“rescue”

“what do i do when life has nowhere to turn”

I know it has been awhile since i have blogged sorry for the inconsitancy.. alot of young adults been asking about the blog so.. ill make a go this time for more consitancy!

This new event at embrace young adult community is going to be interesting and extremely influential..

we are going to study the different forms of Rescue and what it means..

sometimes in life we get in over our head and we just need to be rescued.. sometimes we need to allow things to drown and stop rescuing them..

but we all at some point in time need a rescuer.

we start this thursday night @ 7pm ill make sure and post the notes following our gathering!

(pre) fix

we at embrace had a service tonight and started our new series (pre)fix! our last service with the college students for the summer! they will be absent from embrace until august! ready to have them back already! we had a celebration tonight for graduates, and welcoming in the summer!

tonight was amazing service, good crowd alot of visitors, and people who were really touched..

(pre)fix part one tonight we discussed “preparation before promise”

we studied through the life of moses and his seasons of preparation all the way up to the day of passover.

Preparation is not always fun but always necessary

preparation is not always easily figured out but always has a purpose

preparation can be frustrating but always rewarding

our seasons of preparation can be tiring, frustrating, confusing, and painful.. but just like moses he meet his divine purpose at a burning bush.. after 80 years of preparation finally he meets his moment in time were he is called to his purpose. on the day of passover the children of Israel were instructed to (make a long story short) eat with your sandals on and your staff in your hand…

God told his children I am bringing you out… just make sure your ready when i call.. have you shoes on (shoes represent movement) and your staff in your hand (represents direction and protection)

are you ready when he calls you into your purpose? after preparation are your sandals on your feet ready to “rise and go” or are your sandals still sitting by the door?

what are your sandals? more prayer time, more worship, more study time, release of bitterness, forgiveness? etc… whatever it is.. get your sandals on and be ready for your time!

notes on service (pre) fix part 1 “Are you Ready”

weekend recap

Friday - got to speak at ATC to the college students at their last devotion friday! stopped by the wow conference to hear Beth Stephens preach!  had a great time today!

Saturday - Bethune Cookman University Graduation, A bunch of Graduation parties, then had the privaledge to preach at Embry Riddle university at their last service of the year! Great Great time with these students!

Sunday - At Calvary Christian Center we had a guest speaker Rita Twiggs, she was really amazing!

its really exciting to see what God is doing in our College Students at Calvary! one week left with them.. I am ready for august to be here already! I miss those students when they are gone!!

summer is around the corner and in young adult ministry its all about young professionals and returning colleges students! ITs going to be fun!

crazy up and coming!

just a dump of whats going on now!

crazy weekend coming … at the wow conference now helping out in the sound booth! These women are going nuts!!

as a college pastor is inevitable that come graduation season you will be at several graduations! which i love!

saturday 10am -1pm graduation 1:30 -4:30 off to three graduation parties.. then come 6pm off to Embry Riddle to preach a closing service for a club on campus! For the couple young adults i know that are called to ministry that read this blog this shows you that ministry is not a 9-5 mon-fri! its a life! and you gotta love it!! (jp proud of ya buddy keep it up)

Its great to be able to support the people you love! again congratulations to all embrace community graduates!!! keep up the great work!!

 

Bethune Cookman

had a great honor today to attend Bethune Cookman University annnual school of nursing ceremony today, honoring the graduates of the class of 08′

Many of our students at embrace were graduating.. here was my take!

to all the students at embrace that are Graduating, Missy and I are so proud of you! this accomplishment in your life is something no one can ever take away from you! you have showed great dedication, hard work, and persistance in achieving this great honor! God has truly blessed each one of you and his hand has been on you from the beginning! Give him the Glory!!

Missy and I love you guys so much, we cant even explain how proud of you we are! As tears welled up in my eyes today, i realized how much of a joy it has been to have you apart of our lives! be proud and thankful! you are wonderful women of God! and there is so much in store for your future!!

the best is yet to come!! Missy and I love all of you very much! your like family!!

I look forward to Graduation satruday and celebrating with all of you at your parties!!!

deal or no deal

special college episode tonight all college students trying to win a million dollar$

its amazing how these students are trying so hard for a life changing amount of money! they get offered so much from the banker trying to stop them from getting all the way to the top. everyone yelling at them saying do this do this, pick this case pick that case!

no mean to over spiritualize anything but i wonder what in our life we allow to buy us out so many times and keeps us from going all the way! all the distractions in life, the offers to settle for less,

i dont want to settle for less than what God wants me to.. I want to go all the way in life! I dont want my life to be close to over, or Jesus comes back.. and … find out I settled for what the banker had to offer!

regardless of distractions i want to go all the way as a Husband, someday father,  Pastor, Preacher, friend!

love is the missing link!

over the past month at embrace we have expirenced truly amazing growth at embrace.. growth with more consitant people than ever… but more importantly growth IN people. we have been doing this study called “linked” we have been discussing the things in life Jesus linked to and how it applies to our everyday walk.

tonight was love.. True love has been the missing link in not only society but in churches (in general)

Jesus is crying out for us to just truly be intimate with him and fall in love with the things he is in love with.. but in order for us to know his heart we must be linked with love..

love is intimacy and we truly understand the heart of God when we become intimate with him!

Love is the foundation of every relationship, every marriage.

 

Love requires commitment.

 

Love will defeat the enemy and give you victory in every circumstance.

 

Love is passion

Love is intimacy

 

Love has been the foundation of our salvation.

 

Love in its greatest moment has linked us to eternity..

love is .. intimacy.. and intimacy is more than physical touch .. intimacy requires time, listening, and blind faith.

Check out notes on LOVE service to see more

building!

new building here we come!! 

took a walk today with Pastor Jon and Pastor Troy checking out our property here at Calvary Christian Center..

ground is clearing, fences going up! its an amazing time in our lives right now! To see what is about to take place is phenomenal! its such a great opportunity to be apart of such an amazing place! From the time we broke ground to watching fences go up, to eventually being in the sanctuary it brings tears to my eyes to see the great work that God has done here! 

this new building is going to be 90,000 sq foot! Thank God for this blessing!

check out building updates and new building info at these two places

Pastor Troy Blog or Calvary Christian Center!

risky buisness

Est 4:12-14
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

reading this passage today and it really struck me hard.. Read some on Esther..

1. here Esther is in the kings house (out of position for her kind but God’s position always trumps man’s position)(thats another blog)

2. she is trying to get the king to free her people from the turmoil the King has put them through.

3. her uncle sends a response to her saying “speak up”

A.     risk forces you to speak up.

-          there are opportunities every day for our voice to be heard.

-          Here Ester is told to  either you speak up and bring deliverance or from someone else it will arise..

 b. silence can cause me to loose my blessing.

            - how many times have we had the opportunity of taking a risk speaking up and helping deliver someone out of bondage. But because of our lack of risk taking ability we have lost and someone else arose in our place.

                       -          your spoken words carry power

                       -          blessing

-          promise

Dont be afraid what someone will think for God has you were you are for a reason…. take a risk speak up! dont be afraid of what God has placed on your heart! people are in need of young adults (christ followers in general) to open their mouth speak up in love and change their life..

who knows someone’s freedom may be resting in the voice God has given you! take a risk today and reach out!

In love

love covers a multitude of sins. Pastor Preached a great message today about thinking were we came from! “The power of a Precious Seed” Tonight sitting at my computer just thinking about my life and were I have come from, and LOVE came all over me.. truly random!

begin to think..

thinking about the people in my life that have been a huge part of were I am today, and Love came over me.

thinking about my wife and how stinking cool it is to be married.. love came all over me..

thinking about my parents.. love came all over me

thinking about how proud I am of my little brother (he plays D-1 baseball for St. Louis university)… love came all over me!

thinking about My church and how blessed I am to be at Calvary Christian Center and love came all over me (we broke ground on our brand new 90,000 sq ft building today)

thinking about the young adults I get to hang around ALL the time… love came all over me!

thinking about all the wonderful blessings in my life.. love came all over me

thinking about the God that gave me all of this… LOVE came all over me!

mabye we should all do a little thinking to allow love to come all over us! God has been truly great!