final thought of the year...Pray more

Well this is the last blog of the year. In reflection, this year sure moved quickly. I think of all the things that we experienced and faced. We truly had some marvelous moments in our service and events. We also had some trying moments as well as we faced difficulties as well.

God was faithful through it all. His mercies endure forever. What came out of this past year was a fresh stimulus to pray. It is the most important, effective thing we will ever do. That is why I Thess 5 tells us to ..."Pray without ceasing". Our human nature likes to relax when we accomplish something or overcome something. We pray while in crisis, and usually stop until the next one shows. Whether we are on the mountaintop or in the valley...we should always be praying.

We are very excited to share some of our plans and how prayer will play a part. This weekend we will be sharing on how Prayer Prepares the Way.

I encourage you to make this resolution...Pray more. After making said resolution; keep it. As we pray...we will see that anything can happen.

Merry Christmas

If you know anything about me; you know I love this time of year. I love all of the trappings of the Christmas season -the music, the movies, the decorations - the candy and food - the family time, etc.

What I love most of all is depicted in the simplicity of Linus on stage reciting the story of Christmas in the classic moves A Charlie Brown Christmas...

Charlie Brown: “Isn't there ANYONE who knows what Christmas is all about?!?!

Linus: "Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about."

Linus: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ ” (Luke 2:8-14)“You see, Charlie Brown—that’s what Christmas is all about.”

In 1965, Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz was asked to create a Christmas special for CBS. When it was time to review the script, CBS executives and producers said it was “way too religious for a secular audience.” The brass advised cutting Linus’ monologue from Luke 2 and other biblical/Christian references, but Schulz insisted that they stay in. The brass said the characters should be voiced by adult actors, but Schulz insisted on actual children. The brass wanted to add a laugh track, but Schulz insisted on a simple combination of piano music and silence behind the voices. The brass eventually acquiesced and agreed to air the special as Schulz had conceived it, but CBS braced for a flop and prepared to write off their losses. What happened? America embraced A Charlie Brown Christmas. It struck a chord in the heart and soul of the nation.

That simple message of the love of God for His children still strikes a chord in my heart and it is my prayer for you this Christmas season - that you may join with me and Linus in beholding, rejoicing and comprehending the true meaning of the season.

Hope to see you at one of our 4 services this weekend -December 24th at 6pm and 8pm and December 25th at 9a and 11a(these services are at the top of my most favored moments during Christmas - receiving communion and singing Silent Night in the glow of the lit candles that remind us that the Light of the world has come in the person of Jesus)

Pastor Rich

Following the Star

The shepherds saw the angels, the wise men followed a star. The followed it to find the savior of the world. You may ask; did they really know all that was attached to this moment?Did they really know that songs would be written, that the Bible with the Greatest Story ever told would include them? I think not.

Yet; even for us to follow that unction could lead to something greater. A spiritual unction that leads to that solitary act could become the special moment that we all desire. More importantly it led to a truly divine moment. Could all that separates our lives from divine moments be the act of hearing and surrendering to God's spirit as it compels us.

I don't think we can say that we are not spiritual enough. The wise men were stargazers, magi, oriental astrologers. Not predictors of the future but rather those studying the skies, seasons, and time. The shepherds were not learned spiritual men, nor were they scholars but yet they are now included in plays, songs, scenes set on lawns and coffee tables. Just think perhaps the greatest story being told of today could include you; there is just one thing that separates you from something greater.

Sunday we will look at how a spiritual unction with a solitary action could lead to something genuinely special.

Blessings

Pastor Jay

Which one am I?

Hard question time - would people say you are more of a complainer or a rejoicer? Think about that - most of us do a great job of complaining; and a not so good job of rejoicing. But it's not a job; it's supposed to be the reality of our heart attitude. On Sunday, we are going to examine some reasons to rejoice as we continue our new series Even Greater. Hope to see you there or listen/watch next week at http://web.me.com/horizonschurch/Horizons_Church/EG_Main_Page.html

Pastor Rich

Even Greater

We begin a new series on Sunday called(you guessed it!) Even Greater. There is a "great" song by Planetshakers by the same title that says we believe for even greater, we believe for more. As we continue in this journey of hope rising and hopes expressed; we are believing God for even greater and hopes fulfilled.

I am excited to be a part of what God is doing in our midst as we pursue Him with our whole heart.

I encourage you to truly get serious about your faith. Don't let your faith be a piece of your life; but rather let it be the center of your life. Jesus doesn't want the scraps from our table. As we pursue Him - Even Greater comes.


Pastor Rich

Hope Prevails

We are three weeks into our series on Building Hope. Many people have expressed their Hope on our board. We are praying, believing and hoping to see them fulfilled. In fact a few cards have appeared on the Fulfilled board. With that in mind I will share this Sunday on how we can embrace our situations with expectation. There are some real scriptural truths that enable each and everyone of us as Christ followers to live in genuine Hope...that can become tangible miracles. We do have history behind us, present miracles to glorify God with, thus a future to believe in. This is not false hope or hope as the world would rely on. This is biblical Hope that finds it source on Almighty God.

I can't wait to share this message as it has blessed me in preparation. Hope wins.

Pastor Jay

Hope Rising

Our current sermon series is titled Building Hope; and I pray that your hope is being built.

Life is full of pain, sometimes, public, sometimes, personal and often private. How do handle the pain that life often brings to us; we will delve into that topic on Sunday. Our hope is found in the journey through such pain and the truth of God's unfailing love, grace and sustainment during such times. God is ever faithful to dispense to us the measure of encouragement that helps us overcome the intensity of our pain.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Rich

Dreams on Detour

Let's all face it. Dreams are wonderful to talk about it. One of the most exciting times we have in life is in the dream phase. We can dream all the marvelous things we can and will do. However the journey can be long, hard, difficult, and sometimes depressing. The truth is that to pursue our dream is going to be pretty hard. It was true in the Bible for anyone pursuing their God dream. It's true today of our dreams. Yet, there is Hope that God who gave us a dream, will give us the ability to see it through. This is the key...that it is a God work.

Phil 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus"

If God put it in you, and you continue down His path, no matter the difficulty, the detour, or the delay... it can come true. I write this to encourage you and to give you the courage to renew your dreams.

Take the next step and watch what happens when we sow spiritual seeds in prayer and God's word. Strength will fill you up and enable you to go forward like never before.

Pastor J

Forgiveness

I have really been struggling through something recently. You want to know what it is? I'll let you know in a bit.

We are beginning a new series this coming Sunday; (i love semi colons) - it's called Building Hope. This concept has been stirring in my heart for months and I'm really looking forward to what God is going to do in us over the next month.

So back to forgiveness - you thought I'd forgot. I'm not struggling with forgiving someone, but rather with how the concept works when others don't repent. Think about this - when does God forgive us? He forgives us when we repent; until that time, He has an attitude of forgiveness towards us but is waiting on us to repent. That concept has me perplexed. We are to forgive others for when they harm and hurt us up to 70*7(don't do the math - if you do your being legalistic and missing the point). But what happens when others don't repent, how can we then forgive?

I believe it works more like this....We are to have an attitude of forgiveness at all times and even forgive others even when they don't repent. However, the intended end of forgiveness is reconciliation and a broken relationship is not reconciled until the cycle of forgiveness is complete. That cycle can' t be completed until repentance occurs. So, even though we have a heart of forgiveness towards all who offend; it's not complete unless they repent. And that is why we often feel a tension or struggle with those we haven't been able to reconcile with - because even though we have an attitude of forgiveness with them - the circle isn't repaired without the repentance and ultimate reconciliation. Often, I've struggled with this because I have forgiven others who haven't repented but still sense the unreconciled relationship. Now, here is the freeing part - if that is you - you've done your part - don't carry the burden of that unreconciled relationship - yes, pray for reconciliation, but don't' feel guilty or condemned.

I think the amazing thing in all of this is God's amazing grace to forgive us and give us a spirit of forgiveness towards others and ultimateley heal broken relationships.

Pastor Rich

Flow Time

Stagnation refers to something that has ceased to flow. It often refers to a body of water that has no in or no out and thus just sits there...becoming stagnant. We as believers can stagnate. We can have something in us, but no flow out and thus no fresh flow in. There is much for us to learn as we look to the word of God. It compels us not to become stale, rather to stoke the fire. It compels us to give, to serve, and to worship.

Are we satisfied with our Christian journey? Do we long for more? Do we hunger for more? Do we find ourselves desperate before we find ourselves in a desperate situation? These are important questions. Why? Consider what Christ says of the Laodecian church in Rev 3...."I know your deeds, you are not cold, you are not hot, so I will spew you out. Yuck..not a snowball, not a fireball, but a spitball. Interestingly enough we are preferred to be hot or cold, that is better than the middle. So right now as you read this blog...Are you feeling a little stale? Get the flow going my friends, it's flow time.

Pastor J

Worst Day Ever

I hear this expression often nowadays. Sometimes a person is joking when using this expression and at other times you sense that maybe that is the truth. For most of us, we can recount a day or at least narrow it down to a few days that were the worst day ever.

I don't know about you; but those days often become the springboard for a season for me. I have to work very hard and truly seek God to find a path out of depression and despondency. The beautiful thing is that God always has a path and that the perspective on the other side of the confusion is better than when we are going through those times. Not that we feel good about the experience but we have a better perspective. It is often in these times that I get confused about life.

The question for most of us, is how do I get from being confused to being focused again. Join us this Sunday as we will look at how God has created some pathways that lead us from here to there.

If you are having the worst day ever - don't give up, don't quit - God will walk with you, carry you, sustain you and guide you through every situation you face. Be encouraged, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world(sorry - had to preach a little there)

ps - I just caved - was trying to make it till November 1st - didn't make it - what am I talking about you may ask - just listened to the first Christmas music of the season... :)

Pastor Rich

Are you Lost?

Lost...not just a TV show, but a reality for many people wandering the earth. They wonder as they wander, asking what is life's meaning. Is this all there is? They seek fulfillment and happiness in very wrong places. They ask...what happened, why didn't this work out. People become disillusioned, disenchanted, misdirected...Lost.

Even the believer has to sift through his/her doubts. Trying to make sense of the trials of life, but in the end a little lost. Truthfully, we have all been there at one time or another. Not sure which path to take, scared to take another step, wondering and second guessing decisions we make.

There is one sure way to get back on track. Let the Holy Spirit and God's word navigate you. If you follow their guidance you are on your way to having that confidence of knowing your path..navigated. Join us this Sunday as we explore this place of being lost to an assurance of being navigated.

Pastor J

Why I Preach

In the emptiness of my fallow speech
I form my lips to utter some sound
that might illuminate the grandeur of who you are
to those whom you love and have entrusted into my care

I love to preach - to present the truth of God's word to those who have ears to hear. One of the challenges of preaching is the vastness of the audience. On any given Sunday, we have those who are new to the faith and are still growing in their basic understanding concerning the foundational concepts of God's truth and Love; and then we have the life long Christ follower who could probably preach the message better than me(some have even told me so :)

I don't say this to complain; I love the challenge. But the one thing I have to keep in my mind is that I am not trying to please you - no offense - I am just trying to honor God with what He calls me to do week in and week out. Just wanted to give you a window into the struggle of a guy who tries to be faithful to God's word and give you some insight into a thought of someone who gets to stand before God's people and speak.

So I invite you to come hear the feeble words of someone who just genuinely loves God this Sunday as we begin a new series called You are Here

Talk at you soon

Pastor Rich

Redemption for all

There is something wonderful about the message of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness comes to all who ask. Not just one singular time, but when we genuinely ask, time and time again. This Sunday we will look at scripture and see that we can even guard ourselves and walk holy.

We may not think we can, we may not think we could, but it's true for God's word is powerful and life changing. We can guard our actions and glorify God in the process. This is true living. Forgiven, not perfect, but striving and conscious to be the Church that God has called us to be. The key to all of this is seeking God...the bible states it in James 4 "Draw near to me, I will draw near to you."

God is not hard to get...It's us in our mind that is filled with doubt, fear,and guilt that keeps us from overcoming. Hide His word in your heart. Draw near to Him. Abide with Christ and watch how life changes ...even for the person who has followed Christ for awhile.

Blessings and I sincerely cannot wait for Sunday...Because the message of redemption is for everyone...What we tear up, God will build back.

Pastor Jay

Words are powerful

I heard some years ago about a study done by psychologists. They took a look at the power of words and how an insult or put down affects a person's well being. They found that for every negative word; it took seven positive words to heal it. They discovered a truth. They discovered a biblical truth..."Life and death are in the power of the tongue" - manifested in our words.

Consider the truth of God's all powerful word. Prov 18:21 (NASB) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Now don't dismiss this or be flippant about the power you possess. They are not just words. They are either death or life.

How do you talk to others? Specifically how do you talk to your family, your co-worker? You see that matters a lot. What are you seeding into them, death or life. How many of us, if we were really honest would take this power seriously and let it steer our thinking and steer our speaking so that we promoted life.

Pray and ask God to help you watch your tongue. Pray and ask God to guard your talk. Try to ensure that when you speak....God smiles.

Pastor Jay

The truth about how we feel

I'm an emotional guy - there, I've said it...I get hyped, excited, jazzed, happy - but I also get depressed, frustrated, angry, and sometimes, I even cry(okay - a lot of sometimes).

But a good question for all of us to be asking ourselves is are our emotions controlling us, or are we in control of our emotions.

Come check out the message this Sunday or listen online next week at horizonschurch.com as I'll be sharing 2 lies and one truth about our emotions.

Talk at you soon.

Pastor Rich

How I Think

I'm sure most of us are glad that people don't see all of our thoughts. Often, our mind is a battleground. It's why I love the scripture that says, we have the mind of Christ(1 Corinthians 2:16).

We all struggle with how we think about things, and that struggle is often a process of seeking a God orientation about what our view should be. We deal with this every day, it's just that some days are more difficult than others.

On 9/11, most of us in the Washington DC area were confronted with some very challenging thoughts. I know my thoughts affected me that day. For some period of time I was paralyzed by my own thoughts about what was taking place and by the horror that I was viewing on my TV screen. How do we cope with our thoughts? What boundaries/guardrails can we put in place before the moment of crises, temptation, struggle that can protect us and guide us through the challenging moment.

Come join us this Sunday as we reflect and remember the heroes and the loss of 9/11; and as we begin a new sermon series - Guardrails. I'll be preaching about How I/We Think.

See you Sunday

Pastor Rich

God builds back what storms blow down.

What a week. What a last couple of days as it pertains to our wild weather. Did you feel the aftershock at 1am last night. The forecast of hurricane Irene is moving west as of this moment. Wow! I can say in the past 5 plus years I have lived here that this is pretty eventful.

The potential for damage and cause for concern is genuine. However, I am reminded that as I seek God; He is in control. That doesn't mean that things don't happen they do. Yet God knows how to redeem, how to restore. I love what He does in our midst, in spite of ourselves.

I have a lot of new music in my Ipod. One of the new albums is Newsboys - Miracles. The sixth song is called "You build us back" It has really ministered to me. Because when the storms of life come, when our earth shakes, when our joy fails, He builds us back.

Be praying for God's protection over our community and pray for a great Sunday in ministry.

Blessings

Pastor Jay

Persistent Prayer

I'm sure most of us would feel pretty good about our prayer life if the evaluation was based upon the short, quick prayers that we are accustomed to. However, Jesus and the Bible introduce us to another type of prayer that is describes by such words as persistent, enduring, even birthing. If that becomes the basis by which our prayers are evaluated; I wonder how many of us would feel so accomplished.

Join us on Sunday as I will be preaching about persistent prayer - we begin our new series At The Movies and we will use the movie Rudy as a backdrop to the type of prayer that is enduring. Don't forget, there will be popcorn in both services.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich

spirit controlled

What if we tuned into all that the Spirit of God was saying to us? Right here, right now, what is he saying? Are we tuned in enough to notice. I am convinced after reading the bible that the Holy Spirit is nudging us, giving us feeling, an unction and we are ignoring it amidst all the noise and busyness of the day. The best self control is saying "here God have control." The bible says to us that if we live by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of our sinful nature. (Gal 5:16) Jesus told his disciples to abide in His vine, and we would bear much fruit. (John 15:5-8)

Wouldn't that be awesome, to be sin free and bearing much fruit? I encourage you all to grow in Christ, read your bibles, pray, and watch how that changes who we think, what we do, and what we talk about. We show Christs character.

Blessings - More on this Sunday,

Pastor Jay

Its our kindness

As I prepare to speak on the virtue of kindness, I am reminded of the song...Its Your Kindness. It says, "Its Your Kindness that leads us to repentance." We respond to the Kindness, mercy, love and compassion bestowed upon us by Jesus Christ.

So with this given to us, what should we be giving to our world? The truth is that one kind act could change someones life. One act that we do, could change someones day, week, or even life. When we think about doing kind acts, we usually gain opportunities. Kindness, being kind and loving in action toward others.

This is the skill that is encouraged for us to use in scripture. Look the easy way out is the main way, the hard way and the right way is to give kindness to those that don't deserve it. See you Sunday for more as we dig up the lost virtue of kindness.

Pastor Jay

In The Flow

There are times in our life where we hit a rhythm - where things are flowing nicely. It has been that kind of week for me in my work life; but what I hunger for is for that same flow spiritually.

Don't get me wrong - I sense God's presence in a strong way in my life and for our church; but I'm/we're not there yet. And by there - I mean in the Divine flow of His Spirit - but it's coming.

As with all things relating to God - there is a sense of grasping, but there is also the mystery. My words can't do justice to describe this concept. It's one of those - you know it when you see it(or when you experience it) kind of things and I can't wait for it to get here.

So for now - waiting on the Divine flow...

See you Sunday

Pastor Rich

Had to Make a Sudden Change

Have you ever been involved in something - a project, an activity, maybe driving somewhere and had to make a sudden change. It happened to me this week - I had to change the sermon for Sunday.

Let me give you a bit of insight - normally we plan/pray about our sermon series months in advance; and then spend effort and energy researching, putting together creative elements,and finally a sermon. The final sermon for each Sunday is put together the week prior - well, this week, I had to change the sermon because I felt the unction to preach about a different topic.

A primary question we must all deal with in life is - are we willing to go where God leads us? So see you Sunday for a sudden change in direction.

Pastor Rich

Faithful to the End

James 1:12 "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crownof life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."

Perserverance, ,faithfulness, commitment. These words should not be taken lightly. Nor should we allow them to lose their vigor. Commitment in the year 2011 is all about convenience. Commitment if it works for me, isn't too demanding and brings me everything I need.

Reading the Bible we begin to see these words and they are associated with Christians. They are encouragements and exhortations, commands to be faithful. Jesus was faithful. He didn't veer from course. He was fully committed to go to the Cross.

The challenge before us is to be committed. Never quit, keep moving forward. Commitment like that is powerful and moves mountains. We can't allow weariness to consume us. Rise up with the power of a faithful heart and keep moving forward.

Be there Sunday morning to get the rest of the story...

Pastor Jay

God Knows You

My inbox has been flooded this morning - on an average day I get over 100 emails; yet the thought in my mind is how many messages/prayers does God get every day. Millions by the minute and yet He knows each of us intimately and attends to each heart. I am amazed. Thank you God for loving me so much; and He loves you too.

On Sunday, we are going to examine an important word that requires that we integrate our hearts values into our daily actions.

We area also celebrating Father's Day - so we are making a video to honor dads and we need some pictures - so please email your pictures of dad with the kids to jimb@horizonschurch.com

See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich

Grateful to be grateful

I am grateful to be grateful. It is really awesome to say thanks to God and others because that shows and proves that I have been blessed. When I think something is accomplished by my awesomeness I can get proud. When I think that my title, or season, or name, or nationality has earned me some sort of privilege that's not being grateful.

You see our human nature makes us think that we are entitled. That because of "Who" we are everyone should bow down. The truth is that we need to learn to "Work Hard" like it depends on us and "Pray hard" like it depends on God. This bring us into a sense of accomplishment but also understanding that it was God. Thanks God.

James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" So it all comes from him. Listen, you have an abundance and if it is good...it's from God. Thank Him, and start practicing that idea of being grateful when others are showing entitlement. In the end see who gets more out of there practice and what it reaps in their life.

Be a blessing as you are blessed,

Pastor J

Tending to Your Growth

We are in the midst of a series called Weeds(yes, we've heard the jokes).

However, the concept of this series is serious stuff. What is growing in your life? One of our focuses this year is Cultivating. That means we are each responsible on a personal level for what happens in our spiritual growth.

When it comes to gardening - the concept is pretty basic - have good soil - plant something that can grow in that climate - get the proper amount of sunlight and water and keep out the weeds(and pests/insects - but that would be another sermon concept - so let's just stick with the weeds idea).

I just planted over 20 pots of tomatoes, flowers, herbs and peppers on my back deck -and so another cycle of growth begins - I'm excited to begin using the herbs in my cooking - to see the harvest begin in the next few months. But it all started with planting something and helping it grow. What is growing in your life? Seriously, what is is that you are trying to grow in your life? Yes, let's get rid of the weeds, but let's also focus on the growth.

OK - get to it...

See you this Sunday.

Pastor Rich

The Main Thing is.....

This week I will be sharing on the topic of the Weed of Weights. What are weights?. They are anything that hinders or encumbers your walk with Christ. It is easy for all of us to examine our life and identify the bad. We have no problem saying we need to watch our language, control our temptations, and to pursue holiness. However, do we stop and ask the question of what we are doing that seems mundane, or even fun, could be toxic.

We allow our life to take on some stuff along the way. It is not inherently bad, but it keeps us from taking time to do Godly things. If good is the enemy of great, what good things could we lay aside to become great. Weeds - need to be pulled. The weed that are weights need to be pulled. Don't be satisfied with good enough. God's grace and mercy are poured out for us. He suffered and died for us. Don't just pay lip service, do one good deed and call it good.

I encourage you to consider a life pursuing everything that God has for you. Drop the little things...TV...Technology...Sports...People...that weigh us down. Invest into time, people, and places that enrich your life and spiritual journey. You could do greater things, but it starts with a heart that is fully surrendered.

I do hope to see you Sunday, and join in our celebration as we Baptize several new men, women, and children. Who knows the day could be special for you, even life changing.

We serve an awesome God...

Pastor J

The Lamb of God

When John the Baptist saw he Jesus he proclaimed in John 1:29 - The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This is an especially important concept to the Jews of that day. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God. This week is the Feast of Passover - a perpetual feast established by God for the nation of Israel that celebrates and commemorates God's deliverance of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage and slavery. At the last plague, the Spirit of God moved over Egypt bringing both destruction to those opposed to God and freedom to the Jewish people. At every household, they would kill a lamb without blemish and then use the blood to paint over and around the doorposts of the home, and whatever home had this blood covering the angel would pass over that home.

For over 15 years my family and some friends have celebrated a modern day Passover on Good Friday. Jesus came and served as the sacrifice once and for all for anyone who would receive this act of grace and salvation. This is why Jesus is called the Lamb of God because he served as the final and complete sacrifice for the atonement for our sins so that our relationship with God can be repaired and restored.

This Sunday, we celebrate and commemorate once again God's love demonstrated in sending His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich

God is Able

This is the song by Planetshakers that I am playing over and over again right now.

I know my God is able
And I know His love never fails
I know my God is able
I believe in You

I trust in You with all my heart
Cause I know You have the master plan
So I'll throw my life into Your hands
For Your glory, for Your glory

I pray these lyrics encourage you as they do me. In every moment of our lives - God is able.

This Sunday we are examining the god of pride and comparing and contrasting the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus. It's interesting that two people that have similar backgrounds and economic status have different reactions to Jesus' teaching. The question we all have to ask ourselves is, how am I responding to the teaching of Jesus and God's word?

See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich

Breaking Habits

Habits, especially bad ones are hard to break. Why, because they are part of who we are at present. From the little things like specific words in our language, to the way we sit, the way we chew and many other things; they are things that characterize us. To break these mundane things to breaking the truly detrimental habits in our lives will take work. The first step awareness...That is where a good friend can help us to identify our blind spots. We can also be made aware by the Holy Spirit that can convict us. Second - decision. Making this decision is the best thing we do. We draw a line in the sand and say no more. Thirdly, the move to action. Now the first time we try this action (stopping or starting something) its pretty easy. We are motivated by our decision and can take that first step. Here is where the rubber meets the road..Fourthly, repeated action. This is where we crucify our flesh, battle our cravings, discipline our life and deny our human nature. It wars against us; and tries it best to beat us down. This is where many well intentioned people fail. However you don't have to fail, not at all. Why, because there is a payoff that is liberating, freeing, and energizing. We learn that to really live we have to die. Gal 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live." This is a powerful truth and I encourage you all to examine yourself and make a decision to put something in your life, a habit that needs to go away. When there is less of you then there can be more of Him. We all could use that. Blessings Pastor J

The God of People

Have you noticed how hard we work for relationships. Sometimes that work does not work because we aren't working right. We are working hard but not working smart, our priorities are out of whack. I often see relationships change because one party is looking at the other and hoping for them to earn their love, trust and acceptance. We serve the God of people in an effort to find acceptance, security, love, identity, and purpose. What if we started with serving God, and then allowing our other relationships to be fueled and directed by the Holy spirit. But, no we love to do it our way, the human way and put God on the back burner. We put His word, His instructions for life, His how to manual to the side. It is time for all of us to allow God to be not only our savior but also our Lord. Jer 17:5 says "Thus says the Lord, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind. And makes his flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord." Turn your heart to the Lord and learn to die to our self so we can really live. Blessings and prayers as we head to the season of Celebration - Easter.

God of a Second Chance

I need a second chance at some things, how about you? I have heard this referred to as a redo; but the thing with life is that when we commit certain acts, the consequences are already in place. We need a second chance to get what we missed the first time and to get a fresh start moving forward, even beyond the consequences or maybe in spite of them. I do believe that God is in the business of second chances even, third, fourth,etc. He is a God of great grace; something we could all grow in personally.

On Sunday, we are going to examine the process of a restart and conclude our Life in 3D series; and yes put an end to the cheesy 3D videos(have to be at the service to see them- for those of you who have been you know what I am talking about - for everybody else - just take my word on it).

Pastor Rich

Amazing People

I want to take a moment to say that we have some amazing people in this church family. I wish to brag on my team, the staff, and its many volunteers. Why? Because they get it- Ministry. We do these tasks, prepare our strategies, take on things all for the right reasons. To bless people and empower them to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Recently on a weekend we held a Friday night prayer event, hosted a Saturday ladies breakfast, ministered at the Micah Respite house in Fredburg, held both Sunday services, held a membership class simultaneously to services, met with one of our First Impressions team, and then on Monday had a team at Head Start serving another meal to those folks.

Wow! Many moving parts all bringing God glory in the service to His Kingdom. I love it. I really love people taking initiative to get things done. This four day time is outside of our regular team that goes to the Prison, or the team that goes to the Homeless shelter. Every Tuesday we have life group meetings at the facility. Things are happening and we have an amazing group of volunteers and staff. How about that Chili dinner, how about our kids and youth staff's. See what I mean...Amazing people doing good work.

Thanks to all of you that make Horizons a going, growing church. You rock.

Blessings

Pastor J

Supernatural Generosity

I'm still blown away by the supernatural generosity that our church shared in the past Sunday. Over $4000 was given through the spontaneous offering we collected for two special families in our church.

During Sync, we have looked at the special relationship we share with God and with other Christ followers. Koinonia is the biblical word that represents that unique relationship. On Sunday, we will conclude with Admonish One Another.

We normally view the concept of admonishing someone from the negative. In other words, correcting and warning or confronting. But there is also a positive aspect of admonoishing someone through encouragement and coaching. See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich

The Wonder of Prayer

Let me just get this out first - sign up for the worship and prayer night on February 25 from 6-10P - here is the link - http://www.horizonschurch.com/event-3

This night is designed to give you an opportunity to cultivate your spiritual growth. We will have open times of prayer and worship and special workshops designed to help you grow in your understanding of prayer. We even have a special workshop designed for kids and parents to attend so that families can talk learn about prayer together.

I love this amazing link we have with our Heavenly Father. During sync we are talking about our wireless connection with God and others; and prayer is a great vehicle for us to connect to God. I still remember encountering God through prayer at the young age of 6 - my mom tells me I used to pray consistently as a young boy and remember God's presence being strong in my life from a very early age. As a pastor at Horizons, I long for all people to connect to God in the same way.

See you Sunday as we look at how God calls us to Share with One Another. Something very special is going to take place on Sunday; don't miss this awesome service.

Pastor Rich

Acceptance

When I was 12 years old, there was a lot of transition and turmoil in my life. My dad had just resigned from a church in Radford, VA and was completing a secular job; so my mom moved us(me and my brother and sister and grandmother) to Lakeland, FL. We were waiting for dad to come join us, and we were pretty poor. We lived in one of those long term motels on the outskirts of town(much like you see along the older parts of Route 1). We stayed there for a few months before moving back to Virginia when dad started pastoring a church in Woodbridge.

During the time that we were there, I was struggling with being accepted. The school I attended had kids who had the nicer clothes and lived in town and they knew I was an outsider. It was a tough time. Where we lived there was this ragged dog that we befriended and accepted into our home - he was tattered and looked like he had been abused and was not well taken care of. Each day, we would feed this dog and try to get him back into shape. I came to love this little creature that most people would have been disgusted with. In alot of ways I identified with this dog who had been rejected by others and it was with a sad heart the one day he stopped coming around and shortly after we moved away. It is not often that I think about that dog; but as I am preparing for Sunday he entered my memory. How many of us have rejected others much like that dog had been. How many of us maybe feel like that little dog - tattered and abused by others, rejected by men.

On Sunday, we are going to examine acceptance from a Biblical perspective. We will talk about how God loves and welcomes and calls us to love and welcome the beautiful and the rejected, even ourselves.


See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich

What is this thing called Love?

That was a great delirious song. I guess it still is. No, I;m sure it still is. Ok enough Rich - move on.(what does it mean when you talk to yourself in a blog?)(also, you may want to look into a rhapsody subscription if you don't have one - it's a great way to listen to songs without the itunes requirement of a purchase)

A lot has been said about love; we actually preach about it quite a bit as well. A reason for that is that love is the foundation of all that we do and of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is the great commandment and the greatest of the graces. The truth is we will have a life long quest to understand and pursue this grace.

Sunday, we begin a new series called Sync and we will start by examining the biblical relationships we have with each other. The bible uses the word koinonia to describe these relationships; so come and discover what these loving relationships are about.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich

Lighten the Load

As we all are into a new year there is no doubt that a number of items have come up for us to do. Maybe we have some goals that require a new discipline? Maybe this season of winter has had an affect on our energy. Maybe we are feeling a little overwhelmed with keeping up the family items and personal lists. The commute is a bit longer. Weather is altering our normal schedule. All of this comes at us and can feel a bit overwhelming.

I remember a pastor saying to me one time...I am so busy that I need to pray for two hours instead of one. He reported that this time out, enabled his time in to be incredibly productive. His stress lowered and his ability to stay focused on the main things proved this principle out. It proved scripture out as well... Matt 11:28,29 states: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

I am continually learning to lean on Jesus, finding rest In Him and experiencing the truth of His gentleness. It is a hard lesson to learn for someone like me that likes to be in control and feel a sense of accomplishment from my To Do list. May we all learn to take this scripture to heart. Go to Him and let His love surround you in a fresh way ...do that today.

Pastor J

On the Ready

I used to drive a Ford Thunderbird...wait for it here comes the good part....SC. Now SC means supercharged. It had a more than a little extra. This was not your fathers T-Bird. It was a black, lean, T-topped driving machine. I have no idea about gas mileage, that was back in the day when gas was a tad cheaper (90's).

Anyhow it had such potential at speed. I loved to be on the highway and punch it. In fact for a passenger it was always fun to watch that head flip back toward the headrest. I am totally serious it would go and quickly. I didn't need a lot of speed driving around neighborhoods, but I found the passion for the power on hills, to pass someone, and of course for good ol fun.

This week I will be sharing the passage in Romans that challenges, even commands us to keep our spiritual fervor. We often equate that fervor with some high energy emotional action. That can be true, but that is not all fervor is. In fact fervor and zeal, passion are necessary in our Christian journey, sometimes to overcome hills, sometimes to pass by obstacles, sometimes just for good ol fun. Christianity should be loads of fun, I hope you are having a good journey.

Maybe we need to change our thinking...because I can't live at some high emotional level, but I can be on the ready to press the gas and see that spiritual passion rise to the occasion. There are some keys to staying fueled up - so I hope to see you Sunday it could be huge.

blessings

Pastor Jay

To Do

Its a New Year with lots to do already. Well as we all know this area and time of life many opportunities will be available to us. Things we can do, things we will do, things we may or may not do. However scripture tells us some things to do. What if we took the things that speak to our character and way of life from the word of God and made them a part of our To Do list.

Romans 12:9-21 is one of the most profound piece's of Paul writings to the Roman church and it literally reads like a list of things TO DO. So join us this Sunday as we kick off a new series and maybe a new way of approaching our spiritual walk.

As we begin this Sunday, we will take a look at love and how it plays an integral part of who we are as followers of Christ. Love should be part and parcel of who we are. Be encouraged but also challenged that we are commanded and encouraged to love. Let's learn to really love the actual way God has written to us....Unconditional, sacrificial, love.

Be blessed

pastor J