He's on their lips

Thursday is my fasting & prayer day. I spend the early morning praying in the sanctuary @ APC. It’s dark outside when I arrive but it’s kinda cool to see the sun come up over the next few hours filling the sanctuary with natural light. (even when it’s cloudy) Is this what Jesus may have experienced when He went to pray to His Father in the early morning?

About mid day I drive over to the James 5:16 center & spend a few more hours in prayer. The gym is located on a busy corner @ a traffic light in Tarentum. As I’m praying I look out through the large glass windows @ the front of the building out into the street where cars are traveling in both directions & people are walking by. Tarentum & the Allegheny Valley needs Jesus & we’re so excited to be apart of God’s plan for the area.

I usually end the day by stopping @ Panera in the Pgh Mills for a quick cup of "Joe" & to connect to the Internet checking email as well as other laptop work. (It’s great to see John Bob & Donna’s daughter Erica there. Erica works @ Panera & as she’s leaving for the day we chat for a few minutes) The last thing I do is prayer walk the mall. Today as I was walking, I pasted 2 guys & couldn’t help but hear a small portion of their conversation. (yes, I did slow down a bit, 15 seconds at the most) They were talking about…Jesus, about His arrest; trial & they mentioned the name Judas. During this time of the year, as well as Easter, spiritual conversations tend to be on the lips of people & I’m sure the name of Jesus comes up quite frequently..praise God!

This Thursday was filled with early morning light; busy people traveling in Tarentum & a prayer walk after a good cup of coffee with the name of Jesus on people’s lips…

You got everything

Merry Christmas & Happy New! I waited until the day after Christmas to post my greeting. So many have checked out of the blog sphere for the holidays & I figured after yesterday's festivities some would like to receive a Christmas greeting. We even got 2 more Christmas cards today. I hope you got everything you wanted, even if you didn't...if you got Jesus you got everything!

Sharing faith with your family

Regarding faith, family & the holidays, P. Jeff has 2 great blog entries on How to share faith with your family. Practical ways to let the radiance & aroma of Christ effect those around you. Check out the link below.

http://jeffleake.typepad.com/the_launchpad/2007/12/page/3/

You're now a Royal

The Christmas season brings with it joy, fun, food, presents and family. Have I struck a cord? Maybe your family situation isn't the greatest. Let's be real, because of Christ are you considered the odd man out, off your nut or just weird...Ow, that hurts. Family ties & relationships can be tough. (not all of us grew up in church)

Don't stress over it. God knows you & your family situation. He wants us to be the best reflection of His Son that we can be. So when visiting the folks, siblings & other relatives this Christmas go prayed up & reflecting Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit. You know, kind, considerate, attentive & helpful. (as we should be with everyone) You can't do it in your own strength, believe me I know. When we rely on the Lord to see us through He allows the sweet aroma of Jesus to radiate from our lives to those around us...whoever they may be. You never can tell what God's up to with regard to our families.

Here's some encouraging news to be reminded of...As a believer in Christ, you've received the following:
A clean slate (forgiveness from past sin)
A new nature ( from spiritual death to spiritual life)
and A...
new family line
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Galatians 3:13-14
(teaching from APC's Spiritual Breakthrough)

Because of Jesus...you're now a "Royal". Our family line includes not only our parents & grandparents but..Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and so on. Isn't that a cool thought, Jesus loved us so much that He not only saved us He brought us into His family line. It's also good to know that we'll pass this royal family line down to our kids who'll pass it onto their kids and so on.

Drinking it all in

Isn't it great to be a part of something. Think back to your childhood or teenage years. Were you a part of a team, club, or some sort of group where you totally go into all that was going on, where you felt like you were "drinking it all in?"

This morning I got that sense @ the MCM pastors mtg. What a round table discussion, everything from sermon ideas to latest books read to the how to's of church...& a little comic relief in between. Man, it was great just drinking it all in. I've only been going to these mtgs since Oct 07 & these guys have been mtg for some time so I've been listening in & tring to get myself up to speed. But what a great sense it is to be a part of that mtg!

And what greater cause is there than being a part of spreading the message of Christ. I think the "round table discussions" Jesus had with his disciples were ones that you could drink it all in...full of insight, great information about life and advancing the kingdom. I'd also venture to guess...moments of comic relief (we're talking about the disciples here-read the book).

Not only am I looking forward to all that God has for BridgePoint Church, I'm also looking forward to times of drinking it all in with the MCM pastors & moments of comic relief in between.

BridgePoint's 3rd Monthly Service

This morning we had our 3rd monthly service. When Francie & I left the house the road was wet from the rain not snow...Praise God it wasn't snowing! (I think the Lord held off the snow in the morning so we could have our service. It didn't start snowing until about 12:30pm when we left the James 5:16 Center). As always the launch team was amazing! Everyone arrived by 8:30am and began setting up for the service. After everything was in place, we all gathered for prayer @ 9:30am. I want to give a shout -out to BridgePoint's Children's ministry team...Kim in the Nursery, Miss Donna with the preschoolers & Mr Dave & Miss Betty serving in Jr. Church. Thanks so much for braving the unpredictable weather & sharing Jesus with the kids. I know you all brought a smile to the Lord & smiles to the faces of the parents.

We had a great morning of ministry! 59 people attended including many family members & friends. We also invited a few families from the community. This Christmas, BridgePoint was given some toys to bless children in the area. So, we contacted families who had attended our Block Party in August and invited them to our service to receive their toys. Hollie, a 9 -year -old girl said, "I've never been to a church but I think I'm going to like this." Not only did Hollie receive toys but she also was blessed with a new bike! Thanks to Jim Biernesser, Jim Adams & Ernie Wlodarski for getting the toys and the bike!

The message was entitled:"Unwrapped...the best gift you could receive in life!" The idea: when we unwrap our fears to God, He cares & puts a song in our heart. After being visited by the angel Gabriel, Mary unwrapped her fears to God & He put a song in her heart. (Luke 1:46-56) If the Lord could do that for Mary, He can do that for you. It's up to us to take the first step towards Him ...so let's unwrap!! Visit unwrapped07.com

When the service ended, everyone gathered in the cafe' area for refreshments & good conversation. After mingling & lingering, the launch team pulled together cleaning everything up & packed it all away in the back room(s).

Christmas is a time for giving and the best gift we could give is the one we give to God...our hearts. Praise the Lord that hearts were touched this morning through BridgePoint Church where we Connect Real People to the Real God.

We're Ready!

Just returned from the James 5:16 Center in Tarentum. Dropped off the snow blower, the shovels are ready & so is the salt. Maybe it'll turn out to be more rain than snow. Regardless we're ready. BridgePoint will be having service this Sunday @ 10am!

It will be worth it!

Right now the weather forecast for this Saturday & Sunday calls for a high temp of 31 & a low of 28 with a 60% chance of snow both days. However...BridgePoint Church will be having service this Sunday December 16th @ 10am at the James 5:16 Center in Tarentum regardless of the weather! So button up that coat, put on that hat & those boots & head over to BridgePoint...it will be worth it!

Impressions

It's been about a week & a half since my last post so I figured it's about time, don't you?

Anyway, things have been busy since BridgePoint's last monthly svc on 11/18. We had our comeback event on 12/3 which was well attended. The launch team met together this past Sunday afternoon @ the PGH Mills (the crossroads of the Allegheny Valley) food court. We reviewed the areas of ministry & went over the final details of the service. We also talked about Psalm 68:28-35, good stuff! What a great feeling it is that we can talk about Jesus, read His word & pray in public places without fear of someone rushing up to us, slapping the cuffs on & hauling us all away! We live in a great country.

Also in the last few days I watched on DVD "The Passion of the Christ" & "The Nativity Story".

What else is there to say about "The Passion!" During the crucifixion scene after Jesus is stripped of his clothes & He's on the ground...He crawls about 3 feet over to the cross & lays on it...no solder carries Him, He gets on it Himself. Isn't that what the word says, no man took His life, He gave it willingly, freely, Wow, what a God!

During "The Nativity Story" I saw a fresh perspective of Joseph. We know that after he took Mary as his wife they traveled to Bethlehem to register. During the journey Joseph is in charge. He's protector, provider, adventurer, care giver & lifeguard. In other words...Joseph made it happen, whatever needed to be done he did it. From tossing a snake away from Mary while they were in the river to banging on doors as she was about to deliver. Oh yea, he's also the first person on earth to hold the Son of God in his hands. Remember, he knew who he was holding! I think God the Father picked Joseph because He didn't just want anyone being Jesus' earthly Father. God wanted a man of character, compassion, wisdom & strength!

These are the thoughts on my mind & in my heart as I go into BridgePoint's December service & this Christmas. What has the Lord impressed on you during this season?

A BridgePoint Christmas

Saturday evening @ the James 5:16 Center BridgePoint Church held it's 2nd "Come Back" event... A Bridgepoint Christmas! 55 people came for food, games, prizes & great conversation. As you can see...a fun time was had by all.

A come back event is a fun event we schedule in between our monthly services so everyone connected with BridgePoint Church can get to know each other better.

Church should be the highlight of the week and @ BridgePoint not only do we Connect Real People to the Real God...we have fun doing it! So, check out our next monthly service on Sunday December 16th @ 10am.