and the Lord of the Sabbath!

Pastor Clay

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

The Lead Sled

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matt 11:29-30

Ever feel like your pulling a lead sled? Through two-feet deep muck? In the dead of winter? I could go on, but you get where I am going!

There are times in our lives that we are ‘doing-doing-doing’, but nothing seems to get done. Times when we are ‘going-going-going’, but we just can’t seem to get anywhere.

Question: During those times, do you ever stop and ask yourself “why am I doing this?” Then, examine the answer. Why are you involved in this activity, or doing that project? Is it because you feel like you are ‘supposed to’, or someone ‘expects you to’, or even worse, you have no idea why you are doing it?

Then ask yourself this question: “Is this something that God wants me to do?” Here’s why: I have found that Jesus’ yoke is, you guessed it, easy. His burden is, right again, light. In other words, when God puts you on something, it’s not a drag. It’s not going to weigh you down. His plan for you is tailored specifically just for you – a perfect fit! That’s not to say there won’t be some effort required, and some diligence, but you wont find yourself behind the lead sled, in two feet of muck, in the dead of winter.

“But”, you might say, “what is my yoke?” Well, that is the cool thing, we get to seek Him for guidance, trust Him for direction, and allow Him to set our feet on this right path!

Blessings from Raleigh (where I am helping my mom with a few things this week), and I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay