Jan 29 2008                                                        Can you hear the mission bell?  A lyric from a song off the recent Newsboys "Go" CD asks an important discipleship question.  Let me ask it in another way.  Is your heart touched by the mission of Christ?  Christians through the centuries past have heard the bell.  The transcendent call of Christ to do his bidding, and work in the world.  I think this is often a difference between those who come         to church and those who are the church in the world.  One hears the bell resounding loudly  --- a call to mission.  A call to take up a challenge in helping others find the light of Christ.

One of the awesome things about the Christian faith is that all of us can hear the bell. We all are called to his great mission in the world. In fact, we don't even have      to go anywhere.  No long trips to Africa are necessary. We just need to look around, and open our eyes to the fields before us.    What a difference this perspective makes when we start looking out to others. It takes our eyes off ourselves. We begin to grow in love, and are energized    by the eternal purposes of God! One of the good results of adding a second service is that we are embracing the heart of mission. I pray for our church to be the Salt and Light that Jesus envisioned us to be. May each of us see the significance of our part. May we know God wants to use us to bring his message to the world. Can you hear the bell?

Nov 12 2007                                                       On Genesis: One of the great things about the study of Genesis is how it raises so many questions. I would encourage you not to be afraid to question the Bible. I      say that because I believe in its truthfulness and accuracy. When we stop and ask the hard questions and then search for answers it creates a moment of faith strengthening. Our appreciation for scripture will go up not down. The other day I heard a friend make a comment disbelieving the possibility of the ark account. Did you know that a      298 page book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study , answers with clarity the many feasibility questions people have. I am sure the authors faith skyrocketed through this study and the answers discovered. It can be the same for us.
Note: Author John Woodmorappe of the Creation Research Institute in San Diego.

On Renaissance' future: Renaissance is entering a pivotal time and place. The church began four years ago now with a handful of people, and a whole lot of hope.    We are now planning to add a second service this spring, and seeking additional staff. In some ways the church has come full circle back to the place of faith. Hebrews tells us..."Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen." In simpler words, "Faith is when we envision what the invisible God can do... and have the courage to act on it!" Hebrews also states that faith pleases God. Why is that? I think it's because it recognizes accurately who He is. Indulge me with this illustration. If Kobe Bryant is on your team and the game is on the line in the closing minutes... and you put him on the bench... won't he be dishonored? As one of the NBA's best, Kobe expects to get the ball in those times. As hard as it is to compare God and Kobe, lets just realize the greatest player in the universe is God. It should not surprise us that he is honored when we put the ball in his hands. Our Worship Director Joe Tischbern prayed: "God we want to see things that only you can do!" He was crying out to see God work. That was a prayer of faith. It all begins with a God sized vision of what he could do though us. Then, we have to act. We must step out in faith, putting the ball in his hands. Then when God    blesses and answers prayers we all know who is to honored and praised. This is the adventure of faith. At Renaissance we have significant faith steps ahead of us. I hope you are excited about stepping out together, and trusting God for bigger things!