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God

Bedtime Stories

Tomorrow night in my Life Group I’ll be leading, and we’ll be studying 1 John 1:1-10 to discover the true meaning of faith and to commit to living in a faith-based relationship with God.

Introduction
1  We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is the Word of Life.
2  This one who is Life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the one who is eternal Life. He was with the Father, and then He was revealed to us.
3  We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
4  We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

Living In The Light
5  This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all.
6  So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
7  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8  If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
9  But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
10  If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts.

As we discuss these first 10 verses of the First Book of John I’ll be asking these questions:

1.  Do you really want to believe Jesus is who He claims to be ?

2.  What are some things you have seen Jesus do in your Life ?

3.  In what ways are those experiences affecting your willingness to talk about your faith ?

4.  If living what you claim is the test of authentic faith, how authentic is your faith ?

5.  Have you taken Jesus at his word ?

6.  Have you accepted His control of your Life ?

7.  Are you acting in obedience to His instructions ?

It’s going to be a really cool night tomorrow night hanging out with some of my best friends on this fantastic journey talking about Him. I am so looking forward to it. I truly get excited talking to Him, and talking about Him. He is the only one in my Life that I can really brag about !  It’s all about my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ !  AMEN ! 

Categories
God

Life Pointe Church Sunday Morning Tossed Salad

1.  I woke up at 4 AM this morning and lingered around my home for a good 3 hours before I departed for the movie theatre. I arrived at 7:20 AM, and that still wasn’t early enough to beat Anne J. to the main lobby !

2.  Happy Anniversary Anne J. !  It was one year ago today that you asked me if I ever considered serving The Lord at Life Pointe Church. I responded that I had been thinking about it for a few weeks. Anne J. responded, ‘Well then let’s do something about it,’ and she put me to work as an inside usher with Marcela J. On that day I officially became a proud member of the Hospitality Team, and the rest is history on God’s fantastic journey !

3.  Gabriel and I made a fantastic team working the first shift manning the ‘Welcome & Information Center’. Venus was sparkling in her fresh new role as ‘Lobby Center Manager / Roamer’. Lisa and Luciana totally ruled the ‘Kids’ Life Registration Table’ as usual. Hattie was tough as nails as the ‘Kids’ Life Security Officer’. Everyone on the Hospitality Team should be proud of themselves for carrying out their duties in a most professional manner. This is how we serve God at the L.P.C. !

4.  A bunch of our first-time guests from Easter Sunday last week became second-time guests this week. That was so cool to see. It’s all about coming together corporately to praise and worship God, and Life Pointe Church is a wonderful place to do so. We’re hoping that our second-time guests become regular attenders every week, and that our regular attenders eventually become members of their church. Welcome to your family. This is how we roll – not just on Sunday mornings, but 24-7. We are the church !

5.  Pastor Travis continued our ‘Simply Jesus’ message series this week which runs through the entire month of April. He spoke on Jesus who was sent from Heaven to Earth on a mission by God the Father. Jesus came as the Prophet, the Priest, and the King. Jesus is alive today, as he sits at the right-hand of the Father. Jesus created everything that we possess; therefore, it all belongs to Him. Pastor Travis asked us to stand up if we needed Jesus to help us see Him as either our Prophet, our Priest, or our King. Nearly everyone stood up. For me personally I stood up because I need Jesus to help me see Him as my Priest. 35 years ago I was taught in Catholic School that the Priest of our church stood between me and Jesus. In reality Jesus Himself is our Priest. No one stands between us and Him.

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Food God Health Home Life Music

The Major’s Walk-A-Thon

If it’s Saturday morning then it must be time for me to nourish and exercise my mind and body. And a-way we go ! 

1.  I ate a MASSIVE breakfast at the Cracker Barrel this morning during the six-o-clock hour. The place was nearly packed with Indy racers and race fans, Spring Breakers, and natives of Homestead and Florida City. I drowned my stack of french toast in an inch of maple syrup. Where’s my Lipitor ? !

2.  After the feast I did the walk, and it was the longest walk yet !  Google Earth estimated my walk at 1.98 miles. It was definitely between 1.9 and 2.0 miles, and I did it in less than 37 minutes on this clear, crisp, and cool 63°F morning. Pretty soon these walks will be coming to a gradual end for the hot and sticky Summer season.

3.  Inside Joke:  ‘Who’s that happy kid walkin’ ’round the neighbourhood ?  Who’s that happy kid walkin’ ’round the neighbourhood ?  It’s me !  It’s me !  It’s C.M.D. !’  That’s right – I’m that 41-year-old ‘happy kid’. Why am I so happy ?  Read on …

4.  Whenever I walk the walk I feel like I’ve taken back my neighbourhood. I’ve lived here for nearly 13 years, but I’ve only really lived here for the past 3 months. Before Christmas Eve 2007 the only walking I did was to and from the mailboxes and the dumpsters. From 1995 to 2007 I merely existed in this neighbourhood. Now I am fully alive. Taking back my neighbourhood from obscurity has been just like taking back my Life from the darkness. I’ve wrapped my arms around my entire neighbourhood just like I’ve embraced this new Life that God has given me.

5.  My fresh new 2GB iPod Shuffle came along for this morning’s walk for the first time ever. My original 1GB iPod Shuffle started off as a 50-50 mix of newer Christian rock, pop, and hip hop music and older Secular dance music from my ‘once-upon-a-time’ life. Now it’s more like 72.5% Christian / 27.5% Secular. This fresh new 2GB iPod Shuffle will be solely Christian music. Fun Fact:  I occasionally refer to Christian music as ‘Republican Rock’.

Categories
God

Bedtime Stories

We have a lot of fun here on this blog, and we also learn a lot too. There’s a time and a place for everything that’s good, and now is the time to be serious for a little while as I openly pray to God in these humble words of this particular moment in time:

Lord. It’s me again. Your buddy Chris. Over 19 months ago during the Summer Of 2006 I set course on a new Life (always capitalized). A new beginning. A rebirthing. An awakening. I awoke from the darkness that was so dominant during the first 39 years of my life (intentionally not capitalized). The dawn of my new Life began, and I was saved by You. You showed me. You guided me. You directed me. I put You in charge, and You have never let me down Lord. You have given me a purpose-filled Life. You have made me feel important and worthy for the first time in my Life.

Thank You Lord for introducing me to Life Pointe Church over 14 months ago and all of my loving friends and family. I never imagined that this Life could be attainable, but You have created this miracle, and I shall cherish it forever. You have given me some amazing people in this new Life such as J.T., Anne, Travis, Kelly, Phil, Marcela, Paul, Annie, Jesse, ReinaAlex, Ela, Nancy, Arlene, Hattie, Jonathan, Lillian, Venus, Kristina, Mark, Terry, Patricia, Lisa, Luciana, Casey, David, Tom, Nathan, Harmony, and the list just goes on and on and on. I didn’t know any of these loving people in 2006, but now they are all an integral part of this awesome Life of mine. I owe it all to You, for You Lord are the King of Kings – the most Almighty of them all. There is no other like You Lord.

Thank You God for giving up Your only Son on that raw and bloody cross so that my friends and I could live – I mean really live to honour Your true greatness. When non-believers see me and my friends they should be able to see Jesus Christ on Earth – living Life to its fullest extent and radically changing the world for the better.

Lord we are Your eyes, mouths, arms, hands, legs, and feet on Your glorious Earth that You created over 2,000 years ago. I am so truly blessed to be able to carry out Your mission day and night. I am so truly blessed to be one of Your disciples here on Earth. I am so truly blessed to be able to call You my Father. Thank You Lord for everything that You have provided me all throughout Your fantastic journey.

I love You God more than anyone or anything. Thank You for this day. Thank You for this night. I pray to You that all of my friends and family will be safe and peaceful on this night. Please provide them with what they need to carry out Your mission here on Earth. Please watch over them, and protect them from the evils and the darkness of this world.

I pray for all of this in the loving and caring name of You Lord God Almighty. AMEN.