Vineyard Church of Knox County: The Cornerstone http://www.knoxvineyard.org/cornerstone/ Messages from the Pastors of the Vineyard Church of Knox County en chris@knoxvineyard.org Copyright 2006 2006-12-29T16:58:00-05:00 The Importance of Being a Welcoming Church http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/the_importance_of_being_a_welcoming_church/ Ted Buehrer, a VCKC elder, is on sabbatical in North Carolina this year from his position at Kenyon College. Moving to a new place for a year has provided him and his family with the challenge of finding a church family with whom to worship. We've all been there, right? Well, when talking with him about his experiences in various churches, I asked him to write to us because he has learned some very valuable lessons on what makes a church a welcoming place (and conversely what makes a church an unwelcoming place) and why it is so very important that we become such a church. So, read on and hear his experience and the wisdom he now is able to share with us about how we can welcome those who will be walking through our doors (and there will be many of them, for sure!)... When Leslie and I began hunting for a church home in Chapel Hill, we had nothing to go on.  We were new in town, knew no one, and had only a church’s website from which to form a first impression.  The nearest Vineyard was 45 minutes away, and just as we don’t travel 45 minutes to the Columbus Vineyard from our home in Mount Vernon, we didn’t want to travel 45 minutes to the Raleigh Vineyard; it’s hard to feel a part of a community when you’re not living in that community to begin with.  But we had a good feeling about a Methodist church very close to our house, and right up the block from the school Ethan would be attending.  Though we guessed that the style of worship would be more traditional and less casual than what we’d grown accustomed to at Vineyard, their website said all the right things, we both wanted to like this church because of its placement in our community, and Leslie especially had a sense that this was where God wanted us to worship during our time in Chapel Hill.  Yet our first visit there in August almost made us not come back. 

We came away from our first visit to this Methodist church thinking that it had to be the least friendly church we’d ever attended.  The service was fine, the teaching was solid, and the pastors were welcoming, but besides the pastors, not a single member of the congregation approached us to introduce themselves, to welcome us, to ask if we were new, to help us route our children to Sunday School, etc.  In fact, the usher didn’t even know which Sunday School rooms our kids were supposed to go to, based on their ages, and didn’t even know (as we soon learned for ourselves from the sign posted on the classroom doors) that Sunday School wasn’t meeting that morning because they were taking a break during the month of August, as many churches do. 

And so we tried another church the following week.  This church was non-denominational, more casual, and felt more like Vineyard.  Yet this church tipped too far the other direction.  I didn’t know that it was possible to accuse a church of being too friendly, but I think this church accomplished this feat.  We were met by a greeter with a GUSHING welcome.  This person then made it her business to introduce us to at least three other people standing in the lobby area, and each of them in turn gave us an extended, overly-friendly greeting, all this while we had our three young kids in tow that we were trying to get checked in to Sunday School!  It seemed “fake,” as though they were trying way too hard; it didn’t seem real.  After the service the pastor introduced himself to us, and maybe it’s our northerner, Yankee sensibilities, but he seemed too slick, too polished for our tastes.  It didn’t help that the worship music seemed like camp song singing, either (that’s another story), but needless to say we decided against this church as our temporary church home.

Instead, we felt God pulling us back to the Methodist church.  And we continued attending, and we are still attending.  It is a vibrant church full of committed--and friendly--believers.  God is moving in this church in fresh, exciting ways, ways that are perhaps unfamiliar to many in the church.  There is definitely a core of individuals in the church, including the leadership, through whom God is revealing himself in new ways, and it seems they are open to whatever God has in store for them and the church.  For “outsiders” like us, it is exciting to observe how God is moving in this place.  But the point to be made here is that we almost missed all of God’s exciting work taking place at this church because it was so utterly unfriendly toward newcomers like us.  I remember standing in the bustling lobby after church one of those first Sundays, eyes and head up, looking around for a friendly face, for someone to make eye contact with, and no one did.  It was an interesting sociological experiment, if nothing else!  But it was also a lonely feeling.  It took us weeks to feel welcome, weeks before our faces were remembered by others as “familiar.” The pastors were friendly and reached out, but they can only do so much.  It’s safe to say that we continued attending this church out of obedience to what we felt called to, and in spite of the church’s unfriendliness. 

VCKC has always been a friendly, welcoming community.  Our hope is that as we move into the new facility, and more and more people begin to come, we as a church continue to strive to be welcoming, friendly, and real.  And that we help people, especially newcomers, to get connected to other people in the church.  Chris, Sharon, and the other leaders can do this, but they can only do so much, and it’s not only their responsibility.  Reach out to an unfamiliar face, a family you don’t recognize, and help them to feel welcome.  Help them get plugged in to the life of the church.  As we can tell you from recent experience, it can feel lonely at a new church when this doesn’t happen.  Among the many things that we all hope VCKC will become known for in this community, may our warmth and genuine desire for fellowship with all who come through our doors be high on the list.

Ted Buehrer

]]> 2006-12-29T16:58:00-05:00 The Coming Transition http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/the_transition/ Well, here we are at the precipice of moving into the building God has provided for us, the Vineyard Church, as a base of operations in Knox County. We'll start meeting there for Sunday services on Sunday, December 17th, a day for us as a church family to prepare the building for our grand opening on January 7th. It's a bit hard to believe that Project: Renovation is nearing completion and we'll actually have a building from which to operate, isn't it? I have many mixed emotions and a jumble of thoughts, so I think it would be good for us to think about this transition time together. That's why I'm writing this Cornerstone with more to come in the next few weeks. Much like a couple who is preparing for the birth of their first child, it's important for us to think through what's happening so we can be prepared for the transition to a new phase of life. So, here are some things to think about... Project: Renovation is nearing completion and we'll actually have a building from which to operate, isn't it? I have many mixed emotions and a jumble of thoughts, so I think it would be good for us to think about this transition time together. That's why I'm writing this Cornerstone with more to come in the next few weeks. Much like a couple who is preparing for the birth of their first child, it's important for us to think through what's happening so we can be prepared for the transition to a new phase of life. So, here are some things to think about...

1.  It’s going to take awhile to feel “at home.” Have you ever moved into a new house or apartment?  We built our house and moved in two years ago and I remember that it took us several weeks and maybe even a few months to start to feel at “home” in our home.  Some possessions didn’t find homes for several weeks.  Some parts of the house still needed to be finished.  We had to get used to where the light switches were, then had to learn which ones controlled the fans and which ones controlled the lights.  We didn’t feel comfortable walking around in the dark for fear of stubbing a toe, banging a nose on a wall, or falling down stairs.  But after awhile, things found homes and switches became second nature and we could stumble around in the dark without much risk of bodily injury.  We don’t know when it happened, but at some point our house became our home.  So, it may take several weeks and even months to feel at home in our building.  Things will take time to find a place, and procedures may take time to perfect, and furniture may take time to move to just the right places.  But eventually, the building will become “home” to us.  It will probably take awhile, so let’s be patient and willing to help with the transition.

2.  We’ll need time to adjust.  I’m sure Kirtene and I will go through a serious adjustment period when the little one arrives in our home, and I’m sure our church family will take some time to adjust to the building.  We’ve never been a church family with a church building before, so we will have to get used to what that means.  The building provides us with great opportunities for ministry to the community, but it will take some time to really take advantage of those opportunities as we learn how to use the building.  We’re in no hurry to fill the church calendar with events and the church ministries with programs.  We’ll need some time to adjust, so we can be patient in God’s direction.  The building also provides us with a great opportunity for sacrifice as it is a wonderful gift from God that He has entrusted to us to care for.  Therefore, we’ll have to learn what it means to be good stewards of the building.  God will help us adjust to our new role as stewards just as He’ll help me and Kirtene to adjust to our new role as parents.

3.  It won’t be perfect.  I’ve read some books on parenting and most of them tell me that my child won’t be perfect, that is, she probably won’t do exactly what I want her to do all the time.  Is that true?  Of course!  But she’ll be perfect to us, right?  Well, I suggest we have the same attitude toward the building (notice I’m not calling it “the church"), meaning that we know it won’t be perfect in every way that we might want it to be, but we can love it in its uniqueness.  We humans aren’t perfect, but we are deeply loved.  The building may not be the most comfortable church building; it may not be the most attractive church building; it may not be the most appealing church building; but it’s OUR building that God has given us, so we can love it simply for that fact.  Can you love a building that isn’t perfect?  What is “perfect” anyway? 

4.  The process never ends.  Yes, Project: Renovation may be coming an end, but God’s work on us will never end.  I think it’s important for us to remember that moving into the building doesn’t mean we have “arrived” at some kind of final destination in the life of the church.  The Vineyard Church will go through many, many transitions in its life between many, many seasons of ministry.  As with our lives of faith, we never fully arrive, the adventure never ends, though it does have an ebb and flow to it.  So, I see this time as the ending of one phase in the life of the church and the beginning of another.  This phase will eventually transition into another (another building?—don’t even think it yet!), and that one will transition into another and on and on.  As in the life of a child where there are momentous occasions—walking, talking, turning 16, graduating, turning 21, and so on—there are momentous occasions in the life of a church, and we are experiencing one now.  In both cases, they represent both an ending and a beginning.  At these times we celebrate what God has done and look forward to what God will do.  So we’ll take time to celebrate on January 7th for sure, then we’ll turn to God with this prayer, “Ok, what’s next?” I expect He’ll say something like this, “For now, relax and enjoy the ride we’ve been on together; but soon I’ve got some big plans for you.”

]]> 2006-12-16T16:57:00-05:00 Seizing our Divine Moment http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/seizing_our_divine_moment/ God gives us moments in time that are infused with potential--kingdom potential, eternal potential, God-sized potential--and these moments are there for the seizing. We began a new series on Sunday, July 2, called "Seizing our Divine Moment," which I believe God will use to prepare us to seize the opportunity we have as a church with the opening of the new building in the fall (are you seizing the opportunity to come participate in Project: Renovation?). You see, with the opening of the new building God has placed before us a Divine opportunity to see His Kingdom come and His will be done in Knox County and around the world. When we interactively walk with God throughout each our days, each day has moments that potentially could change history...if we seize them.  We never know when a conversation with a friend or co-worker will be the link in a chain that leads them to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.  We never know when our selfless act of service to another person will move us closer to God’s call on our lives.  Each of us can point to moments in our lives that turned out to be historical moments, moments that changed our lives.  We just never know when God will open doors and change us and the world around us, so it’s vital that we become people who seize these Divine Moments. 

We as a church are walking with God as best we can, and we believe that He has brought us to this place of opening this building...at this place on the globe...at this time in history...for the purpose of changing the world one person at a time.  I believe that part of the blessings of the Kingdom come when we step up to the plate and swing at the pitch thrown at us, that is, we seize the opportunities God gives us.  And it’s in the seizing that we see God work in power.

So, let’s seize this opportunity together, the opportunity that only a mission base provides for us to reach the community and the world--let’s choose together to step up to the plate and take a swing.  We have the opportunity to change the world by God’s grace, so let’s go for it.  This series will help us to seize that opportunity together by challenging each of us to become people who seize the Divine moments in our lives.  We end the series on our birthday, September 17.  Will we be in the building then?  You can help by seizing the opportunity to come participate in Project: Renovation.

Peace,
Chris

]]> 2006-07-05T16:02:00-05:00 Da Vinci Code: Separating Fact from Fiction http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/da_vinci_code_separating_fact_from_fiction/ Unless you've been living in a cave for the last 3 years, you have probably heard of the runaway blockbuster book "The Da Vinci Code." It was published in 2003 and debuted at #1 on the the New York Times Bestseller list and soon was the #1 book on EVERY bestseller list in the country. It has since published 40 million (yes million) copies and has been translated into over 25 languages. You may be asking, what does this have to do with the church or with Christianity in general? Just this, though it is a fictional story, the book's author, Dan Brown, claims that the story is based in real historical fact. And with those "facts" he proposes that "Virtually everything we've been taught about Christianity...is false." Wow! What a claim! I jump at the challenge to respond! And that’s exactly what we’re going to do in our church for the next three weeks (May 21, 27 and June 4).  Brown’s book has produced a tidal wave of discussion and debate about Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible that I believe can be very healthy and prosperous for the Kingdom.  So, we will fortify our faith foundation by learning (or relearning) what we believe about the Bible, Jesus, and historical Christianity.  You don’t have to know novel to appreciate the lessons we’ll learn over the next few weeks, but you are certainly welcome to read the book or see the movie.  (Of course, you are welcome to avoid the movie, too, if you have convictions about paying Hollywood to produce this kind of message.  But I’m planning to go to see it because I want to engage in the discussion and be able to answer why I believe what I believe.)

Why do we believe the 27 books of the New Testament are God’s Word?  Why do we believe that Jesus was single and Mary Magdalene was simply a disciple of Jesus and nothing more?  Why do we believe that Jesus was actually divine and not just a good, human, teacher?  These questions will be answered in the next three weeks. 

Peace,
Chris

]]> 2006-05-19T14:08:00-05:00 Building Community This Sunday! http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/building_community/ God is calling us as a body once again to make a thankful sacrificial offering to Him, and He’s using this old furniture building to do it.  Make no mistake, God has a bigger vision than simply the renovation of an old building.  He isn’t just building a building.  God wants to build you up as a sacrificial servant, and He wants to build us (VCKC) up as a church in service to this community.  Come celebrate what God has done and catch a vision for the completion of Project: Renovation this Sunday at 10:00. God is calling us as a body once again to make a thankful sacrificial offering to Him, and He’s using this old furniture building to do it.  Make no mistake, God has a bigger vision than simply the renovation of an old building.  He isn’t just building a building.  God wants to build you up as a sacrificial servant, and He wants to build us (VCKC) up as a church in service to this community. 

Come celebrate what God has done and catch a vision for the completion of Project: Renovation this Sunday at 10:00.

This Sunday (May 30th)...Don’t forget to meet at the building at our regular service time (10:00) for our “Open House with a Purpose”.  In the fall we were challenged to make a sacrificial commitment of finances to the Lord in response to His extravagant grace.  On October 28th, we officially bought the building at 806 Harcourt Rd.  On Saturday, November 13th, we had a groundbreaking (or more accurately, carpet pulling) ceremony to launch Project: Renovation.  These are momentous days that mark significant steps forward in the adventure God has us on. The 30th will be another momentous day that will mark a significant step forward on this adventure with God. 

On Sunday we will again be called to sacrificial commitment in response to God’s grace, not with our treasure, but with our time and talent.  You see, we find ourselves at an exciting place in Project: Renovation, which serves as a challenge and an opportunity.  We are beginning to see the finished product, but it is an elusive vision.  Depending on how we respond, we may be waiting several months to start using this facility to serve the community, or we could very possibly begin services and serving others sometime this summer.  How exciting is that?!  Everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, has something to contribute to this church body, and we hope you are eager to see how you can help to complete Project: Renovation.

God is calling us as a body once again to make a thankful sacrificial offering to Him, and He’s using this old furniture building to do it.  Make no mistake, God has a bigger vision than simply the renovation of an old building.  He isn’t just building a building.  God wants to build you up as a sacrificial servant, and He wants to build us (VCKC) up as a church in service to this community. 

Come celebrate what God has done and catch a vision for the completion of Project: Renovation this Sunday at 10:00.

Peace,
Chris

Notes: (1) Parking is available around the building, but if you are able, please consider parking across the street at the historical society.
(2) The service portion of the open house will be brief so there will be no childcare available.
(3) Bring a lawn chair, a Bible, your calendar/planner, and a willingness to respond.

]]> 2006-04-28T00:02:58-05:00 Easter: What to Bring http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/easter_what_to_bring/ Easter is a special Sunday each year, so we want to take advantage of the opportunities God presents to us by providing a special service that day. That special service is made special by a few different things... Dear Vineyard Family,

Easter is a special Sunday each year, so we want to take advantage of the opportunities God presents to us by providing a special service that day.  That special service is made special by a few different things.  First, it’s special because many people who don’t usually come to church will be open to coming.  So, here’s What to Bring #1: A Friend.  Please pray for God to bring new folks to the church and ask how He wants to use you to do that.

Second, with our expectation of several visitors who are unconnected to God’s family, let’s be ultra-sensitive to them as they step into a place that is unfamiliar and, in many cases, uncomfortable.  So, here’s What to Bring #2: A Welcoming Spirit.  Come this Sunday not only to worship Jesus and celebrate his resurrection, but also to proactively welcome those people you don’t know.  In that spirit, we also provide special gifts for all people who come to the service on Easter, simple books that serve both as a blessing and as an outreach to those who have questions about Jesus’ resurrection.  We want to make people feel welcome and blessed for just showing up, and maybe God will bring some people home to him in the process.  How exciting!

Third, we’ve started a tradition of decorating crosses with spring flowers.  During the worship time, we bring our flowers to the crosses and see them transform before our eyes from a place of death to a beacon of life.  So, here’s What to Bring #3: A Spring Flower.  Don’t worry, if you don’t have the means to bring a flower or you forget, then we will provide one for you. 

Fourth, we’d like to start a new tradition this Easter of giving away 100% of our regular Tithes and Offerings to missions (note: the money designated for the building will go to the building fund as usual).  We want to communicate over and over again our desire to be generous with God’s blessings, and what better day to do that than Easter?  So, here’s What to Bring #3: Your Generosity.  We have two missions in mind that are each in need of a chunk of money to help further their current projects: YWAM Ozark (where our youth will go this summer), and Arms of Love Children’s Home in Castanhal, Brazil (where I went in March). 

What a wonderful time of year for us as we are reminded of the fact of the resurrection!  Let’s take advantage of this great opportunity and expect for God to work!

Peace,
Chris

]]> 2006-04-13T16:46:00-05:00 BreakThrough Turning Point http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/breakthrough_turning_point/ Well, we are halfway through our BreakThrough series as we approach Easter Sunday.  Four weeks behind us and four in front of us.  I don’t know about you but I’m really enjoying the series.  More than that, though, I’ve experienced God’s kingdom break through in my life over the last month, have you?  Over and over again as I sit to pray and read the Bible study for the morning, I am regularly confronted by the voice of God as He shows me His heart and His will for my life.  Over and over again I’ve sensed that the study opened up a channel to God that has changed my heart and mind.  It’s been wonderful. I hope you, too, are meeting with God regularly through the devotional guides.  If so, I encourage you to keep it up! Well, we are halfway through our BreakThrough series as we approach Easter Sunday.  Four weeks behind us and four in front of us.  I don’t know about you but I’m really enjoying the series.  More than that, though, I’ve experienced God’s kingdom break through in my life over the last month, have you?  Over and over again as I sit to pray and read the Bible study for the morning, I am regularly confronted by the voice of God as He shows me His heart and His will for my life.  Over and over again I’ve sensed that the study opened up a channel to God that has changed my heart and mind.  It’s been wonderful. I hope you, too, are meeting with God regularly through the devotional guides.  If so, I encourage you to keep it up!

It’s also wonderful to see God’s kingdom break through in our services, home groups, and in your lives.  Nothing is more satisfying to me than to see the kingdom come into your hearts, minds, and bodies as you step forward to receive from God, whether it’s on Sunday mornings or at our home groups.  Let’s keep praying that God’s kingdom would continue to break through...and even more! 

By the way, how have you seen God’s kingdom break through in your life—in big or small ways?  Please shoot an email to us at breakthrough@knoxvineyard.org .  It is so important to share how God is working in our lives so that others (me, too!) can be encouraged.

As we turn the corner on our adventure, we are providing a few opportunities for you to experience the healing of God’s kingdom in your life.  Next Tuesday (March 28th) at 6:30, we will be providing healing prayer training at the Inn at HillenVale.  All are welcome to join us as we learn about healing--how God heals, why God heals, and how we can participate in His healing ministry.  If you are interested in praying for people on Sunday mornings, this training is a requirement.  But even if you’re just curious and have no plans to join the prayer team, please come to learn about and receive prayer!  (Please note: childcare is available by reservation only!  Call Leslie Buehrer as soon as you know you are coming—397-1426.  Thanks.)

After the training time, we will be gathering on FRIDAY, MARCH 31, AT 7:00 AT THE HIGH SCHOOL THEATER to worship and pray down God’s kingdom for healing.  This will be a great time of fellowship and worship as well as a great opportunity to both pray for others and receive prayer for healing.  Even if you are not in need of healing, please come to be with others in worship and prayer.  (Note: childcare will not be available at the healing service, but we encourage parents to bring school-age kids if they would like to participate.)

Peace,
Chris

]]> 2006-03-22T17:38:01-05:00 “Breakthrough” Adventure http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/breakthrough_adventure/ "Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" Jesus taught us to pray that prayer in expectation that we would "pray down" to earth the kingdom of God, that is God's salvation, healing, sovereign reign just as it is in heaven. In other words, Jesus taught us to pray for "breakthrough" of the kingdom of God. Would you like to see a breakthrough of God's power in your life and in the church? I would, too! That's why I'm excited to see what God has planned for our Spring adventure called "Breakthrough: Discovering the Compassion and Power of Jesus." Let me tell you a little about this adventure.

God created this 8-week curriculum using the staff at the Vineyard Church in Champaigne, IL.  Beginning on Sunday, February 26, and ending on Easter, April 16, it will take us through the Gospel of Mark to discover the powerful ministry of Jesus in our lives and in the church.  Some of the topics are: Breakthrough of the Kingdom; Breakthrough of Healing; Breakthrough of Freedom; Breakthrough of True Power; Breakthrough of the Miraculous; Breakthrough of True Life; and Breakthrough of the Future.  In addition to Sunday Celebration lessons, the adventure includes small group study guides and personal devotional guides, all of which work in harmony to bring the greatest impact of the truth of the Kingdom into our lives.  If you want to experience the full impact of this adventure, then you are invited to attend a home group during those 8 weeks and to purchase a devotional guide for $7.  As we’ve said over and over again, God meets us when we purposefully seek Him, so these are ways to purposefully seek Him.

In addition to the Sunday lessons, home group discussions, and devotional guides, we will be inviting people to fast and pray.  As we did in the fall during our Giving Campaign, we urge each person in the church to prayerfully consider fasting and praying in some way for the 8 weeks (40 days).  Scripture and history attest to the experience of the power of God through fasting and prayer.  If we’re going to experience the full impact of God’s kingdom power, then we need to fast and pray.  Our prayer will not only be individual prayer, but a corporate prayer service of healing sometime near the end of the 8 weeks.  We’ll give you more details about this Breakthrough Event soon.

Sunday lessons, small group discussions, personal devotions, fasting, healing prayer service...why are we doing all of this, and why are we doing it as a whole church?  One main reason: we believe God is blessed and pleased when we corporately seek first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33).  The whole body moving as one, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, brings unity to the church and power to the ministry.  Very simply, we want to see God breakthrough in power in your life and mine.  In Vineyard vernacular, we want to see God show up!

So, please be in prayer about all of this as we approach the start on February 26.  Also, bring your $7 to purchase your personal devotional guides so that you can fully experience Kingdom Breatkthrough in your life.

Peace,
Chris

]]> 2006-02-02T14:32:00-05:00 Ch-ch-ch-changes http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/ch_ch_ch_changes/ When I was a kid with my own room, I would rearrange the furniture in it about every six months. In addition, approximately every year or so, I would repaint the walls. I loved the fact that simple changes could give me a new room so easily. I like change...good change. You've probably heard it said that "change is good" but I don't believe that; I know that change isn't necessarily good or bad. It just makes things different--sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. Our desire as Christians is to follow God's lead as He makes changes in us and in the church. God always changes us for the good. Well, it’s that time of year again at which it is natural to make some changes in life, and we at the Vineyard also take this time (though this isn’t the only time) of year to evaluate the church and make changes as we feel necessary.  Isn’t it nice to be in a church that is willing to make changes, a church that isn’t stuck in empty tradition that restricts growth and change; and isn’t it equally nice to be in a church that doesn’t make changes just to make changes?  We don’t want to change just because we can or just because we want to make things seem “new.” We are willing and eager to make changes, though, to the ministry of the church at any time provided that it helps us to better accomplish one thing: the mission God has given us.  We are regularly asking the question, “How does God want us to change?”

One of the ways we are experimenting with change is at our Celebration Services.  We’ve decided to try a slightly different order to the service (why?) because we believe that it will help to accomplish our mission, specifically as it relates to developing our people into a worshiping community.  By starting with our Family Time we will be able to welcome visitors right away and greet one another before worship begins hopefully making everyone feel welcome from the very start of the service.  Also, moving straight from the worship to the teaching time without breaking for Family Time we feel will provide a better flow to the service.  We’ll try it for several weeks and see how God wants us to proceed. 

We all know that each of us has areas that need improvement (just like the church), right?  The question is, are you willing to make necessary changes, and are you willing to allow God to decide what and how you should change?  I can assure you that God wants you to change, and He knows the best way for you to change, AND He wants to give you (with your partnership) the desire and ability to change.  Philippians 2:12-13 reads, “Continue to work out your salvation (grow and change!) with fear and trembling (that is, humble dependence), for it is God who works in you giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.”

Maybe we should say it this way: “God change” is good.

Peace,
Chris

]]> 2006-01-12T20:50:00-05:00 Giving Thanks http://www.knoxvineyard.org/index.php/cornerstone/article/giving_thanks/ "Always [give] thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15)! “I thank my God every time I remember you (Philippians 1:3). "Always [give] thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15)!
“I thank my God every time I remember you (Philippians 1:3).

During this Thanksgiving week, I just wanted to send out a quick message to the church family and friends to encourage you to express your gratitude to the One who is the Provider of all good things in life (Eph. 5:20).  Let’s express our gratitude to God for the two things that matter more than any material gift that we will receive in a few weeks: Jesus and people.  So, take some time this weekend to thank Him for His indescribable gift, Jesus Christ, who lived and died for us so that we could live life forever with Him (2 Cor. 9:15).  Let’s express our gratitude to God for the people He’s brought into our lives who enrich us in ways we rarely acknowledge. 

What a great opportunity to pause in our hectic lives to recognize the truly invaluable gifts from God: Jesus and people.

I’m so grateful to God for this church family.  I thank God for all of you!

Blessings,
Chris

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