Simplicity of the Segway

I just rode my first Segway this past Sunday. We had them in the church fellowship hall/gym and folks were given rides (laps) around the gym. As I watched people jump up and take off it looked like a simple thing. When it came my turn I was amazed at how you made it go. No buttons just pressure from your toes to go. A simple lean and that is how you turn. I jumped on it and within just a few seconds I was on my way and in control. The Segway was doing the work but I was the one driving.

There is a lesson to be learned here. Most often people make life complicated. They, by there own devices allow life to become noisy, fast paced, hectic, even frantic. The over schedule, over promise, over do it - in an effort to pursue the American dream.

God has a plan for our lives, not to make them perfect, but to make them simpler. When we listen to his instructions and pursue His dream for us, it gets easier. Make no mistake, I am not saying without difficulty. What I am saying is that it works for us not against us. The Segway worked with me to help me get forward movement. That is what God is saying to us in his word when he says..."Take my yoke which is easy, and my burden which is light" (Matt 11:29.30). What could we do get out of the Rat Race and join God's Race. What could we do to change how we live ...so that its for His dream not our own.

Greater Things

I'm looking to God for greater things. Greater things with my walk with God, at our church and in my personal life. I believe as the Chris Tomlin song says that God still has greater things have yet to come for all of us. We must apply the formula we learned this past Sunday - faith+courage+effort+time = fulfillment(repeat). It begins with the faith that God places in our hearts and that we lean into as God breathes new vision and new dreams into our lives.

This Sunday is going to be spectacular. I pray that you are making plans to be a part of the Tailgating Event here at Horizons church as we reach out to each other in fellowship and our community with love and a warm welcome. You never know the power of acceptance with someone until they reach a teachable moment. Just think about that for a bit.

Let's trust Him for Greater Things as we Dream Big this week.

Talk at you soon.

Pastor Rich

Walking with Peace

I woke up this morning with a song in my head.."All I Need is You" by Hillsongs United. I also had a passage... Phil 4:5-7 which says that we should not be anxious about anything but to pray so that the peace of God will guard our hearts and guard our minds. It's so easy to just go into each day in our strength, but we should be doing it in God's strength. God is the giver of dreams, but it is not achievable unless we learn to realy on Him. What are some ways that you practice the discipline of reliance? What are some ways you find peace in the midst of the pace of life.

Jay

Lessons we learned and big weekend we had

I am going to share what I have learned during this past series this coming Sunday. We started this journey of David and it became very clear that we can all relate to David and or one of the people in his life. What did you learn and how has that changed you? I would love to share these stories on Sunday. Go to the discussion on our Facebook page or comment here.

Huge thanks to our volunteers this past weekend. We are blown away by the volunteerism that made our Sunday service and dinner so successful. I love to see the truth of "many hands make light work" and that was no more apparent than the transformation of the facility on Sunday afternoon.

This weekend a Jr High lock in with 44 of them plus leadership. We had a Men's Group and Fit meeting on Saturday. 633 in two services on Sunday and near 400 returned for a luau that evening. Wow - big weekend. Can't wait for Tailgating 2010..

Blessings to all

Pastor Jay

An Intervention?

I find it interesting that TV has popularized this idea of intervening someone in an out of control habit. I guess it makes good TV to see someone on the brink of failure or death, plagued by some habitual addiction that controls them. I am not making light of it, I just ask the question why wait on the intervention.

When it comes to our spiritual journey that we and our friends have, why do we wait? My prayer and hope is that we can trust each other to speak into our lives. This passage Heb 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ", speaks to us about being a people that help one another and pick each other up so that we don't fall. That positive relationships don't happen without trying, risking, trusting, and acting. Let's move forward together. Pick each other up, intervene when someone gets tempted. Help each other when we are tired. Let's make the devil mad by showing that our fear of acceptance will not rule out over our purpose as the church of Jesus Christ.

I am amped about sharing this final piece of the life of David and the relationships that he had. This Sunday will focus on the the Risk to confront, in love, for the sake of someones soul.

J

Make your heart work through your hands

I love to see life change. We are a blessed church because life change is happening everywhere. Prayerfully, most of it for the better. The joy of reading the testimonials from our communication cards and hearing stories of a changed life is awesome. When we see and hear the stories of Life's journey with people, as they share in the Baptismal, it blesses all of our hearts.

The heart is being changed and we are seeing that played out into how our lives are lived, differently. My passion is to see the character and action of Christ lived out in our real world situations. This week we will talk about how one man made a commitment to another and it changed everything. His commitment was followed up in his actions as he proved to be someone that understood the concept of his actions have to follow his words.

Let's all challenge ourselves to not just be hearers of the word, but doers as well.

Be the miracle that someone in your path needs.

Jay

Slow road to bitterness

I see so many relationships start out with promise, passion, and hope. Yet often, over time we see a deterioration of that relationship. What once was filled with love and laughter is replaced by apathy and bitterness. Is it because we place unreal expectations upon it? Is it because we don't understand the trials of life? Is it because of us or them or both we ask? Whatever the case may be, the drama of our life's journey can take a toll and the people closest to us suffer.

Here's the good news, it's not too late to make a change. God is the God of a second chance, a third chance and even more. If we allow ourselves to learn from the mistakes that we make and learn from the people in the bible and the mistakes they made, success can be had. We can learn some keys to keep our heart soft and enriched in the joy of the Lord. This Sunday the drama "The Pride and the Passion" continues with some fresh perspective on how we can have great relationships. Don't miss this important and life changing message, and invite a friend to HC.

Shalom

Jay