Pressing In

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to press into God this summer with all of your heart. Summer is typically a time when people like to take it easy, go on vacations, and enjoy various outdoor activities. I am reminding you that your relationship with God should never take a break. He is the source of all life, goodness, joy, etc. Each of our lives would be empty without Him.

So instead of coasting this summer spiritually, make it your aim to press in more than everbefore. Set personal goals to attain new heights in your walk with God. If you have children,this is a great time to take them farther with God. They are out of school and have no homework. Try to learn some extra Scriptures with them and have some family devotions.

Church attendance should also remain high. Don’t let summer activities keep you out of services. The one or two unavoidable situations are always understandable, but some people make little effort to plan activities around church attendance. To me that is a reflection of their heart. The heart that reverences God wants to be with God and wants to be in church around other Christians, hearing the Word and being encouraged.

I would like to especially encourage parents of teenagers to bring your child to Wednesday night youth service. This is their night to connect with God and each other and hear relevant youth messages. We had a smaller group in youth last Wednesday evening, which means this is a great time to bring your teens and let them get connected with other teens in our church. They can forge relationships that will last not only in the school year but for many years to come. They can make a difference for God together much easier than alone. We need our teens to get connected and built up and to be the influence when other unsaved teens step into
Velocity. This summer is your opportunity to get your teen connected and discipled. Let’s believe God for an explosion in our youth group this summer.

Our children’s classes are also great on Wednesday evening and we would love to see thatcontinue to grow. There are no homework assignments and no buses to catch the next morning. Let’s let this summer be a high point and not a low point in each of our spiritual lives.

Remember Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Let’s keep God at the center of our hearts.

God bless.
Pastor Jeff

Why A School?

Some of you might be wondering why we have decided to start a Christian school. I can tell you that a lot of thought and prayer went into this decision. Pastor Rebecca and I believe this an exciting step for our church to be able to impact the younger generation of believers in a mighty way.

One does not have to go far to hear of the turmoil that this generation is facing. We believe that it is essential to prepare young people for life by properly equipping them with the Word of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit. By having children in school here at the church there will be plenty of opportunities to influence them in the right way.

Everyday our young people are being bombarded with wrong influences– from the kids they are hanging around with to the things they are being taught from a secular standpoint. We believe we can offer them something better, something that will help them to walk in victory spiritually every day of their lives. That’s why we are calling the school Victory Christian School. We are going to produce children who’s lives are on fire for God and who desire to live for Him and fulfill His plan for them.

I encourage you to strongly consider sending your child to our school if you have children. We are still working out some details like the tuition rate. It will probably be in the $1300 to $1800 range. You may be able to get your child some “scholarship” help if you do not have the funds. The church will be helping to offset some of the expense already to try to keep the rate in a reasonable range. We will also set up a payment plan where people can pay for the tuition over a 10 to 12 month time frame.

We will be offering pre-school through twelfth grades. I encourage you to come to the meeting on May 17th at 6:00PM to find out more about how the school will be set up. We will allow students to dual enroll so they can participate in sports or band at the public school. We also plan to have a music class in our school.

I ask that everyone keep this lifted up in prayer. This is a big step for us as a church, but we know that we serve a big God. We believe there will be countless lives touched through this ministry of the church. God bless you and thank you in advance for supporting this endeavor.

Pastor Jeff

Christian Training Event

You’ve probably heard by now that Rev. Tony Cooke is going to be ministering at our church May 2 and 3. I want to take this opportunity to encourage everyone involved in any area of helps ministry and anyone that might be in the future to be at the training seminar on May 2 from 1:00 to 4:50 PM. (We changed it to the afternoon to accommodate Rev. Cook’s schedule). He is one of the top teachers and trainers in Christian ministry today. He was Rev. Kenneth W. Hagin’s associate pastor for twenty years and a beloved teacher at Rhema Bible Training Center. There isn’t much that he hasn’t seen or encountered in ministry.

Rev. Cooke is sure to bring fresh insight and perspective into your involvement in the local church and I know that you will be a greater asset to God and to the church after going through this training (not that you aren’t valuable now). I know that this is on a Saturday afternoon in the month of May, but this is time for a gut check to see how much you are willing to pay the price to be used of God. People who truly desire to be used by God don’t look for excuses why they can’t do something; they look for ways to make it happen. That is why I am giving you as much advance notice as possible, so you can get this on your calendar and make it a priority. It is certainly a priority to God.

We will have snacks and drinks available for the three scheduled breaks. Also, there will be no Sunday evening service on May 3 since we are doing the training on May 2. Let’s honor God and God’s servant by showing up ready to learn at this event. Please arrive around 12:45 so we can get started at 1:00 PM. Also, please place a check mark by your name on the sign up sheet at the information booth so we know you are coming. Thank you and God bless!

Pastor Jeff

Keeping Our Eyes Fixed on Him

Dear Church Family,

A few weeks ago I preached a message about keeping our eyes fixed on God in this new year. Psalm 141:8 in the NIV says, “My eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord…” I believe that as Christians we have a covenant with God and can expect His favor and blessing no matter how things are going in the world around us. We, of course, need to be led by God and not be foolish in the time we are living in.

We also need to guard against getting into fear. Second Timothy 1:7 says that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind.” Ephesians 6:10 says to “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Let’s be courageous in this hour and not be dominated by fear as so many around us are.

A prophet of God named Dr. Mark Barclay recently declared some things about the year 2009. He said in this year it would be especially important to, “Keep your body in church, your nose in the Book, your knees bent, and your mind stayed on Him, and you will beat the evils of the day. If you cut back time and money, don’t make God take the hit.” (In other words don’t cheat God out of what belongs to Him and yourself out of the fellowship with Him you need to succeed in life.)

I believe that this will be another glorious year for the body of Christ. Don’t accept anything less than your covenant rights and privileges in Christ. I love you and declare God’s blessing over you and your family.

In Christ,

Pastor Jeff

A Divine Romance

Hello, everyone, and Merry Christmas! I hope you are all taking time to enjoy this beautiful (although COLD!) time of year.

I have been reminded of something recently that I thought I'd share in this month's blog. Have you ever read the book "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman? It is a great book that discusses the five various ways that we as humans give and receive love. These are, in a nutshell, words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Well, you might have discovered from the stories that my husband shares about me during his messages that he and I have completely different "love languages." My primary love language is "acts of service", while his is "quality time". In other words, when I stay up late to clean the house, do laundry, or work on church projects, in my mind, I am showing him how much I love him by how helpful I can be. While I am doing these things, I am thinking, "Aren't I a good wife and Proverbs 31 woman?" To my surprise, I have come to find out that when he is home and I am busying myself with these IMPORTANT tasks, he is not thinking that at all! In fact, I have even angered him with my busy-ness! My endless labor does not impress him. He simply wants to spend some time with me and leave these things to be done later. Even though this has been difficult for me to learn, I have found that he is the happiest and our marriage is SO much better, if I simply quiet my mind and take time out for him. This is one of the greatest ways that we keep our romance alive. (He has especially been reminding me of this during the last few weeks as I have been preparing for all of the Christmas activities!)

This illustration reminds me of how God feels about us. James 4:5 says, "Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously'"? The word "yearns" portrays an intense desire, a craving, a longing or pining for something. The Holy Spirit within us is jealous of the less-important things on which we spend all of our time. He wants us for Himself and it angers Him when we let everything else crowd out time spent with Him in the secret place. He is a Divine Lover, and He desires that the focus of our lives be Him! If they are not, He will aggressively and passionately pursue us, like any lover whose beloved's affections were distracted by something else.

In the hurry of this Christmas, let's purpose to take time everyday with the Lover of Our Souls. This season is all about remembering the perfect plan that He orchestrated over 2000 years ago. As I close, I would like to share some words to a great new Christmas song called "How Many Kings" by a group called Down to Here.

How many kings stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only One did that for me...

He has begun a Divine Romance with us. Let's glorify Him with our lives this holiday season!

Merry Christmas with love,
Pastor Rebecca

America's Godly Heritage

As Election Day approaches, we are writing this letter to inform you of the godly heritage that we have as a nation. We believe it is important for the citizens of our nation to know what has made America great so that we can do what it takes to keep her great.

Virtually every one of the fifty-five Founding Fathers who framed the Constitution were members of orthodox Christian churches and many were outspoken Christians. It was the signers of the Declaration of Independence who started the Sunday School movement as well as several Bible and missionary societies. They were also responsible for penning numerous religious works and publishing many famous Bibles.

At one point during the American Revolution when things were not going particularly well, John Adams was asked if he thought America could actually win the Revolution. He confidently replied: “Yes!—if we fear God and repent of our sins!”

In his farewell address, which was considered so important and its content so profound that for years it appeared as a separate, stand-alone textbook, George Washington stated the following: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should subvert these great pillars.”

Here are some other quotes by Fathers of our Nation:
· “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.”
—John Adams.
· “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”
—Benjamin Franklin
· “The only assurance of our nation’s safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion.”
—Abraham Lincoln
· “Those who will not be ruled by God will be ruled by tyrants”
—William Penn
· “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” —George Washington
· “Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind.”
—United States Supreme Court, 1892

As you can see from these quotes, separating Church and State was not part of the belief system of our nation’s Founders. It is also not found anywhere in our Constitution. The phrase “separation of church and state,” which is used so commonly in our society today, was simply one line in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a church in Danbury, Connecticut encouraging them in the fact that our country would not mandate a state religion/denomination. A true student will discover that faith and morality are intrinsically woven into the very fiber of our national history.

In the words of the French statesman Alexis de Tocqueville from 1831, “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

As you prepare to vote, please keep in mind that our great country was founded on godly principles and that it is our responsibility to elect people into office who will continue to uphold those principles. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

*Many facts in this article were taken from the book America’s Godly Heritage by David Barton.


Pastors Jeff and Rebecca

A New Season

Hello,

With Labor Day having come and gone and the cooler temperatures this week, it seems that fall is unofficially here. I don't know about you but I love the fall. It is probably my favorite time of the year. The weather is great for outdoor activities like walking, jogging, biking, camping, football, etc.

I also like the fall because it is the time for harvest. As a kid I can remember helping my dad haul corn in out of the fields, sometimes late into the evenings. It is a very exciting thing if you are a farmer. We also get to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables this time of year right off the trees and out of the gardens. It is a time to reap and enjoy the fruit of our labor.

Another reason I like fall is because it tends to bring people back into focus. Many times people's summers can get a little hectic trying to get in all the family reunions, vacations, weddings, etc. These things are all great, but if you're like me you also enjoy some normalcy and focus.

Jesus said in Matthew 9:37,38 "...The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest". Let's take advantage of the focus that this time of year can bring and purpose to bring in a great spiritual harvest for the Lord. Let's carry that momentum right into the end of the year and all of next year! God bless each of you. Pastor Rebecca and I love you and count it a privilege to be co-laborers together with you.

Sincerely,

Pastor Jeff