Category: church

The Oddness of Sickness

On By MarkIn church, Jesus!Leave a comment

Just a quick update:
I’ve been in bed ALL week since last Sunday afternoon. I was feeling a bit better on Friday, then today, it kinda hit like a second punch. I’m guessing it’s your basic cold stuff, but it’s miserable. Now Laurie is down with similar stuff.

I’m getting ready to come to Grace tomorrow and preach. I feel bad that I may have to simply come in and out the back like I did last week. I really am missing people.

Thanks for praying for us as we take care of each other and get through this crud. Aside from health stuff, I really am excited to talk about Jesus tomorrow and the amazing gift He gave us. Hope to at least wave to you from the stage. Blessings.

Speaking Opps

On By MarkIn church, GRACE1 Comment

I would love to invite you to pray for a couple of added opportunities for me this week. Tonight I get to speak to the amazing students at InterVarsity. I love encouraging these students as they live out their faith in Jesus on the NAU campus. We’ve been given something special from God to use to advance the gospel message, let’s find it, dust it off and work it for God’s use!

Tomorrow night I get to encourage about 100 leaders at the leadership banquet at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Phoenix. This is the church I served with for 10 years prior to coming to Flagstaff. It’s been awhile since I’ve been there to speak. Can’t wait to remind them of the love of Jesus for them and for their community.

My favorite opportunity will be Sunday morning @ 10am @ Grace Community. John 14:7-14

Sunday Night Thoughts

On By MarkIn church, GRACE, Holy Spirit, Teaching, TheologyLeave a comment

Wow. What a day. I love Sunday’s at Grace. Tonight I want to highlight a few things that are on my mind.

First, thanks to the Hospitality Team for an amazing lunch today. The place was packed out! It was awesome. Food was great and I’m thankful Sinagua has added more tables. It looked to me like you guys were all having a great time. Thanks for staying after church and enjoying a meal with “One Another”. Great job everyone. I hope you were encouraged.

We just finished our first Grace Group tonight. I already love our new group. If you haven’t joined a Grace Group yet, we’ll have all the updated information available for you this next week. There are Grace Groups spread around town on several different nights of the week. It is an awesome experience to get around the table or the living room and talk about what God is teaching us.

Tomorrow night I start a new class. As you know we’ve started these Monday Night Classes for teaching more doctrine and essential truths of Grace. The Classes are designed to average about 4 weeks long, some will be a bit shorter or longer. They all start at 6:30 and finish by 8. One of the main reasons we keep the classes to just a few weeks is so that you can do both a class and your Grace Group. If you are in a Grace Group and see a class you’d like to take, the design allows you to do both with only a few weeks of having two nights out. So, please don’t miss out on the classes we’re offering. We’re being very intentional about the class topics and the schedules. We’ve already had one on the Deity of Christ, one on Spiritual Growth and one on Biblical Finances. Many of the classes will be offered again.

So, tomorrow I’m starting a 4 week study on “Gifted for Ministry”. We’ll examine the biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit as a gift and the gifts He gives us. We’ll look at why the church is dependent upon the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to individuals. By the end of the 4 week study, you’ll be able to identify how God has gifted you and how you can serve Him at Grace. I’m very excited about this and I just love the timing, especially how it fits with our recent study in John.

Most classes have fees and books. From here on out, any class that requires a theology text, we’ll be using one: Understanding Christian Theology. I have a few copies available tomorrow for $32. It’s a big book, and it’ll serve you well for years to come, especially in a variety of classes we’ll offer. For this class the book is NOT REQUIRED, but it is highly RECOMMENDED. I’ll have some handouts as well as some class notes. I believe the fee for the class is $5.

If you have any questions, let me know or call Bekah in the morning.

I really hope you’re finding your way to a Grace Group, or that you will this next week. I invite you to join me for class tomorrow night as well.

It’s been a great day. Thanks to all who serve Jesus at Grace in making it a welcoming place for some great ministry to be taking place. God bless you all, have a good night.

Lunch Tomorrow!

On By MarkIn church, PreachingLeave a comment

Tomorrow right after church we have a lunch for EVERYONE at Grace. So, come and plan on sticking around for a bit. It’s a GREAT way to meet others and have some chilaxing time! Bring someone with you to introduce around. Wouldn’t it be great if we ran out of food?!! Sorry hospitality team… what I mean is, wouldn’t it be great if so many more came and hung with us? Don’t just bring someone from another church, bring someone that doesn’t have a church home yet, is looking, is your guest, or even someone that may just be a bit curious. Let’s Eat!

If you wanna read ahead, tomorrow I’ll be teaching from John 13:18-38. Grace Groups have begun and it’s been a great first week. Let’s pray for our time together tomorrow and for God’s amazing grace to go forward to many others through Grace Community.

As we come prepared, rested, and seeking a time to worship, fellowship, serve and learn, we can come expecting God to do amazing things among us. I’ll see you in the morning.

If you’re reading this from another time zone, go to your church; prepared and expecting. God is going to do great stuff through His church.

Oh…one more thing, Happy Birthday, Pastor Bob!

People of the towel

On By MarkIn church, GRACE, Teaching2 Comments

Yesterday was amazing @ Grace. At the end of a sermon from John 13 on the washing of the disciples feet by our Lord, we passed out towels to all who would commit to serving one another. I’d love to hear stories of how we’re actually serving the needs of one another. Can we pass on stories without boasting or drawing attention to ourselves? Jesus was simply teaching a lesson by ‘doing’. That’s all I’m looking for. Let’s teach one another by sharing our stories of how we serve the needs around us. Any takers?

Launching our Grace Groups…with a party!

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Tuesday night from 6:30 – 7:30 we’re having our first ever “Grace Group Launch Party”. This is the one time we’re inviting all the Grace Group leaders and hosts to meet up with the new members and invite others to join them in the adventure of a small group.

This is really a prayer and dedication time for the new season of Grace Groups. We’ll have a great time squeezing as many people as we can into our Ministry Center. My prayer is that more and more people will get connected through small groups so that they can live in community in the truths of what we’re talking about in our main service on Sunday mornings. When we go to church and sit in a service and even sing along, we’re fooling ourselves if we think that is ‘community’.

Grace Groups are our invitation to gather in homes and share hearts and minds together based on God’s Word and expressed in His love.

If you’re looking for a way to connect to the community of Grace, this is your invitation to come Tuesday and let us help you make it happen!

Blessings.

Come Here…You!

On By MarkIn Bible, church, Jesus!Leave a comment

Throughout our study in John we’re noticing Jesus’ invitation to come and follow Him.  Yesterday I broke it down to three invitations: Come and See – Come and Follow – Come and Die!

Where are you with Jesus?  He invites us to “come and see”. Check it out. “You gotta see this!” And that’s more than just an invitation to a great church service with amazing music and fog machines.  That’s about an honest look at Christianity and it’s claims.  Remember the gal from Samaria, “Come and see this Jesus, you gotta check this out”.  She could say that because she had already seen, and believed.

“Come and follow” is the invitation to become a genuine follower of Christ by placing your faith in Him as Savior. Exchanging your life for His. Crossing the line of faith.  Repenting of your sins, seeing yourself and your sins as filthy rags, and telling Jesus you believe WHO He is, and WHAT He’s done for you.  Pray the prayer!  I hope several did that at Grace yesterday. If YOU never have, I hope you will.

“Come and die” is the hard part of giving your all to Jesus.  This isn’t the same as being saved. This is an act of the (already)child of God giving full surrender to a life dedicated to the mission of Jesus.  There is a cost to consider.  This is obedience.  This is where God calls/leads us to give our all.

Wherever you are, Jesus reaches out His arms and says, “come here…come to Me!”

Aren’t you glad?

Holy Anticipation

On By MarkIn church, GRACE, Jesus!, Pray, Worship2 Comments

I’m in my office on a Saturday morning going over notes for tomorrow, cleaning up the place, and…oh yeah, listening to the Grace Worship Team rehearsing for tomorrow. As I’m listening to them, I’m thinking of tomorrow morning at Grace. I’m anticipating God’s blessings on His people as we come together FOR Him. I’m picturing hundreds of people lifting their voices and some even their hands as we worship God as His holy community. We are HIS. He’s our Abba, our God, our Saviour, our Life-giver, and our Friend.

Whether you attend Grace on Sunday or your church in your community, do you go with a sense of anticipation? Here are some thoughts to help you get ready for the holy gathering of the community:

  • Lord, what will you teach me about YOU?
  • Who will I see tomorrow that needs a fresh look at YOU, someone I can love and encourage?
  • What will I learn from your WORD?
  • How can you use ME to bless someone else in this holy community?
  • Who will be there tomorrow for the first time, seeking YOU?
  • Who will be there hanging on by a thread, needing more of YOU?
  • Lord, what can I give you?
  • Lord teach me your ways.
  • Lord show me your glory.
  • Lord, bless our holy gathering.
  • Lord, may I be rested and thoughtful as I approach this sacred moment.

I seriously can’t wait to gather with God’s people and our many guests to see what He’s got in store for us as we bring our offering of praise to Him. To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Rom 16:27
to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Chris

All Church Call-to-Prayer

On By MarkIn church, PrayLeave a comment

Last week I spoke on prayer @Grace. This coming Monday, August 10th, I’m asking the Grace family to gather at the Ministry Center at 6:30 for a special night of prayer. We’ll be praying for the church, the beginning of school, for the sick, for the financial challenges and for God’s favor on us as we serve Him and know Him!