Sunday Night Reflections
01/06/08 07:34 PM
What a day! Overall, the first Sunday of two
services was a great success. We actually had more
people in the first service than in the second. I
don't know if it will stay that way, but it did
kind of catch me by surprise. I think it's going to
take about a month to get in a good rhythm. I
thought the first service went great. And then I
was almost blown away that the second was even
better. We probably had more guests in the second
service. The Praise & Worship Team was just on.
Physically I was hanging on by a thread. My voice was gone, but hot lemon tea, Halls, and adrenaline kept me going. Actually, it was God! I've got to get to feeling better this week. The transition between the services was fast - 30 minutes. It went quick. Loved the video that Andy and Jeremiah put together. The cool thing today is just how many people served. We have a ton of students serving! And by the way, there were a ton of students and Coastal Kidz at the church tonight.
As far as kinks go - we actually forgot to schedule counters for the offering in the second service. Children's Ministry continues to be a work in progress as new teachers learn new material and learn to work within new teams. As more and more happens on Sundays it becomes more important that our volunteers are on time, in place, and ready to go.
My message today was about idolatry - that it's actually something that we all struggle with because an idol is anything that gets in the way of God being at the center of your life. Our theme verse for this series is 1John 5:21, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” Why is that so important? Jonah 2:8, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Let's cast aside worthless idols and live for eternity and with a sense of urgency.
Coastal, having two services is great. But if I've learned anything over the years it's that buildings and services don't grow the church. God does and He uses people and churches who are serious about reaching this world for Jesus. He uses people who live for eternity and with a sense of urgency. He uses people who pray and live as missionaries in the world in which God has placed them. You see, we could strip away all the cool videos, slick mailers, and live bands, and still turn this world upside down if just a few people would take God at his word, pray, invest, invite, and include. Coastal, let's change the world this year - one life at a time! Let's never become so enamored with the tools, that we lose sight of the real object of our affection and source of our power - Jesus!
Physically I was hanging on by a thread. My voice was gone, but hot lemon tea, Halls, and adrenaline kept me going. Actually, it was God! I've got to get to feeling better this week. The transition between the services was fast - 30 minutes. It went quick. Loved the video that Andy and Jeremiah put together. The cool thing today is just how many people served. We have a ton of students serving! And by the way, there were a ton of students and Coastal Kidz at the church tonight.
As far as kinks go - we actually forgot to schedule counters for the offering in the second service. Children's Ministry continues to be a work in progress as new teachers learn new material and learn to work within new teams. As more and more happens on Sundays it becomes more important that our volunteers are on time, in place, and ready to go.
My message today was about idolatry - that it's actually something that we all struggle with because an idol is anything that gets in the way of God being at the center of your life. Our theme verse for this series is 1John 5:21, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” Why is that so important? Jonah 2:8, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Let's cast aside worthless idols and live for eternity and with a sense of urgency.
Coastal, having two services is great. But if I've learned anything over the years it's that buildings and services don't grow the church. God does and He uses people and churches who are serious about reaching this world for Jesus. He uses people who live for eternity and with a sense of urgency. He uses people who pray and live as missionaries in the world in which God has placed them. You see, we could strip away all the cool videos, slick mailers, and live bands, and still turn this world upside down if just a few people would take God at his word, pray, invest, invite, and include. Coastal, let's change the world this year - one life at a time! Let's never become so enamored with the tools, that we lose sight of the real object of our affection and source of our power - Jesus!
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