After a brief encounter with my couch this afternoon I couldn't wait to say how proud I am of The Grove Team! First we were truly blessed by our visit by Teen Challenge. Their rich testimonies touched our hearts and helped put some faces behind this local ministry we are committed to support. I hope you were among those in attendance.
Then to top it off we put on a feast of ham and all the great sides to bless these 33 men to let them know we care about them. Our team did an awesome job setting up, serving the men, eating with them at their tables, and then clean-up and reset the auditorium. Thanks to all the devoted members of the team. (pray for Marianne and Marty who were sick this morning and couldn't attend - Marianne worked hard to pull this together)
I plan to write tomorrow and recap the year but wanted to make sure everyone was reminded of our baptismal service next Sunday followed by some baby dedications. If you have been considering baptism or have questions about it, let me know.
Tune in tomorrow - I'll try to be brief!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
The Day After
Merry Post-Christmas to all of you!
I can't tell you how many times I heard someone say or said it myself - "It just doesn't feel like Christmas!"
As much as I like change and new things to happen in my life - consistency at Christmas is something I've cherished. Yet the older I get it seems that my expectations of Christmas each year are unrealistic. As hard as I try to control it, I don't have the ability to do so.
Let me explain. All my growing up years I believed it was almost heresy to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve like some weird families did. Then as our kids grew up, got married, and moved away we realized if we were going to have any quality time with them we needed to do it Christmas Eve.
This year added a new little wrinkle - our son in law Scott was being deployed to Iraq for the third time December 29th! That meant he and his family couldn't travel away from Ft. Campbell (Army rules) so we snuck down there before Christmas to see Jenny graduate from college and briefly celebrate with Scott.
We're hoping Jenny can come up soon after Scott leaves so we can celebrate with her and our grandson.
But what about next year? Will there be more challenges? You can count on it. As soon as you think you've got things figured out - you realize you don't.
That leads me to the spiritual part of this blog. STOP! Don't go away just because I said that word Spiritual.
There is one thing you can count on Christmas after Christmas, year after year. It's something we all need more than another sweater, tie or the obligatory Starbucks gift card.
Rick Ezell in one of the blogs I subscribe to writes:
"What do you need for Christmas? The question of need is not the same as the question of want. I suspect that what we need is vastly different from what we want. I've said many times, and I suspect that you have to, in response to the question, what do you want for Christmas? "You know, I don't really need anything."
There's one gift I need, and I need it 365 days a year. I need it every bit as much as the air I breathe, and the water I drink, and the food I eat, and the shelter over my head, and the love of my family. In fact, I need it more than any of these. And you need it too.
What's beautiful about this gift is that it doesn't cost us anything; it's available to all."
Later in the blog Rick reminds us of what Paul said when he wrote to his friend Titus: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good" (Titus 2:11-14 NIV).
Can you guess what the gift is? It's not something you have to stand in long lines to return today. Have you ever received it? Be careful, most of us miss the gift we all need for Christmas. It's Grace!
We are told in the Bible that because of our sin we are separated from God. But God provided a way out of the punishment we deserve - he sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty. Without receiving Christ, which means to receive God's grace, then we have no hope of eternal life and whatever you experience here on this earth for the short 70 or 80 years, that's it.
But God's grace doesn't effect us only when our physical bodies die. No read again what Paul says the benefit of grace is for us today, ""For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while wait for the blessed hope.."
The grace of God is the message of Christmas. Grace is the one true lasting and satisfying gift of Christmas. If we don't receive it all the other gifts are inconsequential.
My prayer for you today - in your groggy, ate too much, slept too little holiday time, is that you've accepted the free gift of God's grace.
If you're still confused about this - not sure and want to know more - then The Grove is the place to come and grow and learn.
This Sunday we will be treated to some awesome life stories of God's transformation in the lives of those who attend Teen Challenge. Come early to get a good seat.
Then beginning January 6th we begin an exciting message series entitled "Work Matters". We will explore topics such as: What Should I Do With My Life? How Do I Balance Life and Work?
Work Matters: How Do I Mange My Money? How Do I Leave A Legacy?
I hope you can come and grow with us at The Grove and maybe even bring someone you care about to one of our services.
In the meanwhile, let's take a moment over the last few days of 2007 and reflect on how blessed we are. I hope to recall some of the highlights at The Grove in my next blog.
While you are in the reading mood - check out two new blogs by Carolyn and Vince - I think you'll enjoy them too! You can find them at http://groveworship.blogspot.com/ and http://mediathegrove.blogspot.com/
Remaining in His Grip,
Jeff
I can't tell you how many times I heard someone say or said it myself - "It just doesn't feel like Christmas!"
As much as I like change and new things to happen in my life - consistency at Christmas is something I've cherished. Yet the older I get it seems that my expectations of Christmas each year are unrealistic. As hard as I try to control it, I don't have the ability to do so.
Let me explain. All my growing up years I believed it was almost heresy to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve like some weird families did. Then as our kids grew up, got married, and moved away we realized if we were going to have any quality time with them we needed to do it Christmas Eve.
This year added a new little wrinkle - our son in law Scott was being deployed to Iraq for the third time December 29th! That meant he and his family couldn't travel away from Ft. Campbell (Army rules) so we snuck down there before Christmas to see Jenny graduate from college and briefly celebrate with Scott.
We're hoping Jenny can come up soon after Scott leaves so we can celebrate with her and our grandson.
But what about next year? Will there be more challenges? You can count on it. As soon as you think you've got things figured out - you realize you don't.
That leads me to the spiritual part of this blog. STOP! Don't go away just because I said that word Spiritual.
There is one thing you can count on Christmas after Christmas, year after year. It's something we all need more than another sweater, tie or the obligatory Starbucks gift card.
Rick Ezell in one of the blogs I subscribe to writes:
"What do you need for Christmas? The question of need is not the same as the question of want. I suspect that what we need is vastly different from what we want. I've said many times, and I suspect that you have to, in response to the question, what do you want for Christmas? "You know, I don't really need anything."
There's one gift I need, and I need it 365 days a year. I need it every bit as much as the air I breathe, and the water I drink, and the food I eat, and the shelter over my head, and the love of my family. In fact, I need it more than any of these. And you need it too.
What's beautiful about this gift is that it doesn't cost us anything; it's available to all."
Later in the blog Rick reminds us of what Paul said when he wrote to his friend Titus: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good" (Titus 2:11-14 NIV).
Can you guess what the gift is? It's not something you have to stand in long lines to return today. Have you ever received it? Be careful, most of us miss the gift we all need for Christmas. It's Grace!
We are told in the Bible that because of our sin we are separated from God. But God provided a way out of the punishment we deserve - he sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty. Without receiving Christ, which means to receive God's grace, then we have no hope of eternal life and whatever you experience here on this earth for the short 70 or 80 years, that's it.
But God's grace doesn't effect us only when our physical bodies die. No read again what Paul says the benefit of grace is for us today, ""For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while wait for the blessed hope.."
The grace of God is the message of Christmas. Grace is the one true lasting and satisfying gift of Christmas. If we don't receive it all the other gifts are inconsequential.
My prayer for you today - in your groggy, ate too much, slept too little holiday time, is that you've accepted the free gift of God's grace.
If you're still confused about this - not sure and want to know more - then The Grove is the place to come and grow and learn.
This Sunday we will be treated to some awesome life stories of God's transformation in the lives of those who attend Teen Challenge. Come early to get a good seat.
Then beginning January 6th we begin an exciting message series entitled "Work Matters". We will explore topics such as: What Should I Do With My Life? How Do I Balance Life and Work?
Work Matters: How Do I Mange My Money? How Do I Leave A Legacy?
I hope you can come and grow with us at The Grove and maybe even bring someone you care about to one of our services.
In the meanwhile, let's take a moment over the last few days of 2007 and reflect on how blessed we are. I hope to recall some of the highlights at The Grove in my next blog.
While you are in the reading mood - check out two new blogs by Carolyn and Vince - I think you'll enjoy them too! You can find them at http://groveworship.blogspot.com/ and http://mediathegrove.blogspot.com/
Remaining in His Grip,
Jeff
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Hoover The Red-Nosed Westie
Okay, okay before I get too much flack for dressing our 1 year old in a reindeer costume let me confess something - Cindy did it! I'm sorry honey but I don't want to take the rap for this one.
So how nonspiritual to write about your dogs - I'm getting to it, just be patient.
We picked up Hoover's little sister on Saturday - she will be known as Kirby. She's a bit past 10 weeks and already the boss of the household. In watching her and Hoover together I came to some conclusions about life.
#1- we all need to set priorities. Our breeder (Carol Schedler) did such a good job in the early development of this puppy that we can either go with the program and have it easy or fight it and have a mess. So we are on Kirby's schedule right now. Up at 5:30 with mom, plays, outside to do her business, back inside eats breakfast, plays some more, outside and then back to bed about 8am and she sleeps til almost noon. I won't bore you with all the rest of the days activities but I'm reminded that first things have to come first. A devotion I got today said this:
"Speaking to the recent Alabama Baptist Convention gathering, Richard Blackaby insisted the most important thing any leader can do is to go deeper in his or her walk with God.“If spiritual leadership is about taking your church into a more intimate walk with God, you cannot give what you do not have,” Blackaby said. “You can talk about it, you can point in that direction, but you can’t take them there unless you’ve been there yourself.”
I'm going to work harder at this.
#2- life is a tug of war. Sometimes you seem to win, other times someone else - the good news is we all win in the end (that is if you've trusted Christ). I plan on holding on and not letting go.
#3- playtime is fun and good for you. Seeing the puppies run and bounce on the front yard makes me laugh out loud. We all need to run and bounce more!
#4- you have to stand up for yourself. Hoover has put Kirby in her place several times. But that doesn't stop her from trying to get one over on him. That's a lot like the enemy - if you give in - give him a foothold - you will play heck shaking him off of you later.
I'm sure there are many more lessons to come. I'm just too exhausted to think of any more - maybe I'll just curl up on the couch with the westies and take a nap too!
Til next time I'm in His Grip,
Jeff
So how nonspiritual to write about your dogs - I'm getting to it, just be patient.
We picked up Hoover's little sister on Saturday - she will be known as Kirby. She's a bit past 10 weeks and already the boss of the household. In watching her and Hoover together I came to some conclusions about life.
#1- we all need to set priorities. Our breeder (Carol Schedler) did such a good job in the early development of this puppy that we can either go with the program and have it easy or fight it and have a mess. So we are on Kirby's schedule right now. Up at 5:30 with mom, plays, outside to do her business, back inside eats breakfast, plays some more, outside and then back to bed about 8am and she sleeps til almost noon. I won't bore you with all the rest of the days activities but I'm reminded that first things have to come first. A devotion I got today said this:
"Speaking to the recent Alabama Baptist Convention gathering, Richard Blackaby insisted the most important thing any leader can do is to go deeper in his or her walk with God.“If spiritual leadership is about taking your church into a more intimate walk with God, you cannot give what you do not have,” Blackaby said. “You can talk about it, you can point in that direction, but you can’t take them there unless you’ve been there yourself.”
I'm going to work harder at this.
#2- life is a tug of war. Sometimes you seem to win, other times someone else - the good news is we all win in the end (that is if you've trusted Christ). I plan on holding on and not letting go.
#3- playtime is fun and good for you. Seeing the puppies run and bounce on the front yard makes me laugh out loud. We all need to run and bounce more!
#4- you have to stand up for yourself. Hoover has put Kirby in her place several times. But that doesn't stop her from trying to get one over on him. That's a lot like the enemy - if you give in - give him a foothold - you will play heck shaking him off of you later.
I'm sure there are many more lessons to come. I'm just too exhausted to think of any more - maybe I'll just curl up on the couch with the westies and take a nap too!
Til next time I'm in His Grip,
Jeff
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Hanging of the Greens
Well it's official - the holidays are here! The sanctuary was decorated as we learned the meaning of Advent (Latin for"the coming"), the significance the advent wreath (reminds us of God's eternal nature- no beginning and no end), evergreen branches (eternal promise of renewal), holly (red berries point to Christ's blood shed and the green eternal life in Christ), and mistletoe (symbolizes peace - don't get caught under the doorway), Chrismons (check out the neat tree ornaments our kids made proclaiming the names of Christ), poinsettias and the candy cane (ask one of the participants to explain it!)
Friday night we will enjoy another Family Movie Night by showing Ratatouille. "Remy is a young rat in the French countryside who arrives in Paris, only to find out that his cooking idol is dead. When he makes an unusual alliance with a restaurant's new garbage boy, the culinary and personal adventures begin despite Remy's family's skepticism and the rat-hating world of humans."
We have lots of popcorn and our new HD screen is working out great! We start at 7pm so be on time and why not bring a friend!
Our new series entitled "When Angels Speak" will begin this Sunday when we will focus on the myths and truths about angels and focus on the angel visitation to Mary. We have some great media, music and food for all who come out.
Make sure you mark your calendars for the 11pm Christmas Eve service and bring those empty milk jugs in so we can light the path to The Grove with luminaries.
There are so many great things happening at The Grove - time won't let me tell you them all - so stay tuned!
In His Grip,
Jeff
Friday night we will enjoy another Family Movie Night by showing Ratatouille. "Remy is a young rat in the French countryside who arrives in Paris, only to find out that his cooking idol is dead. When he makes an unusual alliance with a restaurant's new garbage boy, the culinary and personal adventures begin despite Remy's family's skepticism and the rat-hating world of humans."
We have lots of popcorn and our new HD screen is working out great! We start at 7pm so be on time and why not bring a friend!
Our new series entitled "When Angels Speak" will begin this Sunday when we will focus on the myths and truths about angels and focus on the angel visitation to Mary. We have some great media, music and food for all who come out.
Make sure you mark your calendars for the 11pm Christmas Eve service and bring those empty milk jugs in so we can light the path to The Grove with luminaries.
There are so many great things happening at The Grove - time won't let me tell you them all - so stay tuned!
In His Grip,
Jeff
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving
Cough, cough, hack, hack.
Not exactly the way I expected to spend my Thanksgiving! It was already going to be a little strange in that Cindy and I would be celebrating it alone, but to get sick on top of it?
Isn't if funny what we let get us down? In my message this Sunday I will be sharing why our thanksgiving must be continual and not contingent. We have too many examples in the scripture of those who have praised God in the middle of pretty bad circumstances. I hope I can do justice to this important topic.
While I have your attention I want to take time to give thanks for my friends and family at The Grove!
This has been a turbulent year for us as a congregation and for many of your families - and yet - we have grown closer together and are unified in our call and mission to "Know, Go, show and Sow".
Thank you to a hospitality team that week after week shows the love of God to first time guests and regular attenders alike.
Thank you to a worship team that week in and week out bring the best they've got to help us enter into the presence of God.
Thank you to a media team that always makes my messages better.
Thank you to some pretty amazing folks we call coaches who love our kids and teach them God's Word every week.
Thank you to life growth group leaders who care for our members through thick and thin.
Thank you to a steering committee who provide Godly direction to this church.
Thank you to all who serve in various roles - too many to list here.
Thank you to all who support the Grove through their time, treasure and talents.
The holidays are upon us and I am really looking forward to our Hanging of the Greens this Sunday evening at 6pm. Bring a dessert and a decoration for our meeting place and watch how we can transform it as we remember the symbolism of the season.
1 Thes 5:18 - "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Jeff
Not exactly the way I expected to spend my Thanksgiving! It was already going to be a little strange in that Cindy and I would be celebrating it alone, but to get sick on top of it?
Isn't if funny what we let get us down? In my message this Sunday I will be sharing why our thanksgiving must be continual and not contingent. We have too many examples in the scripture of those who have praised God in the middle of pretty bad circumstances. I hope I can do justice to this important topic.
While I have your attention I want to take time to give thanks for my friends and family at The Grove!
This has been a turbulent year for us as a congregation and for many of your families - and yet - we have grown closer together and are unified in our call and mission to "Know, Go, show and Sow".
Thank you to a hospitality team that week after week shows the love of God to first time guests and regular attenders alike.
Thank you to a worship team that week in and week out bring the best they've got to help us enter into the presence of God.
Thank you to a media team that always makes my messages better.
Thank you to some pretty amazing folks we call coaches who love our kids and teach them God's Word every week.
Thank you to life growth group leaders who care for our members through thick and thin.
Thank you to a steering committee who provide Godly direction to this church.
Thank you to all who serve in various roles - too many to list here.
Thank you to all who support the Grove through their time, treasure and talents.
The holidays are upon us and I am really looking forward to our Hanging of the Greens this Sunday evening at 6pm. Bring a dessert and a decoration for our meeting place and watch how we can transform it as we remember the symbolism of the season.
1 Thes 5:18 - "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Jeff
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Competition
For some that word conjures up excitement and a ready spirit - for others fear. If you were like me and one of the last kids chosen to be on their team, it's the second one.
Ahhh, it's that time of year when my blood runs maize and blue and I can't stand red and white (actually I've been reprimanded, its red and scarlet. Whatever!)
Anyway, this Saturday the yearly rivalry between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines commences in Ann Arbor. We'll celebrate this competition at The Grove on our big screen over some chili dogs and nachos and cheese starting at 11:30am.
But all this talk of competition reminded me of a meager attempt at songwriting that I did years ago. I was part of a Christian rock band called "The Common Bond" and we travelled around the country sharing mostly original tunes. It was at the same time I had started my first church, Detroit Contemporary Christian Center in an old Jaycees Hall that smelled of stale beer and bleach.
Well one day as I was struggling to figure out why church attendance seemed to fluctuate so much, I thought about this word, competition. If my memory serves me right (because I wrote the song on a napkin and who knows where it is now) part of the chorus went, "There may be competition for Sundays, but there's no competition for the Lord, (hold that thought I think I know where my older song folder is)............nope can't find it but wait.........better yet I found an old recording of it now I've got to find a cassette player --hold on.......
OK, it was fun thinking how good it was in my head and then why did I go and listen to it?
Anyway, continuing, "There may be competition for Sundays, but there's no competition for the Lord, there's no need to fear your Mondays, when He's armed you with his shield and sword."
So where am I going with this? Well, this week I'll conclude our series on "Making the Most of Your Life" by talking about our weekends. I'll talk about something that I've found to be crucial in my walk with the Lord - a Sabbath. I hope to open your eyes to some ideas you hadn't thought of and maybe the lyrics of my song are relevant to you today.
Anyway, all this talk of chili dogs has me salivating so I guess I'll sign off and look forward to seeing you Saturday at 11:30am for some fun competition and then Sunday at worship- that is if nothing else is calling your name!
In His Grip,
Jeff
Ahhh, it's that time of year when my blood runs maize and blue and I can't stand red and white (actually I've been reprimanded, its red and scarlet. Whatever!)
Anyway, this Saturday the yearly rivalry between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines commences in Ann Arbor. We'll celebrate this competition at The Grove on our big screen over some chili dogs and nachos and cheese starting at 11:30am.
But all this talk of competition reminded me of a meager attempt at songwriting that I did years ago. I was part of a Christian rock band called "The Common Bond" and we travelled around the country sharing mostly original tunes. It was at the same time I had started my first church, Detroit Contemporary Christian Center in an old Jaycees Hall that smelled of stale beer and bleach.
Well one day as I was struggling to figure out why church attendance seemed to fluctuate so much, I thought about this word, competition. If my memory serves me right (because I wrote the song on a napkin and who knows where it is now) part of the chorus went, "There may be competition for Sundays, but there's no competition for the Lord, (hold that thought I think I know where my older song folder is)............nope can't find it but wait.........better yet I found an old recording of it now I've got to find a cassette player --hold on.......
OK, it was fun thinking how good it was in my head and then why did I go and listen to it?
Anyway, continuing, "There may be competition for Sundays, but there's no competition for the Lord, there's no need to fear your Mondays, when He's armed you with his shield and sword."
So where am I going with this? Well, this week I'll conclude our series on "Making the Most of Your Life" by talking about our weekends. I'll talk about something that I've found to be crucial in my walk with the Lord - a Sabbath. I hope to open your eyes to some ideas you hadn't thought of and maybe the lyrics of my song are relevant to you today.
Anyway, all this talk of chili dogs has me salivating so I guess I'll sign off and look forward to seeing you Saturday at 11:30am for some fun competition and then Sunday at worship- that is if nothing else is calling your name!
In His Grip,
Jeff
Monday, November 5, 2007
Spring Forward, Fall Back
Spring forward, fall back. Beginning in 2007, most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November. Wish we were springing forward!
Did you know fall back means different things?
Wikipedia states: "Fall back is a feature of a modem protocol in data communication whereby two communicating modems which experience data corruption (due to line noise, for example) can renegotiate with each other to use a lower-speed connection. Fall back is also a military term and command meaning to retreat and temporarily cease combat."
If you were blessed to be in attendance on Sunday at our 24 month anniversary then you would agree that the military definition doesn't fit The Grove! We are not retreating nor are we ceasing combat. I guess you could say we are springing forward!
Many first time attenders and several returning for the second time. We enjoyed a great breakfast buffet - our worship team created another great environment for worship with their version of "More To This Life"- we viewed pictures from the past 24 months and we started a new series entitled, "24, Making The Most of Life".
Next Sunday we'll hold a tail gate party and enjoy our new wide screen and watch the Browns and Steelers.
The month of November is dedicated to signing up for one of our Life Growth Groups (small groups) and we are on our way to having everyone involved in this life growth experience.
Our new web site is under construction - feel free to check it out and give me your impression. It is www.grovechurch.cc
See you Sunday when we'll talk about Making The Most of My Life: Family Time.
As always feel free to make comments or contact me with prayer needs or concerns.
Jeff
Did you know fall back means different things?
Wikipedia states: "Fall back is a feature of a modem protocol in data communication whereby two communicating modems which experience data corruption (due to line noise, for example) can renegotiate with each other to use a lower-speed connection. Fall back is also a military term and command meaning to retreat and temporarily cease combat."
If you were blessed to be in attendance on Sunday at our 24 month anniversary then you would agree that the military definition doesn't fit The Grove! We are not retreating nor are we ceasing combat. I guess you could say we are springing forward!
Many first time attenders and several returning for the second time. We enjoyed a great breakfast buffet - our worship team created another great environment for worship with their version of "More To This Life"- we viewed pictures from the past 24 months and we started a new series entitled, "24, Making The Most of Life".
Next Sunday we'll hold a tail gate party and enjoy our new wide screen and watch the Browns and Steelers.
The month of November is dedicated to signing up for one of our Life Growth Groups (small groups) and we are on our way to having everyone involved in this life growth experience.
Our new web site is under construction - feel free to check it out and give me your impression. It is www.grovechurch.cc
See you Sunday when we'll talk about Making The Most of My Life: Family Time.
As always feel free to make comments or contact me with prayer needs or concerns.
Jeff
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