We had a guest on Sunday morning who commented on how much they enjoyed our church.  They have been to other churches where he said, “They sing like they are dying.”  In one sentence he captured one of my pet peeve’s in life.  So often, Christians are guilty of shedding off their joy and focusing on their circumstances.  Our hearts don’t “sing” with God’s great goodness, but rather plead for God to change those circumstances.  Granted, it’s easy to do.  Life is difficult on good days and our “feelings” get the best of us.

But this cannot be!  The Bible is filled with JOY!  Go to www.biblegateway.com and type in the word joy.  You could spend the rest of your week focusing on God’s great joy in our lives.  You can be going through the worst experience of your life and still have joy in your heart and on your face. 

Grumpy Christians have missed the freedom that God has for us!  He lifts our burdens and gives us hope in the midst of hopelessness and peace in the midst of pain.  If we just complain until our circumstances change, we have failed to learn the lesson that God has for us.  All that you have can be taken away tomorrow.  If you haven’t learned to rest in the resevoir of his joy, what will you have left?

The light of His love resounds to others when they spend time with you and are refreshed by your spirit.  The song in our heart should be one of profound joy and thankfulness for the salvation that God brings from this world.

How do you do that?  Pour God’s word into your life so that your thoughts are on Him.  Write scriptures on 3 x 5 cards that bring peace to your family.  Post them on bathroom mirrors, refrigerators, and in your car.  Make sure that His Word is never far from your heart and from your family.  Also, speak those words of life over your situations.  Don’t speak words of gloom and desperation over your circumstance.  Claim victory!  God has every intention of giving it to you!

Psalm 118:15 (New International Version) 

Yesterday was quite the reality check for Mark and myself.  We went grocery shopping, cleaned the house, hung out with our kids and breathed a little easier for the first time in two months.  It was refreshing to do the mundane and not have the building project hanging over our heads! 

We look forward with great anticipation to soaking in the holidays and remembering the gift of Jesus this season.  I am so grateful that God’s timing included finishing in plenty of time to celebrate Christmas!  I clearly intend to enjoy every second with my family.  My girls were troopers through this whole project and deserve our full attention for a while!  Delaney has a very giving personality and is as kind as can be.  Kennedy is my cuddler and just wants to give hugs and kisses all day long.  I have every intention of taking her up on that!  They weathered a lot of our crazy schedules and ate on the run one too many times!  It is time for them to get first dibs on our attention!

I hope that you as well spend plenty of time doing nothing but enjoying those around you.  For some, Christmas is a reminder of those lost and for others it marks the hope of a new year.  Whatever it is for you, stop and love those in your life for a while.

Yesterday was incredibly fun for me!  We had 142 crammed into our new church and we nearly used every chair that we own, including the foyer chairs, the youth chairs, and a couple of barstools!  But really the best part was that we were surrounded by people that we love, two little girls got baptized and lives were touched with the love of Jesus.  That building is just cement.  It’s not the reason we celebrate or the source of joy in my heart.  I am grateful for the tool that God gave us, but without people, it’s worthless in my eyes.  The life of that building walks through our doors every Sunday morning!

Some people look at ministry as an incredible burden…which is partly true.  However, on the other side, there is a deep humility that comes with the privilege that Mark and I have to be the pastors of North Creek.  Yesterday was an incredibly profound day for us as we let go of the burden of accomplishing our goal and felt again the burden of God’s agenda for reaching people.  There is no day off from loving people, so we charge ahead to use our new building to do His work. 

My email has been busy with both friends and strangers wishing us well.  Below are some that I wanted to share.  Thank you for your support!  It’s been quite a journey and we are grateful to be beyond the work and into our next season!

We’ve Got Mail…

Praise God for His new witness in this neighborhood! I am so excited to see that building going to God!  I will be in prayer for you all as God leads! I drive past the building every morning! May He increase His witness to those surrounding you and bless many through you by your commitment to follow His lead.

I wanted to thank you, it was a lovely experience and we are so excited for your church!   I had commented to a few people that I would see them next week as we do plan to come again!  Thanks again for a great morning!

 Hey guys, Had to let you know how happy I am for you and your church family. What a fabulous thing to have so many people come together on a project for God. It must have been very touching.  We really enjoyed the service and Jerry’s story was incredible. Keep on keeping on. You are touching some lives in a very unique way.

Pastor Mark: Yesterday is a culmination of God’s power demonstrated through the Holy Spirit moving through you and so many people to see victory over darkness by our triumphant Jesus Christ. I sensed a family that loves Jesus and so demonstates it by love to one another. May God anoint you and your wife to boldly speak the mysteries of God’s Truth in the Spirit. I really am in love with God and his will to be done in the Body of Christ at NCC. I will continue to pray for God’s success in all who come and may no man stand in resistant to God’s will and purpose. May God’s eternal light shine on that corner and in all those who come to worship.

Hello!  I wanted to say, “Congratualtions” on moving into your new location.  We are very happy for you!  We know that the ministry will touch many hearts and change many lives for Christ. 

This picture says it all.  Mark, myself, and Kim got the privilege of putting up our sign today.  North Creek Church has a home!  When we began this journey two and a half years ago, our team really went into it with all we had.   Nearly 40 people unified together for an idea and a hope.  And today was just one of the rewards of SO much work so long ago.  It’s not just about the last two months; it’s about God’s faithfulness and jumping off the cliff of faith with both feet and no parachute.

So, if you’re looking for a sign to make a decision to live for Him and jump off of the cliff with Him, we have one. 🙂

Sunday is the day that we have all been waiting for!  It’s the day that we get to celebrate and rejoice in all that God has done for us!  If you had asked me three months ago if we would be moving into our first building, I would have said, “Not yet.  We aren’t quite there.”  And just a blink later, here we are.  It’s just another reminder for me of the exciting journey it is to serve Jesus.  You just never know how much can change when you add in God’s plan and provision.

Please come and celebrate with us at 10311 NE Hwy 99 on Dec. 7 at 10:30 am.  It’s our new home for a season and we can’t wait to welcome our guests!