Radical

Someone asked me a few days ago, "What are you all doing to see such success at NorthStar?"  My answer is, "I don't know."  All I know to say is that God is moving and building His church here. It has been and continues to be an incredible ride.  Everyone here works hard and we strive for excellence, but we fully realize it is not us that is making a difference. We know the difference is being made by God.  He is doing things we could not possibly do.  The lives that are being changed are being changed by Him.  We  know it is by His grace that change comes.  Our attendance has been incredible and the weekend services are extraordinary. I see how God, these last few weeks, is challenging His people to be radical. It is exciting to see His people take Him up on His challenge.  Radical things are happening at NSC and I am so thankful to be a part. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do this week!

I Love My Church

I Love My Church Series was awesome as we looked at what the Bible says about the church. The church is the called who come out publicly.   I am so thankful for my church and how God is at work here. I see firsthand, not from a distance, God touching the lives of people here and bringing eternal change to their lives.  I am so thankful for my church because it is a place where sin, repentance, love, forgiveness, restoration, change, maturity, service, ministry, devotion, commitment, missions, mission, evangelism, fellowship, sacrifice, vision, worship, and eternity are talked about openly. I am thankful for my church because it is here that worshipers come from all over each Sunday to experience authentic worship.  I am thankful for visionaries that lead this church.  I am thankful for faithful servants who give sacrificially, love unconditionally, and serve tirelessly.  I am thankful for God’s guidance and direction for His church.  I Love My Church!!

2010,The Building....

2010 has possibly been the busiest year of my life. We began work on our new building January 22, 2010 and have worked diligently ever since. I do not think I have worked less than 60 hours per week this year and sometimes 70-80.  I am not complaining because I signed up for this.  I will say however, I sure will be glad when we are in this building.  I am so encouraged as we have so many people willing to give their  time and efforts.  Just this week we have had around sixty different people working. The work is going really well and in just a few months we will occupy the building.  In fact, we will be  moving our offices to the new location next week.  All of this is for a purpose.  We are here to make His name known.  "But those who trust in the LORD for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak." Isaiah 40:31 (GNT)

"Buildings Don't Go To Heaven, People Do."

It seems like yesterday we were about to close the deal on the building. In fact, it was one year ago this week that we received the news that we were approved for the purchase of the new building.  One year ago this coming Friday was when I received the call from the bank that we had been approved and we could close before the end of the year.  I remember well because I was on the way to Memphis to run in the St. Jude Half Marathon when I got the call.  We ended up closing  on the building later in December.

A lot has transpired since that time. We took possession of the building and late January we had our first work day. We have worked steadily since that time. We have had six teams from outside our church that have come in and assisted us in the process.  In addition to those six teams, our friend Danny Smith has been our general contractor throughout the process. Countless numbers of people from NorthStar have worked tirelessly moving us forward to the point we are today.  For all of this we are grateful. We are especially grateful for the way God has worked so mightily among us preparing us to enter the building.

I am reminded of what  Lemuel Penelver, a pastor friend of ours from the Philippines, said to us about church buildings: "Buildings don't go to Heaven, People do."  This puts it in prospective when it comes to our task.  Our job is to share the good news with others. In the end, the buildings we use are just a tool to assist us in making His name known to all the world.  Having said this, I am thankful that the people at NSC have the vision to reach people for Christ and our building is secondary.

It is all about priority and focus.  While we work hard trying to get in our new building, we must always keep our focus on the reason we are spending the time constructing.  It is so that we can spread the base and reach more for Christ.  With this in mind, we must continue to work to get in the building so that we can fulfill the purpose in which we were created.  The work is going great and we are in the final stages of being ready to prime the walls for painting.  I am so excited about the day we will be able to enter the building but I am more excited about the lives that are going to be changes because so many worked so hard bringing it to completion.