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To Sum It Up

• Cynthia, Debbie & Daniel Cort and the rest of the production/band team did an amazing job leading worship.  It was one of my all-time favorite Sundays!
• The only think that I like better is when Debbie & Daniel happen to sit behind me in the service and sing in our congregation.  God has gifted us with a multitude of talented vocalists and musicians!
• My takeaway from yesterday is that Jesus is truly the ONLY way to everlasting salvation.
• I love Palm Sunday.  I love the fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, an indication that He was coming in peace.  But the people of Jerusalem responded by laying down their robes and palm branches in His path, an indication of royalty!  He came to this earth to bring peace and those who followed Him made Him King of their lives.  I LOVE THAT!
• We can do that same thing in our own personal lives.  He comes to being peace and we should respond by making Him King of our personal lives.

I've been praying specifically for people to make lasting commitments to Christ at HHICC.  These past few weeks, during our message series I AM, I've been offering an invitation for first time salvations, recommitments, and assurance of salvation commitments.  Two weeks ago, we had two people make first time commitments, last week another two and yesterday at least seven.  God is moving in the life of HHICC and our Island!  He is hearing our prayers.! Would you join me in praying for our Easter services this coming Sunday?

• Pray for good weather for Saturday set-up and  for Sunday worship services.
• Pray that many people come prepared to have Jesus radically changes their lives.
• Pray that there are many brand new lives who answer "YES" to the question, "Do you believe?"

I hope you can join me on Thursday for our Maundy Thursday service as we reflect on Christ's death for us through communion, prayer, and worship. If you are a Christ follower, this service will be an amazing opportunity for you to express your love and gratitude toward Christ and his sacrifice for you.

So...it's Easter Week! I look forward to seeing you Thursday and then Sunday, 9:30 or 11:00 AM under the "covered environment." (it's a tent, Cynthia...)

To Sum It Up

Hi everyone.  This past Sunday was one of those days that I'll remember for a very long time.  Allow me to sum it up...

• After over 14 months of negotiations, we were able to announce that Hilton Head Island Community Church had executed a lease/purchase contract with Hargray at mm 9 on Hwy 278.
• We have roughly 100 days to complete our demolition/renovation work for Phase I, which should start in the next few weeks.  If you signed up to volunteer to help with the Phase I work, you will be contacted very soon.  The best way to help us now is to respond quickly.  Every day that we delay at this point is a waste of money.
• I want to remind you that while the church is NOT a building, that God will use our new facility  to draw people to Himself.  Praise to God for seeing us through this thus far.
• My message last Sunday centered around the relationship between Naomi and Ruth.   I talked about being patient with our loved ones means staying close to them, sacrificing for them and serving them.
• Perhaps there are some of you who have already been doing these things and your own patience is running thin.  Let me remind you that Paul encourages us in Galatians 6:9 not to "become weary in well doing."  You might not be able to physically continue this three step process, but you can still have an spirit of patience in those situations.

Here is how you can pray for HHICC and the Phase I renovation project at the building at mm9.  Pray that...

• ... the permit process with the Town of Hilton Head Island is completed in a timely manner.
• ... we are able to raise the remaining $ 85,000 that is needed to complete Phase I renovations.
• ... all those who work on this project are kept safe during the demolition/renovation work.
• ... God would use this new facility to further His kingdom here on HHI!

Have a great week!

I dream of a church...

This past Sunday, I preached a message entitled "I dream of a church."  If you are a part of the Hilton Head Island Community Church family and did not have the opportunity to hear it, I encourage you to take a listen this week.  On our four year anniversary and  the dawn of this new chapter now called Hilton Head Island Community Church,  I wanted to define what kind of church we are to be. We'll get to what we'll do as a church in the days, weeks and months to come, but I thought it was important to describe who we should be right out of the gate.

I dream of a church...

• ...that tells people that they can belong before they must believe or behave.
• ...that offers people the opportunity to deal with their habits, hurts and hang-ups without the embarassment of being judged.
• ...that is a spiritual urgent care center open for people to receive healing in a time of crisis.
• ...that demonstrates the love of Christ to those who are suffering.
• ...that allows broken people who have been redeemed to passionately worship God.

It may not always be easy or pretty. In fact, sometimes it'll be downright difficult and messy.  God's love is so strong that there is NOTHING that can seperate us from it (Romans 8:38-39). In light of this, we should be compelled to create an environment for people to be drawn toward that love regardless of where they are coming from.  The world needs the answer we have.  Let's not be afraid to share it!

memorial places

OK, I love Genesis 35:13-15:  

"13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.  14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.  15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel." What great imagery.  I can just picture Jacob overcome with a sense of Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.  It's interesting to note that the place that he went back to, that was so special and meaningful to him, was the place where God was most personal to him!  In Jacob's case it was the place where God audibly spoke to him.  Then Jacob poured out a drink offering and oil on the stone pillar that he set up as a memorial of what God had done.  Those stones with the drink and oil dripping from them was a place for Jacob to remember God working in his life.

Do you have memories of God speaking to you or moving in your life in a particular way?  Do remember the place and circumstance surrounding that time? I recall when God was leading me into full-time Christian ministry as a 16 year old kid at Awanita Valley in South Carolina.  I remember God working through some serious spiritual issues in my freshman dorm room in Lynchburg, VA.  I remember the tree that I sat under on the Appalachian Trail when He told me that I was supposed to ask Cynthia to marry me (so glad she said 'yes').  I can recall the bed that I was sitting on, one sleepless night, when God began to renew his call on my life in our apartment in Kennesaw, Ga.  These are very vivid memories.  It's too bad that I can't build and altar at these places, like Jacob did; but my memory will have to be my memorial. So where is your memorial?  Where did you accept Him as your Savior?  Where did he call you to live a better life than the year before?  Where was it that He told you to finally rid yourself of that nasty habit?  Do you have that memorial place where God spoke to you or moved significantly in your life?  I'd love to hear about your memorial place.  Leave a short comment and let me know about that place where God took care of business with you, just like He did with Jacob.

inauguration day

As I begin writing this, the clock just struck midnight EST on January 20th, 2009.  Now, I really don't like to blog about politics, but today's Inauguration is history, not politics.  I just can't allow the 2009 Inauguration go by without saying something about the significance of the day and our responsibilities as Christians as a result.

As an American, I believe that today is a watershed day in our country's quest to blot out the dark and destructive mark of racism from our history.  Regardless of where you stand politically, you simply cannot deny that the Inauguration of Barack Obama today is a benchmark in our nation's history.  Barack Obama taking the oath of office is, in some sense, the culmination of the sacrifice of those who died for the abolition of slavery and those who stood boldly against the strong tide of  racism and bigotry that gripped our nation during the past century.

As a Christian, I believe we have a God-inspired obligation to pray for our nation's leadership, including and especially for President-Elect Barack Obama.  In I Timothy 2:1-2, Paul exhorts us that "...requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Christians, we ought to heartily support President Obama on those issues with which we agree; we should respectfully, resolutely and appropriately oppose him on those issues with which we disagree; but more importantly, we should passionately and specifically pray for President Obama often!  For more information on how we can pray for our new president, visit The Presidnetial Prayer Team's website.  Let's join together in prayer, starting today, for our new Presidnet, Barack Obama!

You Version

OK, I've been looking for an online tool to use this year to focus my Bible study/reading/devotions around and I found the International Bible Societies read through the Bible in a Year.  I was excited about using it and I still may use it.  Specifically, because it has a function where it will read the daily passage through some type of MP3 player. However, my wife found the coolest thing that I AM going to use this year which will allow you to write an online private journal about your thoughts on that particular passage. It's in beta, but it's pretty cool, Check out youversion.