I have a dream

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." Acts 2:17 (NIV)

Today we remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a leader of the American civil rights movement, a political activist, and a Baptist minister. In 1964, King became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (for his work as a peacemaker, promoting Jesus’ teaching of non-violence and equal treatment of all.

King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to a gathering of over 200,000 people on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement.

In these last days King’s words and message still ring true for us and continue to inspire us to dream great dreams for God today and everyday.

… "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring — when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children — black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Today we remember and pay homage to the only Christian Pastor to have a National Holiday named after him who followed the non-violent tenets of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

B.E.L.O.N.G. Part 2

Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)

Being a Christian isn’t just about BELIEVING it is also about BELONGING to a church family. The word “B.E.L.O.N.G.” lends itself to being used as a strategic tool for understanding what it means to be a member of a church family.  

BECOME a believer and follower of Jesus Christ through salvation and expressed through the ordinances of baptism and communion.

EMBRACE a life of purpose through the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

LIVE life together in the context of a small group.

OFFER your time, talent and treasure.

We do this to advance the Kingdom of God and to build up the body of believers at the Celebration. Jesus teaches us that “it is better to give than it is to receive”.

NURTURE relationships within the community.

We do this by sharing our faith and inviting our friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers to church to experience what we have found in Christ.

GROW through spiritual next steps.

We provide all you attend our Connection Class the book, “Fresh Start With God” which gives you practical steps to help you grow and become all that God created you to be.  

This Saturday January 17th at 10am we are holding our next Connections Class. If you have now yet taken it I want to encourage you to contact ericka@celebratejesus.org to RSVP. Refreshments will be served and child care is available upon request.

Tomorrow in this blog we will conclude what it means to B.E.L.O.N.G.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

This Saturday 7:30aM

C3’s Membership Class This Saturday 10am

Refreshments served /Childcare upon request

Memorize it. Meditate on it. Mark it on the wall of the service you attend.

B.E.L.O.N.G. Part 1

Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)

Being a Christian isn’t just about BELIEVING it is also about BELONGING to a church family. The word “B.E.L.O.N.G.” lends itself to being used as a strategic tool for understanding what it means to be a member of a church family.  

BECOME a believer and follower of Jesus Christ through salvation and expressed through the ordinances of baptism and communion.

For us at Celebration Community Church, the first part of helping people belong and is to help them take their first steps in their commitment to follow Christ and be baptized. We teach this this through our CONNECTIONS Class which provides spiritual growth resources for new and re-committed believers. This 90 minute class also provides opportunities for new folks at C3 to get acquainted with other believers.  

EMBRACE a life of purpose through the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).These scriptures are at the core of who we are at C3.   

LIVE life together in the context of a small group. This is another core value for us. Clearly, a large part of belonging to a local church is building strong, healthy relationships with others within the Body of Christ. At Celebration, we clearly express our expectation that every member will be committed to being in a healthy small group.

This Saturday January 17th at 10am we are holding our next Connections Class. If you have now yet taken it I want to encourage you to contact ericka@celebratejesus.org to RSVP. Refreshments will be served and child care is available upon request.

Tomorrow in this blog we will conclude what it means to B.E.L.O.N.G.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

This Saturday 7:30aM

C3’s Membership Class This Saturday 10am

Refreshments served /Childcare upon request

Memorize it. Meditate on it. Mark it on the wall of the service you attend.

What FEAR Is

1933 in the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his Inaugural address told a country desperately in need of hope, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

We live in a time of terror.  Global terror,  cyber invasions, financial uncertainty, These problems can rock our world and In leave us in a perpetual state of apprehension, trepidation and fear. We fear for our families, our jobs, our health and well being. This is not some minor issue. Fear affects everyone everyday and God wants to put a stop to that and set us free from all our fears.

A definition of fear that I heard some years ago.

F-E-A-R -- False Evidence Appearing Real.  

It looks like it's true but it's not.  Most fears never really happen in the first place. One study discovered that forty percent of all fears are about the future and never happen.  Thirty percent of the fears you have are about the past and can't be changed.  Twelve percent are needless fears about your health that you don't need to have. Ten percent are petty fears that are not worth worrying about. Which means that there are only eight percent of your fears that are legitimate fears and those can be dealt with by taking the appropriate steps of action.

An antidote for overcoming our fears  "I prayed to the Lord and He answered me; He freed me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4 (GN)

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

This Saturday 7:30aM

C3’s Membership Class This Saturday 10am

Refreshments served /Childcare upon request

Daniel Part 2

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. Daniel 1:8

There are a couple of things we can learn from Daniel’s response to the king’s decree that the young men in his court were to eat certain foods and to drink wine (Daniel 1:5). First, we learn that Daniel remained faithful to God when it seemed as though God had not been. Daniel had just seen his home destroyed by the King of Babylon and was subsequently taken into captivity and forced internment. (Daniel 1:1-4). To many of us it may seem as though God had not taken care of Daniel and his fellow Israelites, allowing the Babylonians to conquer and disperse them. Even though it appeared that way from a human perspective, Daniel stayed faithful to God and his commandments; even when it came to the food he ate and what he drank.

Secondly, we learn that Daniel looked for God’s favor above man’s favor. We know that he was displaced because of his handsome appearance and knowledge (Daniel 1:4). He possessed what was required to succeed in the Babylonian King’s court. But, instead of kissing up his way through the ranks, as all the other young men undoubtedly tried to do, he chose to find favor with God by obeying his commandments. He did this rather than doing whatall the others around him were doing. This is similar to what many of us have had to deal with in school or in our workplaces. Decisions like, “Do I stick with my morals, or do what all the others are doing to be popular and successful. We may even try to justify our actions by thinking, “Is God really going to care about this minor detail I don’t obey if I use my new found position to positively influence others?” Resolve, like Daniel, to seek first God’s favor over those around us.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Come get support for Healthy Living TONIGHT 6:30pm in the Pond@ C3

This Saturday 7:30 am

C3’s Membership Class This Saturday 10am

Refreshments served /Childcare upon request

RSVP to ericka@celebratejesus.org

Meditate on it, Memorize it, Mark it on the wall.

Daniel

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel 6:10b (NIV)

Have you ever been in a pinch? Usually for me it comes when there are circumstances in my life that I can’t control. Circumstances that affect me, but that are beyond my control, make me want to find comfort in things I can control like eating things that are sweet and salty. This feels like an easy way to get some comfort but in these situations, what feels comforting going in my mouth doesn’t do anything else that is good for the body.

In Daniel 6:10, Daniel had just learned that if anyone was caught praying to anyone else besides King Darius, they would be thrown into the lion’s den. Now that’s a serious pinch! But Daniel’s reaction is amazing. He went home, threw his windows open, and prayed anyway. I’m not thinking he did this because he felt good. I’m imagining he felt like anyone would feel in overwhelming circumstances. But he rose above his feelings to make a choice. A choice he has made over and over again habitually” And do you know what he chose to pray? “God, save me!” “God, it’s not fair!” “God, this is too much!” “God, smite my enemies and wipe them out!” “God, You know I can’t handle this without bags of chocolate chip cookies and gummie bears.” No. None of the above. What Daniel prayed is a powerful lesson for us all. Daniel 6:10b tells us that Daniel spoke prayers of gratitude. “Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” “Just as he had done before”, Daniel was in the habit of praying daily. Since Daniel’s response is so opposite of the way most of us would react, it makes me stop and ponder. Our initial responses are usually a by-product of lives right under the surface of our emotions. Since Daniel was a man who continually sought God in prayer thankfulness to God and God’s nature and how He provides was front and center in Daniel’s heart—even in the midst of uncontrollable circumstances. I am challenged and inspired by Daniel’s response and hope you are too.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

My Story, Living the Story You Want to Tell

Who were your role models as you were growing up? A bigger question is, Why were they your heroes? Odds are that as you read their stories you came to respect what they did with their lives. What will your story be? What legacy are you leaving? Maybe you’ve never considered yourself as the “role model” type. But your life is still telling a story. It’s never too late to take control of your life and begin to live the story that you want to tell!

Beginning this Sunday January 11th at all five of our services Pastor Brant and I will start a new teaching series called. “My Story, Living the Story You Want to Tell.” Join us as we explore 4 great decisions inspired by HIS story that will help you write the next chapter of your life in a new way.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Memorize it. Meditate on it. Mark it on the wall of the service you attend.