The Arrival

This year, Shami and I decided to take Bayley and Savanah to Disney World to experience Christmas “Disney-style.” 

When we lived in Las Vegas, we were able to go to Disneyland many times to do that, but this will be our first time heading to Florida at Christmas time. 

They really deck the halls for Christmas at Disney Parks.  It is really something quite special to see.  We are looking forward to arriving there this weekend.

 

I often wonder what it would have been like to see the arrival of Jesus into our world. 

How did Joseph and Mary handle all that comes with a baby being born while staying in a stable? 

Was it just the two of them? 

Did anyone come to their aid? 

How long would they have to live in the stable before they had a place to stay? 

Even with all of those questions, I believe the arrival of the Messiah and Savior of the world was really something quite special to see. 

 

Not because of glitz or glam but because of the honest, raw and authentic way the Son of God arrived.

He came as a baby, not a king.

He showed up helpless, not powerful.

He entered as a creation, not the creator.

It’s not how I would have done it if I was God and going to arrive on the scene.  Good thing, I’m not God, huh?!

 

God wanted to make a point at the very beginning of the story of Jesus. 

He wanted to show us He really was with us.  Not above us, not over us or in control of us but with us.

How Jesus arrived was just as important as how He died.

Simply put:  The Arrival mattered.

 

So let it matter to you.  Take time this Christmas and reflect on Jesus and His arrival to earth.

Don’t let it get lost in the glitz or glam (whether it’s Disney-style or not).

 

Merry Christmas!  I pray it is the best one yet for each of you and your loved ones.”

Tap into the Power

Hey New Life,

This last Sunday I talked about tapping into the power source as we go about telling others the message of Jesus.  I want to tell you a story of when I tapped into a new power source when I was younger.

I was a teenager when I first experienced any type of verbal gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I grew up in a Baptist church and we viewed those things as wrong an unbiblical kinds of things.  Then one day my brother went to his friend’s church and came back changed.  He had been a real punk of a big brother with a horrible attitude towards our parents but something was different and I said to myself I had to check out this church that had changed him.

Obviously it wasn’t the church that changed him but it was Jesus, but I think you understand my curiosity, none the less.

When I went to the Assembly of God church youth gathering I saw students worshipping God with such freedom that I had never experienced before.  It was incredible.  I wanted to worship God like that.  I wanted to worship God with true freedom.  I thought the whole verbal gifts thing was still odd and different and my friends in my old church thought I was crazy but I liked the freedom and didn’t want to let go of it.

A year or so later, at a Winter Retreat, there was an opportunity to receive what is called “the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.”  I really didn’t know what it was all about but if Jesus had something more for me than what I already had then I wanted it.  Nothing “happened” to me during that time but then that night in bed I woke up and began speaking a new language I had never heard before.

Now the whole point of verbal gifts of the Holy Spirit is very specific.  It says in Acts 1:8 that the purpose is to give you power to be a witness wherever you are.  You see, if you have the faith to speak an unknown language then speaking to someone about Jesus in your common language should actually take less faith.

Here’s the thing though, people can get really weird and do crazy things in the name of the Holy Spirit and I think that turns people off to the idea of verbal gifts.  But don’t you and I both know people who have done things in the name of Jesus that are so not Jesus?

I am a die hard Seattle Seahawks fan and I remember going to a game in Indy against the Colts a few years ago and there was another Seahawks fan about 10 rows below me acting like a total jerk.  All the Colts fans wanted to take him out and beat him up.  Hey, even I wanted to shut him up because of the way he was acting.

I say that to tell you we have specific, biblical guidelines for the verbal gifts during a Sunday gathering so things are not chaotic but orderly just like I believe we experience on Sundays because we want people to say, “God is truly here among you.” (1 Corinthian 14:25) when the verbal gifts are used at church.

But remember the why behind it all is to tap into a power that helps you share the message of Jesus.  Let be sure to tap into that power source today!

Leading and serving you,

Pastor David

A Sunday to Remember - part 4

Ok, October 2^nd really was a Sunday to remember. 

The final reason it was a Sunday to remember was presenting the Phase 1 of our 3 Remodel Initiatives, from 9-11-16, for approval.  There comes a time in every church where they must be willing to take a step of faith and yes a step of risk to move forward in the God designed plans for it and its calling.  The leadership of New Life believed Now is the Time for us to move forward.

I am grateful for a church that is willing to move forward.  I am grateful for a church that asks questions about the why, when and how we are moving forward.  I am grateful for a church that trusts what its leaders believe is the direction for that moving forward.  I am grateful we can have different opinions and yet still come to a place of unity once we decide to move forward.  I am grateful for New Life – the church I call my home.

Our goal is clear.  We want to raise commitments for and complete Phase 1 of our remodel initiatives.

I’m looking forward to Easter in April 2017 when our lobby improvements will include a brand new check in area for kids ministries, a brand new Next Steps kiosk – a new way for people to see how they can connect in Life Groups and see how they can serve at New Life.  Along with these elements we plan on having new furniture inside the lobby and new paint on the trim outside the lobby.

I’m looking forward to our 60^th Anniversary in July 2017 when our gym will have a brand new roof, furnaces, flooring, lighting, paint and bathrooms.  All of it culminating in naming that space the Thomason Westside Community Center in honor of our founding pastors.  What a way that will be to celebrate what God has done in the first 60 years of our church.

I’m looking forward to the next school year in September 2017 when our kids areas will have a brand new theme – KidsWorld – and with that a whole new look on every wall and in every hallway.  This new theme will create spaces that immerse kids into a new adventure every weekend.

All of this is possible because our church said, “yes, now is the time” to move forward.

What a Sunday to remember, indeed!

A Sunday to Remember – part 3

The morning of October 2^nd was a Sunday to remember at New Life for sure.  Yes, it was the launching point of our new Sunday morning gatherings (We love what is happening in both of them – check out the servant leader quote in the bulletin on Sunday)  and our Life Groups that meet all throughout the week (We have over 13 groups reading and discussing the Plan A book).  Awesome stuff!

But it also had some significant things happen at night too, the first being Momentum Youth Ministries kicked off their 30 day STL (Speed The Light) T-shirt challenge.  I think it gave us a sense of what can happen when a group of people are unified toward accomplishing the same goal.  Seeing about 30 students and servant leaders gather together wearing their STL T-shirts that night was…well…pretty cool!

The students have a goal of raising $2500.  Several of them already have well over $100-200 pledged or given.  Thank you to those who have pledged to give, and already given to the STL T-shirt challenge.  Also thank you to those of you who gave in the offering this past Sunday to STL.  If you haven’t had a student come your way yet, can you do one of two things?

Either look for a blue STL T-shirt and ask if you can give to their efforts or give something to STL in the offering box the next 2 Sundays to help the Momentum students reach their $2500 goal.

Thanks for helping Missionaries get the transportation and the communication tools they need to share the message of Jesus.  It means a lot to our students that you would step up and personally get involved.  It means a lot to me.  It means a lot to Jesus.

Thanks New Life for being a giving church!

Leading and serving you,

Pastor David

A Sunday to Remember - part 2

Hey New Life,

Last week, I said, Sunday, October 2^nd, was “A Sunday to Remember.”

Besides it being our first Sunday going to 2 Sunday Morning Gatherings, it was also the Sunday we launched Life Groups, our new small group initiative from 9-11-16.  Life Groups are a new way at looking at how we can connect with God and with others here at New Life. 

We believe Life Groups can happen wherever life happens (a home, a coffee house, a park, the church, a school campus, a restaurant, etc. I think you get the idea).

We also believe Life Groups can be any size.  The fact that Scripture tells says, where two or more are gathered, God is there, tells us that a Life Group only needs a couple people to accomplish its purpose of connecting with God and connecting with others.

So how are our Life Groups going 9 days into their launch?  As of today, we have at least 13 active Life Groups meeting all throughout the week.  Isn’t that awesome!  Some of the groups are for guys or ladies only while others mix it all up.  Some are meeting at night while others meet in the morning or lunchtime.  Some Life Groups meet on the weekend and others on weekdays. 

I love seeing people doing life together because we are better together.  And I love seeing people connecting with God and others.

By the way, it’s not too late to be part of a Life Group either.  You can call the church and we can let you know when and where Life Groups are meeting or you can talk with Shami, our Life Group Coordinator, and she’ll help you start your own Life Group or get you connected with a Life Group that’s already meeting when you can.

Keep connecting!

Pastor David

A Sunday to Remember - part 1

This past Sunday was a Sunday to remember at New Life.

 

When we first envisioned changing Sunday mornings at New Life, it was clear we desired for 2 things to happen.

Honor those who serve

and

Give God more opportunities to impact people’s lives

 

A third desire came into focus as we drew closer to our relaunch date of 9-11-16...

...to have a greater influence on the next generation.

 

I have to tell you that we saw all three of these desired goals happen last Sunday, October 2nd.

 

Several servant leaders attended 1 and served 1 Sunday morning gathering.  (not to mention our awesome worship team and some of the hospitality team that served in both Sunday gatherings!) It was so great to be able to see servant leaders give AND receive on the same day, and to be able to start our new series, “Plan A” knowing they can be a part of the entire series.  I loved it!!  I look forward to seeing more servant leaders being able to take advantage of this opportunity and it’s my hope every servant leader feels honored by it.

 

More lives were impacted because we had 2 Sunday gatherings.  One story that came out of the second Sunday morning gathering was of one new family that came specifically because we are now offering an additional Sunday morning gathering later in the morning.  The family actually said they were “watching” what was going on at New Life through Facebook and were waiting for this Sunday to be able to come and attend.  Having our second Sunday morning gathering gave God an opportunity to impact the lives of this family!

 

There was a greater influence on the next generation.  Initially because the two Sunday morning gatherings offered, our Kids Ministry servant leaders will have less kids to lead and serve in each gathering.  What this gives them is a chance to have that greater influence on the kids they have with them each week, plus with teenagers stepping up to serve in kids ministry they too will be influenced by adult servant leaders.

 

So what a great successful Sunday we had honoring those who serve, giving God more opportunities to impact lives and having a greater influence on the next generation! 

 

I am so proud of you New Life!

 

Leading and serving with you,

Pastor David

An Open Letter to those who serve at New Life

I want to first say a huge “thank you” to you for stepping up to serve and personally get involved at New Life.  This Sunday is a big day for all of us as we launch our new Sunday Morning Gathering times of 9:30 & 11:15.

I want you to know that the primary reason why we made this change was for YOU.  Yes we want to give God more opportunities to impact lives and have a greater influence on the next generation but we first of all want to honor those who serve. 

You are so important to me and to everyone at New Life.  And because you are important and valuable we wanted to honor you by providing a way for you to not only give out in serving on Sunday but receive and be served.

We really have a desired goal in mind that everyone “Attend 1 and Serve 1.”  Attend one Sunday gathering while serving in the other one.  When we do this we will be better unified as a church and in the direction God has for us. 

And there is nothing greater than a unified group of people.  God himself said so…

“Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! ~ Genesis 11:6

So thanks again for serving and because of our additional Sunday gathering I look forward to seeing you in one of our two services this weekend as we start a new series, “Plan A: There is no plan B.”

Leading and serving with you,

Pastor David