check out the hrc facebook posting

Dear friends of the voice...

I am sending you this blog to invite you to read the posting regarding the property update. You will find this post on the harvest ridge church group in facebook.

If you are already on facebook, and not a member of the HRC group, please click the groups I am part of, and find the HRC group...

If you need to, feel free to get a facebook account, and join in the fun!!!

I am getting really excited about all of the communication opportunities that the internet provides! This blog, facebook, and our church website are all great opportunities to connect with each other, and meet new friends. Let me know your thoughts on how we can better use these tools... What topics would you like me to blog about...

I hope to hear from some of you!!!

open house fun!

WOW! What an incredible open house yesterday. We had an incredible turn out this year. People enjoyed our wassail, all of the food, and the fellowship. And people stayed late (about 9:45) just to spend time together and play games. How fun!

I am so excited for the three families who attended this years open house - who even 3 months ago could not call HRC their home. Thanks to the great people of HRC for making new comers feel welcome, and like a part of the church family!

I thank God for the privilege to have people in our home! Thanks to all who came. For those who were not able to come, put it on the calendar for next year. Next year we will make an effort to clearly extend the invitation to all of our church, our family, all of our friends, and even my neighbors.

Continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus as the days of December pass... oh, and see you next year at the Pastor's Christmas open house 2009.

Finishing James

Tonight at our Prayer Meeting and Bible Study at HRC I will be finishing the book study of James (from the Bible). James is probably my favorite book of the Bible. I have had a great experience in my times of preparation for this Bible study.

I will look forward to some of you commenting on the book of James - or more directly, on the Bible studies... and the impact they have had on your life!

I am thankful

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. The day is not a celebration of someone's birthday, or an honor to some great person of history. Thanksgiving is a day that was originally set aside by our nation's first president (George Washington). The day was designated as a day to thank God for His blessings and provision.

I am thankful for my wife. Kim is a precious gift that God has given me. And I thank the Lord that she is so wonderful. I love being married to Kim! And I am also thankful that she loves being married to me!

I am thankful for my 4 children: Rebecca who is growing into a compassionate young lady, Jacob who is turning bold for the Lord at age 8, Allison who is very loving, and Andrew who is excited about life (at age one).

I am also thankful for my church family. It is within this context that I enjoy a great job and wonderful friendships. I also love sharing the vision to reach out to people who have not yet met Jesus, and share the Hope that God can offer. Thanks to all my friends at HRC who live to "Develop Passionate Followers of Jesus Christ."

I am also thankful for my extended family. I have great parents, a wonderful sister, great in-laws, and a few non-blood relatives...

I am thankful for the following blessings: health, my home, financial provision, peace, hope, my (eternal) future, my opportunities to impact my community, and much much more.

Let me encourage all who read this blog to take some time to reflect on what you are thankful for. Feel free to do so in reply to this blog... because I would love to red it!

free van

Hey everyone! I am so excited about what God is doing at HRC! We have the privelege of giving away a van to a family in our church who is desparetly in need of a vehicle. We are working with a number of local business and a program called "Recycled Rides" in order to make this happen. On December 18, 2008 we will give away (free of charge) a van to the Zamudio family. Check out the link to read more! http://www.riverdalebodyshop.com/RecycledRides.aspx
And, I will look for your comments!

Pastor's Christmas Open House

Dear friends,

I hope many of you are reading this. I am sending this blog to announce our annual open house. This year, please join us on December 7, 2008 from 4pm to 8pm. We will have some wassel, cookes, and lots of fun.
It is our pleaseure to open our home to our entire church family, and other friends during the holiday season. Mark your calendars to come and visit with many others during your Christmas celebration!
Feel free to reply to this blog and let me know if you are coming...
If you are reading this blog, please feel free to become a follower, and be in the loop whenever I share a new posting.

Obama - president elect

I must say that I have a level of concern regarding our new president elect. My concern is in the moral future of our country. I see that Obama has been pro same sex marriages and pro abortion. I am sure that senator Obama and I have other moral conflicts.

Sometimes there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel when the USA elects a democratic president as we think about our economy. This time around - I do not think the answer will be provided by a political party. And f it were - the price we pay in moral compromise to relieve some of our countries debt is NOT worth it.

Here is my challenge to believers! Pray for President Elect Obama. Pray that his heart will be sensative to God! Pray for him to exercise God-given wisdom. Pray for our country! I recently received an email asking us to pray for our president elect from election day to inauguration. Join me in this challenge!

Remember that the hope of our country is not in Obama, democrats, republicans, money, dreams, or anything thing else... except for one thing. The hope of our country is in the Lord! So, call on Him!

Coming on Wednesday

Friends of HRC,

Wednesday nights have been awesome @ HRC. I want to remind those who know, and share with those who want to know that this Wednesday will include an additional element. There will be worship, prayer, and a Bible study (from the book of James).

However, we will also launch a strategy to pray for the lost. As many of you know, this Sunday was the beginning of a new sermon series: Harvest Time. We learned how to pray for the H.A.R.V.E.S.T. To go hand in hand with the message, we will distribute H.A.R.V.E.S.T. prayer guides on Wednesday. Included will be a condensed version of the sermon notes, as well as a written strategy to pray for others.

This is one Wednesday that you will not want to miss!

A CALL FOR RESPONSE

I believe that each person needs to vote - especially for the President of the United States. When we vote we need to think about God's will, our families, our children, the future of the country, ourselves (this is where we consider economics, and other political issues).
But, as a Christian we should vote through the eyes of morality and Godly Character. It would be more appropriate to be a country who is struggling financially if we are morally pursuig God.
So, as you prepare to vote, consider God's will... vote on moral issues...
The most mportant thing to do is to pray. Wow! what if the 2 presidential candidate both had major encounters with Jesus before November 4th...
Please follow this link to watch a video about voting from Dr. George Wood (General Sup. of the Assemblies of God): http://ag.org/top/

sharing my heart

I have finally entered the world of blogging. I have set up this new blog to use as a platform to share my heart. I have titled my blog "the voice" since this is where my voice can be heard. I will use this blog as a way to stay connected to people. Feel free to interact with my comments.

I will also use this blog as a way to share information with people: people at Harvest Ridge Church, and people who have regular contact with me. I will also use this blog as a touch point to other pastors, to leaders, and to friends who make an investment in thinking.

This blog will be an inside look at what is going on in my life... and what is on my mind.

I look forward to the opportunities to voice what is on my heart!