You may have a heard this statement if you are a sports fan or an athlete, “He or she is in the zone!” On a golf course it is the golfer who is making consecutive birdies. The basketball player who just can’t miss. The baseball player who has a consecutive hitting streak, etc… Another term we sometimes say or hear, “I am hitting on all cylinders!” or “Life is on a roll!” What does it really mean to be IN THE ZONE… HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS… ON A ROLL?
It is simply living at a level that is distinguished from the norm. It is a contrast to the ordinary. Our incredible and awesome God – and this is going to shock some of you – our great God wants all of us to live in the zone. He desperately desires each of us to operate in the sweet spot of life. God wants all of us hitting on all cylinders. Every one of these buzz statements simply means God wants us to live in the place where we experience His success every day!
With that being said, this blog could get long and wordy if I were to go into detail regarding this truth. I want to invite you to our website (www.celebratechurch.org/media) to download or listen to our current series of messages entitled “THE BLESSED LIFE!” And I want to invite you to join me at Celebrate this Sunday as I conclude this series with a message I am very excited about that I am calling, “LIVING IN THE ZONE.” So, if you truly want to live in the zone, then join me on Sunday at Celebrate!
See you there!
- Pastor Joe
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Don't Ever Give Up!
I want to share a story with you from God’s Word. My prayer is that your faith will strengthen and your courage will rise to face times when everything tells you to quit and become a doubter.
Jesus told a story showing that it was necessary for people to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!'
"He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice – otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'"
Then Jesus said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?" (Luke 18:1-8 MSG)
I am not sure what caused her distress, but this widow needed justice and she went looking for it – with no weapon but persistence. Going to the judge’s home, she knocked on the unsympathetic man’s door repeatedly until he finally gave her what she was seeking. Is God telling us he’ll only answer our prayers if we wear him down? No! He’s reminding us that if a heartless judge can be reached, we can certainly count on our Father – who loves us – to help us.
People ask, "Why aren’t my prayers answered sooner? Why keep trying?" Sometimes, we are not persistent or we use the excuse I don’t want to bother God. Only to find out later that God desired to meet our needs, answer our request. Any time there is a delay, you can be sure that two things are going on – your faith is being tested by God and contested by Satan. Satan wants to discourage you, but God is testing your faith because he knows that faith is a muscle. Waiting develops the muscle.
God's timing is perfect. It always is and it always will be! If you find yourself discouraged about a situation or what appears to be an unanswered prayer, don’t give up – look up!
- Pastor Joe
Jesus told a story showing that it was necessary for people to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!'
"He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice – otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'"
Then Jesus said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?" (Luke 18:1-8 MSG)
I am not sure what caused her distress, but this widow needed justice and she went looking for it – with no weapon but persistence. Going to the judge’s home, she knocked on the unsympathetic man’s door repeatedly until he finally gave her what she was seeking. Is God telling us he’ll only answer our prayers if we wear him down? No! He’s reminding us that if a heartless judge can be reached, we can certainly count on our Father – who loves us – to help us.
People ask, "Why aren’t my prayers answered sooner? Why keep trying?" Sometimes, we are not persistent or we use the excuse I don’t want to bother God. Only to find out later that God desired to meet our needs, answer our request. Any time there is a delay, you can be sure that two things are going on – your faith is being tested by God and contested by Satan. Satan wants to discourage you, but God is testing your faith because he knows that faith is a muscle. Waiting develops the muscle.
God's timing is perfect. It always is and it always will be! If you find yourself discouraged about a situation or what appears to be an unanswered prayer, don’t give up – look up!
- Pastor Joe
Monday, February 16, 2009
Saturday Night...
As I send this out, I think about so many stories I have heard about and have conversed with so many of you regarding how much God has done in you, your family, and your friends.
So many of you are experiencing an incredible life being connected to Christ, and when I think about why we are here and what we are supposed to be about as a spiritual family at Celebrate Church, I think...that’s it! It’s about people connecting to Christ, people connecting with each other and growing into a devoted follower of Christ.
It is tough to connect to Christ if you first find yourself disconnected. I have discovered that during these economically challenging times, many have had to go to work on Sundays to make ends meet financially. That is one of the reasons why we are going to begin our Saturday Night Experience at the HUB. I don’t think it’s right for people not to have an opportunity to connect with their spiritual family because they have to work. Also, another reason is that there are people who will connect with church on a Saturday that won’t connect on a Sunday. It is so nice to have our own place to offer this exciting opportunity!
We are launching our Saturday Night Experience on March 21, 2009, and I want to invite you to be a part of our launch team. Saturday is going to be the same exciting life-changing message, excellent music, and the same love and attention we believe everyone deserves. I hope you will team up with us as we provide a church service for those who, due to economic challenges, are unable to be with us on Sundays and as we strive to see people who are far away from God come close to Him. This is an exciting opportunity for everyone, and we hope you will partner with us as we launch the Saturday Night Experience!
Please contact me at the church office (407) 566-0155 or email me at joe@celebratechurch.org and say, “Hey, I want to be on the Saturday Night Experience launch team!”
So many of you are experiencing an incredible life being connected to Christ, and when I think about why we are here and what we are supposed to be about as a spiritual family at Celebrate Church, I think...that’s it! It’s about people connecting to Christ, people connecting with each other and growing into a devoted follower of Christ.
It is tough to connect to Christ if you first find yourself disconnected. I have discovered that during these economically challenging times, many have had to go to work on Sundays to make ends meet financially. That is one of the reasons why we are going to begin our Saturday Night Experience at the HUB. I don’t think it’s right for people not to have an opportunity to connect with their spiritual family because they have to work. Also, another reason is that there are people who will connect with church on a Saturday that won’t connect on a Sunday. It is so nice to have our own place to offer this exciting opportunity!
We are launching our Saturday Night Experience on March 21, 2009, and I want to invite you to be a part of our launch team. Saturday is going to be the same exciting life-changing message, excellent music, and the same love and attention we believe everyone deserves. I hope you will team up with us as we provide a church service for those who, due to economic challenges, are unable to be with us on Sundays and as we strive to see people who are far away from God come close to Him. This is an exciting opportunity for everyone, and we hope you will partner with us as we launch the Saturday Night Experience!
Please contact me at the church office (407) 566-0155 or email me at joe@celebratechurch.org and say, “Hey, I want to be on the Saturday Night Experience launch team!”
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Is Connecting THAT Important?... Part 3
This week I’ve wanted you to see how important, necessary, and vital it is to connect in a small group.
I have used two metaphor word pictures up to this point to help you see God’s design plan and how He desires that you connect. Today is the third word picture the Bible uses to answer the question, “Is Connecting That Important?” The first word picture metaphor we discovered in God’s Word stated, we are like a BUILDING (Ephesians 2:22). The next word picture the Bible uses to point us to connect is saying, we are like a HUMAN BODY (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We are like a building... We are like a body...
The Bible defines that being spiritually connected means we are like a FAMILY.
"I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church..." (1 Timothy 3:15 ).
This is my favorite metaphor for the church. It doesn’t take any explanation. Most people think that Christianity is a belief system. There are beliefs in Christianity, but it’s so much more. Christianity is a belong system. The Bible says we were born again into God’s family when we became a follower of Jesus. It also says that we’ve been adopted into God’s family. Both are great metaphors for what it should mean to be a part of the church. Because those of us who follow Christ are part of God’s family, we should accept one another and love one another.
Now let me be very clear here. We don’t approve of everyone’s behavior. That’s not love. If someone is doing something hurtful, approval is the opposite of love. But we must accept and love one another. Your family hasn’t always approved of everything you’ve done, but – I hope – they’ve loved you anyway. That’s a picture of the church that we want you to see at Celebrate.
We belong to each other. Christianity is a life and so it is to be shared. The point I hope top convey is that every Christian not only needs the Bible and not only needs prayer, but every Christian needs other Christians. There's no such thing as Lone Ranger Christianity. We need each other.
As a church, we at Celebrate encourage relationships and create many on ramps to build them. Our goal is not that you just come to church – meaning you walk in, you sit down, you watch the back of somebody's head for an hour, you get up and you walk out and that's it. How do you have a relationship looking at the back of somebody's head? It'd be kinda hard. We don’t want you to feel that you are just a number in the crowd.
In the past five years at Celebrate Church, we've had hundreds of first-time visitors. People come to a church for many different reasons. But people stay in the church for one specific reason. Relationships.
My hope is that you will find genuine and authentic relationships at Celebrate.
I have used two metaphor word pictures up to this point to help you see God’s design plan and how He desires that you connect. Today is the third word picture the Bible uses to answer the question, “Is Connecting That Important?” The first word picture metaphor we discovered in God’s Word stated, we are like a BUILDING (Ephesians 2:22). The next word picture the Bible uses to point us to connect is saying, we are like a HUMAN BODY (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We are like a building... We are like a body...
The Bible defines that being spiritually connected means we are like a FAMILY.
"I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church..." (1 Timothy 3:15 ).
This is my favorite metaphor for the church. It doesn’t take any explanation. Most people think that Christianity is a belief system. There are beliefs in Christianity, but it’s so much more. Christianity is a belong system. The Bible says we were born again into God’s family when we became a follower of Jesus. It also says that we’ve been adopted into God’s family. Both are great metaphors for what it should mean to be a part of the church. Because those of us who follow Christ are part of God’s family, we should accept one another and love one another.
Now let me be very clear here. We don’t approve of everyone’s behavior. That’s not love. If someone is doing something hurtful, approval is the opposite of love. But we must accept and love one another. Your family hasn’t always approved of everything you’ve done, but – I hope – they’ve loved you anyway. That’s a picture of the church that we want you to see at Celebrate.
We belong to each other. Christianity is a life and so it is to be shared. The point I hope top convey is that every Christian not only needs the Bible and not only needs prayer, but every Christian needs other Christians. There's no such thing as Lone Ranger Christianity. We need each other.
As a church, we at Celebrate encourage relationships and create many on ramps to build them. Our goal is not that you just come to church – meaning you walk in, you sit down, you watch the back of somebody's head for an hour, you get up and you walk out and that's it. How do you have a relationship looking at the back of somebody's head? It'd be kinda hard. We don’t want you to feel that you are just a number in the crowd.
In the past five years at Celebrate Church, we've had hundreds of first-time visitors. People come to a church for many different reasons. But people stay in the church for one specific reason. Relationships.
My hope is that you will find genuine and authentic relationships at Celebrate.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Is Connecting THAT Important?...Part 2
Have you ever tried to put a puzzle together with hundreds of pieces only to get to the end to discover you are missing one piece? The viewing eye is always drawn to the one missing piece. It communicates every piece is important, and every piece has a perfect fit and is designed to be connected.
One of the vital functions of Celebrate Church is to help each person see the value of their connection. That’s why I am writing this blog in parts -- so we can see the word pictures the Bible uses to communicate the need for connecting. These metaphors tell us a lot about why God wants us to connect with one another. They give us a picture of what the church should be.
I told you in Monday's blog that the Bible says that being spiritually connected means we are built like a BUILDING.
The word picture for today is we are joined in a BODY. “Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s Body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others” (Romans 12: 4-5 TLB).
What Jesus Christ did when he was here in his physical body, he wants to do today through the church. We are the body of Christ on Earth. We are his hands. We are his feet. All of us have to play our part. Being part of the body of Christ means we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and if we don’t play our specific part, the mission of the church is impacted. You can also read another metaphor about connection using the human anatomy to emphasize our need to connect in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.
We’re all in this together! I want to help you connect to God and to one another in 2009. There are multiple ways you can connect at Celebrate. Check it out.
When you put God's plan for your life into action, life works.
One of the vital functions of Celebrate Church is to help each person see the value of their connection. That’s why I am writing this blog in parts -- so we can see the word pictures the Bible uses to communicate the need for connecting. These metaphors tell us a lot about why God wants us to connect with one another. They give us a picture of what the church should be.
I told you in Monday's blog that the Bible says that being spiritually connected means we are built like a BUILDING.
The word picture for today is we are joined in a BODY. “Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s Body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others” (Romans 12: 4-5 TLB).
What Jesus Christ did when he was here in his physical body, he wants to do today through the church. We are the body of Christ on Earth. We are his hands. We are his feet. All of us have to play our part. Being part of the body of Christ means we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and if we don’t play our specific part, the mission of the church is impacted. You can also read another metaphor about connection using the human anatomy to emphasize our need to connect in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.
We’re all in this together! I want to help you connect to God and to one another in 2009. There are multiple ways you can connect at Celebrate. Check it out.
When you put God's plan for your life into action, life works.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Is Connecting that Important?
I don’t know if you are like me, but with this current generation, if I could give them a nickname it would be “texting maniacs.” I am like, “Wouldn’t it just be easier to call?” The world has never been more connected. There are millions of miles of fiber optics and satellites shooting into space. Kids all around the world are texting each other on cell phones – even in the midst of jungles – competing in video games with another person on the other side of the world, and yet I talk to people all the time who feel more and more disconnected. They feel like they’re “out of it.”
Did you know that loneliness has reached epidemic proportions in our country? Our fast-moving lives have wreaked havoc on our relationships. We don’t feel nearly as connected to each other as people did just a single generation ago.
Yet we were created for relationships. In fact, the first thing God said was, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” God said that humans were not made for isolation. We were made for connection. Why? We were created in the image of God. The Bible says God is love, and to love, you’ve got to have somebody to love.
One of the crucial purposes of Celebrate is to help solve this sense of disconnection.
Each day this week I will share with you one of four word pictures of the New Testament church. These metaphors tell us a lot about why God wants us to connect with one another. They give us a picture of what the church should be – and how it should solve the plague of disconnection in our society.
The Bible says that being spiritually connected means:
We’re built like a building. “In Christ you are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” (Ephesians 2:22 NRSV). We are meant to fit together like bricks in a new building. It’s essential that the parts of a building fit together. You aren’t safe otherwise because there’s no support. Likewise, those who aren’t connected to a church family in any meaningful way have no support. Life is tough. We all need the support of people who care about us. As a church we want to provide you with community.
We want you to advance in relationships over this next year. Let’s begin now. This is a major focus at Celebrate. We’re going to make every effort to connect people.
Let’s make a connection this year. Begin by connecting with a Life Group...
For more information on how to get connected to a Life Group, please go to http://www.celebratechurch.org/lifegroups.
Did you know that loneliness has reached epidemic proportions in our country? Our fast-moving lives have wreaked havoc on our relationships. We don’t feel nearly as connected to each other as people did just a single generation ago.
Yet we were created for relationships. In fact, the first thing God said was, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” God said that humans were not made for isolation. We were made for connection. Why? We were created in the image of God. The Bible says God is love, and to love, you’ve got to have somebody to love.
One of the crucial purposes of Celebrate is to help solve this sense of disconnection.
Each day this week I will share with you one of four word pictures of the New Testament church. These metaphors tell us a lot about why God wants us to connect with one another. They give us a picture of what the church should be – and how it should solve the plague of disconnection in our society.
The Bible says that being spiritually connected means:
We’re built like a building. “In Christ you are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” (Ephesians 2:22 NRSV). We are meant to fit together like bricks in a new building. It’s essential that the parts of a building fit together. You aren’t safe otherwise because there’s no support. Likewise, those who aren’t connected to a church family in any meaningful way have no support. Life is tough. We all need the support of people who care about us. As a church we want to provide you with community.
We want you to advance in relationships over this next year. Let’s begin now. This is a major focus at Celebrate. We’re going to make every effort to connect people.
Let’s make a connection this year. Begin by connecting with a Life Group...
For more information on how to get connected to a Life Group, please go to http://www.celebratechurch.org/lifegroups.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Are you Koinonia-ing?
This weekend is an exciting weekend! You are probably saying, “Don’t you mean this past weekend?” No… I’m talking about this upcoming weekend! Of course I, like you, enjoyed the Super Bowl this past weekend, but you know what I really enjoyed was the buzz of conversation and laughing as people were doing life together. One thing I have discovered is that people are lonely. People are tired of superficial relationships. People are looking for someone that genuinely cares that they exist. Problem is where do you find those kinds of relationships? That is why this weekend is one of those times that excites me as pastor of Celebrate… for one very specific reason… This Sunday, February 8th IS THE LAUNCH OF 2009 LIFE GROUPS AT CELEBRATE!
I have one question for you as you read this blog… Are you Koinonia-ing? Now before you think I’ve lost it and started making up words (although I have been known to do that on occasion), just keep reading.
If you desire genuine, authentic relationships and friendships, then you absolutely must be involved in one of our incredible Life Groups… You must be Koinonia-ing! If you desire to know more and grow more mature in your faith, then Life Groups is where that will happen. Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship in the Bible. It means being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. That is what real fellowship is all about – being committed to other as we are to Jesus Christ.
Once you become a Believer the Bible emphasizes God wants you to be a Belonger. He wants you to be a part of His family, a part of the church. Doing life together, sharing life together is so important to us around Celebrate we focus each spring and fall season of the year encouraging you to follow God’s design for your life by not going through life alone but by being connected to God’s family… through Life Groups.
Authentic relationships are those relationships that provide deep, satisfying, meaningful fellowship with others. How do you develop and deepen friendships with other believers? At Celebrate we feel we best fulfill this part of God’s design for our life through our small groups we call LIFE GROUPS.
I am sending these thoughts to a majority of you that currently are not connected to a small group. Our goal is that you experience the benefits of during life together. We like the large gatherings but it is in those small group settings that we can encourage, share, shoulder, pray, unload, journey through life together. Below is how we build healthy and solid community.
frequency… authenticity… mutuality… courtesy… sympathy… humility… honesty… mercy… confidentiality… unity
Click the link below to register for a Life Group now or register on Sunday at Celebrate Church! If you have any questions about Life Groups at Celebrate, email Bob Carson at bob@celebratechurch.org.
http://www.celebratechurch.org/formLifeGroups
I have one question for you as you read this blog… Are you Koinonia-ing? Now before you think I’ve lost it and started making up words (although I have been known to do that on occasion), just keep reading.
If you desire genuine, authentic relationships and friendships, then you absolutely must be involved in one of our incredible Life Groups… You must be Koinonia-ing! If you desire to know more and grow more mature in your faith, then Life Groups is where that will happen. Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship in the Bible. It means being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. That is what real fellowship is all about – being committed to other as we are to Jesus Christ.
Once you become a Believer the Bible emphasizes God wants you to be a Belonger. He wants you to be a part of His family, a part of the church. Doing life together, sharing life together is so important to us around Celebrate we focus each spring and fall season of the year encouraging you to follow God’s design for your life by not going through life alone but by being connected to God’s family… through Life Groups.
Authentic relationships are those relationships that provide deep, satisfying, meaningful fellowship with others. How do you develop and deepen friendships with other believers? At Celebrate we feel we best fulfill this part of God’s design for our life through our small groups we call LIFE GROUPS.
I am sending these thoughts to a majority of you that currently are not connected to a small group. Our goal is that you experience the benefits of during life together. We like the large gatherings but it is in those small group settings that we can encourage, share, shoulder, pray, unload, journey through life together. Below is how we build healthy and solid community.
frequency… authenticity… mutuality… courtesy… sympathy… humility… honesty… mercy… confidentiality… unity
Click the link below to register for a Life Group now or register on Sunday at Celebrate Church! If you have any questions about Life Groups at Celebrate, email Bob Carson at bob@celebratechurch.org.
http://www.celebratechurch.org/formLifeGroups
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