2012 Will Be?

Nobody can't predict the future but we can invision what we believe it will be. What the year will be like will stem from what we will become. If we set our sights on becoming better at the important things than we can trust our year will be great. What can I do to make things better for 2012?

I will pray more. Prayer is the power behind getting the will of God in our lives. I will not just pray but I will circle my prayers and claim the things God has for me.

I will plan better. If you do not have a plan you plan to fail. We cannot hit a target if we have not placed it.

I will have greater passion. If we do not have a passion for what we are doing we are missing the fuel we need to get things done.

These are just 3 things that I can focus on to make 2012 a great year.

Jesus Came To Save

Jesus is the Savior. What we could not do for ourselves Jesus did for us. We were lost and without hope but Jesus came to the rescue. What Love. What grace. What compassion. Jesus paid the price so that we could live in eternity with Him. Jesus took our sin so we could live life abundantly here in this life.

The greatest gift ever given was wrapped in cloths in a manger that Christmas night. The world would never be the same. Jesus Changed the world and Jesus has changed us. We have been transformed by the great power of God. The Holy Spirit has come to indwell every believer. God has given us his holy word to guide us down the highways of life.

Our Savior is with us always. He never leaves or forsakes us. We can always depend upon our Lord. In the bad and good of life he remains constant and faithful. Many things in life fail us but Jesus never fails.

The message remains safe and intact. Jesus came to save and I am so blessed that He saved me. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord can be saved. Call on Him today and you will find the Savior.

Very Encouraged

I have been extremely encouraged by the way the mission partners at the Springs have gotten behind our Christmas celebrations. We are having 2 service this year and that meant a 2 day committment during a very busy time of the year. I am also so blessed by the giving of God's people. People have donated alot of stuff to make our Chritmas celebrations a great success.

If we remember anything about Christmas it should be all about giving from the heart. The greatest gift ever given was our Savior Jesus. God's heart was moved by love as Jesus came to be our redeemer. "...the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

2012 is going to be an awesome year. I am sensing a huge anticipation in many people hearts as we enter into this new year. I am believing God for the greatest year of ministry in my life personally and the life of the Springs. I am also beleiving that Fellowship66 will see some great strides as in advances to plant more churches and ministries in San Antonio.

The need to get our churches growing with new souls is without question. We need to pray and work like never before. At stake in this spiritual battle are not only the souls of people but the need to advance to very truth of the Gods Holy Word.

In Christ,
Pastor George

Good Sunday

This morning I was a part of the Ordination for some of the leaders at the Promise Center. I was reminded that God is still calling people to the ministry because God is still at work in big ways.

We had a a very good service at the Springs. We had a good attendence, first time guests and an awesome offering. God Is so faithful. Todays offering was the largest offering I have ever been a part of for one Sunday.

Tonight we have our Christmas party. I am looking forward to the fellowship and deeping relationtionships during this holiday season.

This week we get ready for our Christmas services. One friday and one on Christmas eve.

1012 is right around the corner. I really believe we are instore for some huge things this new year.

Have a blessed week and God Bless.

Pastor George

From the Heart

Christmas is a season of the heart. Most people are still moved when they think of family and our close relationships. We all have people that are special to us. When God saw His world from begining to end he saw us and loved us. We are special to God. God wants the best for everyone of us. He knows the plans He has for us and those plans are awesome.

God wants to have one on one time with us. He wants some quality time with us. He wants to share His heart with us. When we think of Christmas we think of the people that God used to bring His plan to reality. Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, The wise men and everyone before and after.

Not everyone is receptive to what God is saying. When Joseph and Mary got the inn there was no room for them. Many times people make no room for what God wants to say to us during this season. People try to X Jesus out of Christmas. Let me just speak from my heart.

* Let Jesus love you
* Let Jesus be born in your heart
* Let Jesus reveal His great plan for your life
* Let Jesus be your Lord
* Let Jesus bring His joy during this holy season

Have a great day. Gods greatest blessing to you and your loved ones.

Sunday Update

Good Sunday...The weather kept a few people away but we still had a good group. I Preached the last message in my series LOST an FOUND. Using King David as an example we taught on how you can be lost and then found and then get lost again. David was lost in the crowd of his brothers but was found tending his fathers sheep when he was tapped to be the new King of Isael. Later as king, David lost his way by getting distracted and then losing sight of his position and purpose.

When David came to the realizaion of his waywardness he cried out to God and God came and restored David. David's story reminds us that when we truly are children of God we will return to the Lord. David called on God to be compassionate toward him and God responded by bringing him to the truth of Gods way. God cleansed him and restored his joy and life.

We can lose our way but God is faithful to finish His work in us. God will use the good and the bad to draw us closer to Him and His plan.

This week we have our 1st Wednesday gathering. We will gather to worship and encourage each other in Christ. Next Sunday I will not be starting a Christmas series but I will be preaching messages from the heart at Christmas. Christmas is a time to search our hearts. Christmas is a time to speak to the needs we all face.

God bless and have a great week.

Pastor George

Sunday Update

We had an awesome Sunday at the Springs. We had good attendance and we had a good response to the message "LOST and FOUND" part 2. We saw a few new faces in the crowd and that was nice. I can't put my finger on it but the Springs is in a good place right now. There is a new unity and a grasping of the vision to be growing church. New leaders are emerging and people are calling the Springs home.

As we enter the Christmas season and as we approach a new year there is much to do and many opportunities to sieze. I am praying that we keep the momentum going.

Speaking of prayer, I beleive that 2012 will be a year of prayer. As Mark Batterson stated "Work ethic + Prayer Ethic = Miracles. Pray as everything depends on God and work as if everything depends on us.

I had an blessed time helping lead worship for the Exchange church. I love to worship the Lord. This week we begin preparing for our Christmas service. This should be fun and exciting. Parties and fellowships and meetings mark the Decemember calander.

We are blessed to celebrate the birth of our Lord. Jesus is worthy of all the praise and attention because of His great love for us. He is Lord and God of all.

Until next week

Pastor George

Thankful

I am very thankful for my family. I have a great wife who makes our house a home. I have 3 awesome daughters that are such a blessing to me. I have 3 sons that I am proud of. I have 10 grandchildren that bring alot of joy to my life.

I have a great church family. I am blessed to pastor a church that has caught a vision of what God wants to do with us. The Future is bright for the Springs because we know that we serve a God who dares us to dream big.

I am thankful for our nation. America is the greatest nation on the earth today. We were established with Biblical principles and that is what has kept us strong. We need to pray for America. We need to pray for a revival in the church and for the lost of our nation. God wants us to be strong in Him.

What else am I thankful for:

The Bible
The Holy Spirit
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ
Strong worship
Prayer
Fellowship among Gods people
The Blood of Jesus
The Strong Name of Jesus

and so much more

Be Blessed,
Pastor George
www.livingspringsa.org

Sunday Update

We had a awesome day at the Springs this morning. 5 people gave their hearts to Jesus during our invitation. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Fellowship Lunch. We had great food provided by our mission partners. We tried out our new fellowship hall set up and it was a huge success.

I began a new series called LOST and FOUND. I am convinced that the message of salvation must be preached weekly. People need to have an opportunity to recieve there salvation through Jesus our Savior.

The Holy Spirit must be present in our services so that the convicting power of God will produce repentance and life change. I believe the Bible is Gods complete and trustworthy word. We can trust the Bible to be inspired of God and without error. I will stand on the Word of the Lord.

The Roman Road
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned"
Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death"
Romans 10:13 "Those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved"

Is your name in the Book of Life... Trust Christ today

Trusting God Through The Transition

We need to keep believing
We need to keep praying
We need to keep attempting new ideas
We need to be positive
We need to keep working
We need to see the big picture
We need to encouarge ourselves in the Lord
We need to be listening to the whispers of the Spirit
We need to do the right things
We need to TRUST GOD

If I Could Do It All Over

Billy Graham was asked what he would do different if he had the chance. Here is what he said.
I'd spend more time at home with my family
I'd study more and preach less.
I wouldn't have taken so many speaking engagements.
I would have steered clear of politics.

What about you? What would you do over? When everything is said and done what changes would you make? With a question like this the only one who can address it is you. So I begin. As I reveal my list think about your answers. These are not in any specific order of importance.

I would have applied myself to be a better student when in school.
I would have spent more time with my children when they were younger.
I would have taken more time off from working and traveled with my family.
I would have spent more time in prayer and in the word.
I would have built better relationships with people
I would have been more informed about money(saving and investing)
I would have been a better husband to my wife.
I would have taken better care of my health.

Now for the message in this message. Whatever changes I wish I could make I must not dwell on the mistakes but I need to take steps to improve the areas that I can still impact. As long as we are in this world we can try to make improvements.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

We Learn from where others have already been. Paul was making the point in I Corinthians 10 that the people of Israel had traveled the road of life and had made some really bad choices and he has a warning for us. Just because we have trusted in the Lord to be our Savior we still have to make the right choices in our everyday walk. Here is a breakdown of the Pitfalls we should avoid.

We need to keep our lust in check. We all live in a tent of flesh and as a result we crave sinful things. To be tempted is not sin but to yeild to the temptation is. Everyone of us know what sinful things are and we need to keep ourselves away from these things.

Idolatry is anything that we exalt above God. If we put anything before God we have made that thing an idol. Attached to idolatry is worship. If we are not careful we can worship things that are inspired by the enemy. Clearly we are intructed to worship only God and God alone. Satan would have us worship him. Satan will try to decieve us into worshiping him. Rememeber he is the father of lies. Satan glories in anything that is false. Satan loves anything that is opposite of what God is. God is truth-satan is lies. God is holy-satan is filthy.

Nothing can effect us more than sexual sin. When we violate Gods word and act immoral we defile ourselves and become spiritually dull.

If we willfully act in disobiendence and throw it in the face of God we set ourselves up to suffer the consequences of our decsions. We will reap what we sow.

To complain that God is not enough reveals the true condition of our heart and that revelation of our lack of trust will open the door to defeat and compromise.

Clearly the Bible give us pitfalls that must be avoided. We must learn what must be avoided because we have a recorded history of the results of what we will go through if we do not heed the warnings.

Some Do's And Don'ts in Leadership

Always believe in people and try to find ways to help them succeed.

Take risks when giving people opportunities even if you don't know how it will turn out.

Always follow your dreams even if others lose the vision. God will bring others to help you.

Don't second guess yourself when you empower people to do something and if you made a mistake in trusting somebody who proved they were not up to the challenge admit you blew it and move on.

If you know something needs to be addressed don't put if off. When we let things go to long we live to regret it most of the time. If you are on the right side of the issue act quickly because it may hurt at first but it will resolve itself quicker as well.

Don't respond to people who criticize you for things that you know have to be done. Accept the fact that criticism is part of leadership. Learn from constructive criticism and don't let words against you upset you. Most people who criticize in a negative way need our prayers.

Aways remember that God is in control of everything and He brings all things to light. What ever a mans sows that he will reap.

Overcoming Discouragement

Life can be hard at times and sometimes the circumstances we find ourselves in can cause us to become discouraged. There are peaks and valleys in life and sometimes you find yourself in the valley “death valley”. Due to a lot of different reasons many Christians find themselves discouraged.

Spiritual low self esteem, feeling that our life doesn’t make a difference, finding ourselves very busy with little to show for it. These are a few reasons that set us up for discouragement.

I heard Robert Emmitt say in his message to the church leaders during our annual meeting that the biggest reason pastors quit the ministry is not the mishandling of money or even sexual misconduct but discouragement.

There is a fable that the devil decided once to have an auction. He decided to go out of business and sell his tools. The auction day came and a great crowd of people gathered. He placed all his tools on a red plush mat. The tools were envy, jealousy, greed, vengeance, resentment and hatred- all of them. Off to the side he had a silver wedge. Someone asked him what it was and he said, that’s a silver wedge. See how bright and shiny it is? I use it all the time. It is the best tool I have. I put it over there because it is the most valuable. It is worth more than all the other tools put together. They asked how do you use it? Satan answered “that’s the wedge of discouragement". You take the finest Christian, one who has received Jesus Christ into his life and who is trying to serve Him, and drive the wedge of discouragement into his Christian work and wreck his usefulness. I can drive that wedge in and pry open a door, and all the rest of my cohorts can go in. I can breakdown that life down with discouragement.

As a pastor what concerns me most about God’s people is that having been in the Lord for 3, 4,5 years many have lost their song. There is no fire, excitement, no joy , no hope, they are not using their gifts to the fullest, they are discouraged and defeated.

If we are going to have growing Christian lives, growing churches and growing ministries, if we are going to win the world to Christ we have to realize it will not be done with disheartened, defeated Christian’s. We must recapture our enthusiasm. We must sing a new song.

2 Timothy 1:6 says “Stir up the gift of God which is within you”. The word “stir” in the original language means to “fan again the flames”. The picture is a fire that once burned bright, has gone out. But underneath the dull gray ashes there are still some hot coals capable of bursting into flames again if they were just stirred up, if they were fanned.

If discouragement has set into your life here are some things to remember and consider.

1. Remember the laws of God- The law of the harvest teaches us “not to grow weary in well doing because in due season we will reap if we faint not” Gal 6:9.
2. Remember the Promises of God- The blessing of God come to the obedient but we must stay faithful and engaged.
3. Remember the Love of God- While we were still sinners Christ loved us and gave Himself for us.
4. Count your blessing- Don’t focus on what’s wrong but on what’s right. Look at the things God has blessed you with.
5. Tomorrow is a new day- The mercies of God are new every morning.
6. Your best days are ahead of you- He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
7. God is with us- Who can pluck you out of His hand? If God is for you who can be against you? He said he would never leave us or forsake us.
8. All things work together for the good- God takes the good and the bad and works it on our behalf because we are his and He has a plan. We serve a God of purpose and destiny.
9. Jesus sits on the throne- God is in control of this universe and He is Lord over all. Every power and dominion is under His feet.


Encourage yourself in the Lord my brother and sister. Don’t allow the devil or the circumstances of life to rob you of God best for your life. The Joy of the Lord is your strength. AMEN

Awaken

A new definition of insanity- “keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results”.
Unfortunately that is the story of many Christians today.
When we peek into the lives of people it is like watching the reruns of your favorite sitcoms. Everything stays the same, nothing changes.
We find the same hang ups, problems, patterns of life mixed in with a few good days. Is it any wonder why people are so frustrated with the lack of progress in their lives.

When you read a message like this you might think that the call is for radical and immediate change but that is not the reality we are seeking. This call is more about challenging people to take personal leadership to start turning around the ship that is your life.

One of the problem we face is about change. People don't like change and resisit it when possible. We like our little clicks in life. We like our small thinking. It has been said "Little thinkers are the big stinkers". People are hesitant to bring real change in there live because we have tried to make changes. We try but then fall back to our old ways. Because of this we become gun shy of change and those who propose it.

This tension brings me to the purpose of the message. How can I wake you up. How can you awaken from you daze and apathy. How can the dawn of a new day be a new start for you? It is a given, if you keep doing what what you've always done you will keep getting what you've always gotten. Change then is essential to progress. So how do we change things to take us foward?

Take pride in who you are through Christ. Ask the the Lord to restore the joy of your salvation. Return to your first love. Start a spirtual makeover. Make renewed commitment to the spirtual disciplines. Get involved in the ministry of the church. Start to pray for people. Help someone in need. Ask God to put a new spiritual spring in your step. Stop and smell the roses. Start to care about the things that are really important. If people know that you care it will make a huge diffrence.

Planting-Watering-Growing

As we began our church conference I was reminded about the process of God. God calls us to do the work(holy sweat) and leave the results to Him. I heard a preacher say "leave the size of the church up to God". Three things we should keep in mind as we plant and revitalize churhes.

1. Remember the Law of the Harvest- Gal 6:9 says that we should not grow weary in doing good for in due time we will reap a harvest. Keep serving, keep working, keep on keeping on. The bumper sticker said "Jesus is coming, look busy". We don't need to be self decieved. If we trully are in the field and laboring we can expect a harvest. If we are just going through the motions nothing will come of it.

2. Measure Accordingly- Results should not only be based on numbers. Numbers are good and a good measurement but sometimes other things must happen before we see the numbers(numbers represent people and people count). Facility upgrade is a measurement. Developing new strategies and implimentation of new systems are in the mix of growth. Developing new leaders, small groups, mission giving, giving increases and things like these help spell out progress as well.

3. God is Still God- In the scope of everything growth God remains on his throne and there are factors that He calls us to consider. A new church in a growing suburb of a major population area will have different results than a land locked urban older congregation. Each of these church must approach ministry in a different context but each can be successful in there setting. Trust God for whatever situation you find yourself in.

We must make sure we are doing our part because God is always ready and more that able and willing to do His.

Vision Again?

It seems that you have to go back to vision everytime you are taking the church foward. Warren Bennis stated that the single defining quality of a leader is vision. A leader is one who is in tune with the future, who knows where God wants him to go, a person who is focused on a clear purpose. As one person put it, a leader sees more than others, farther than others, and before others. Someone said "Our preachers aren't dreaming. That's why the church is such a nightmare." If our churches are asleep, we are the ones that need to wake up and start dreaming. Nothing happens unless it's first a dream.

Everybody has a story

The Gospel is a true story about how God came to earth and gave His life to save mankind from sin. Every Year we tell the story of the birth of Jesus because we celebrate the power of God's love for us. That almighty God would leave heaven and come to earth opens the door to the greatest story ever told.

When we read the Bible we are reading about the lives of people that God used in many ways. In the Bible we read the stories about how God was involved in the lives of Men.

What is your story? where have you been? Where have you come from? What is happening now? Have you stopped to reflect on all that has happened in your life?

Can you pick out the God momments in your life? Can you put into simple terms what God has done for you?

I recently attended a conference in Houston. One of the speakers was Drayton McLane Jr. Mr. McLane is the billionare owner of the Houston Astros. When he gave his talk it was one story of the successes and faiures of his life. It seemed that everything that had happened to him was a lesson about what his purpose was.

Now as a man in His eighties he was sharing with us the tapestry of what he was. If you have ever seen a tapestry it a beautifully woven picture on the front side but in ther back it is a mess of string seemingly without purpose.

What is your story? It is time to tell someone, any one what God is going in your life.

Taking A Really Good Look

Sometimes you have to take a really good look at what your doing and ask if it is making the differnce you are wanting it to. An honest set of fresh eyes on your current situation might hurt when you have to face the truth but in the short and long run it will make a huge difference.

In Ministry we must be willing to re-evaluate everything we do because we need to be effective in all we do. We don't want to do anything just to do it. Here are some of the things I have been doing:

What is happening from 11am to 12pm @ the Springs? Are we doing our best to give God our best? Is this hour during the week making a diffrence in the lives of those who take the time to attend. Are we truely hospitable? Are we striving for excellence? Do we have first time quest every Sunday? Do we have a system in place to connect people to what we are doing as a church? Is there a spirit of excitement and expectency in the hearts of God's people. Is life change taking place?

These kind of things start during the week. Are we praying, planning and preparing to make good things happen on Sunday.

Healing

Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’

A man has been beat up and placed in a pit…a man comes by and delivers him from the pit but the man remains busied inside and out. He must be healed. The story of the Good Samaritan is the story of Jesus. Jesus found us by the side of the road and picked us up and now is making sure we are being healed.

The heart is desperate and wicked who can know it…The deepts of sin..how far can we fall.
You have to articulate where you are…you must get in touch with yourself.
We can be delivered but not healed. There is process to some things that need healing in our lives.
We must allow the sword of the Lord to pierce our wounds and allow the poison that is sickening us to be realeased. Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Everybody has a secret…a need for healing that must take place.
Confession is good for the soul. Who do I talk to?
We must be renewed in our minds
God respects our intellectual abilities because He wants to bring revelation to us.
Reconciled to God /then to self/ then to my surroundings(others)
You know what you have gone through so don’t let anybody devalue that.
God uses imperfect people to help perfect people.
How can I say that God has forgiven me if I haven’t forgiven myself?
God speaks to my spirit and my spirit speaks to my mind.

Our God Heals

Some of the things we go through in life damage us. We become wounded by events that we bring on ourselves or that others bring on to us. God does not want us wandering around as wounded warriors. God wants to heal our hurts and wounds and make us whole.

The blood of Jesus can bring healing to us if we ask God for that healing. To many times we do not want to deal with the hurts in our life but that denial only stops us from being free to be all that God has called us to be.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing how we can recieve healing in our hearts from all of our hurts. Stay tuned.

Asking some Big Questions

Does Jesus make a difference in the life of a person? Does Jesus make the difference in the life of a person? Does a person with Jesus in there life live a better life then somebody without Jesus? Is Jesus the ultimate difference maker? If I invite someone to trust Jesus in there life am I saying I guarantee your life will be better? Am I making a guarantee that they will live there best life if they live for Jesus?

Is Jesus the savior of the world? Is Jesus the only Savior of the world. Is there another way to heaven. Is Jesus the only way to the Father. Is accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior my only hope?

Looking Back-Moving Forward

I remember serving on a comittee that was asked to write a history about the journey of the unification between two conventions of churches. As comittees do we chose a chairman and off we went. We did research, shared our thoughts and we left the writing to our chairman. The finished product was one mans version of events and the people that where significant in his experience. Needless to say I came away from that project with the understanding that people can see history through different lenses and come to different conclusions. These thoughts and conclusions are mine and may not reflect the reality of others but here goes.

In the late 1980's and early 90's there was what some have labeled Post Denominationalism. Post denominationalism was a movement of some who were serving in churches of denominations and left them due to doctrinal reasons, polity reasons and others for personal reasons. The non denominational movement continues today and networks of churches have emerged as a result.

It is no secret that mainline churches are declining(with the exception of the Assemblies of God). Southern Baptist have been in decline for several years in a row. At there last convention held in Phoenix some of the new leaders even questioned the validity of current numbers.
(more coming...to be continued)

Thoughts on a Random Sunday

We need to learn how to operate at the limits of what we are capable of delivering.
Breaking the piggy bank is a picture of our inability to living steady
We need over the top commitment
RESET!


To stand out from the Crowd we need to:
Do different things
Do things differently
Stir emotion…spread happiness
Be consistent

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.

Weak men wait for opportunities, strongmen make them.

Light the fire!

one of the worst mistakes anybody can make is to bet against the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Unoffered Prayers
I think it was FB Meyer who said the greatest tragedy when it comes to prayer isn’t unanswered prayer. The greatest tragedy is unoffered prayer. I’m more and more convinced that prayer is the best and highest use of our spiritual energy. We certainly need to work like it depends on us, but it’s the “pray like it depends on God” part that makes all the difference in the world.
It’s all about the power of a single prayer. It can change anything. It can change everything. I think the next year of our lives should be dedicated to personally practicing and teaching people how to pray for their goals, their families, their jobs, and most importantly, the promises of God.

All for the Lord

Today I had an awesome day of just letting God use my life. Here are some of the highlights.

Got up early and had my morning cup(s)of coffee while watching Fox and Friends. I love that early news show and I love how coffee kicks me into gear early. I went over my note for todays messages.

I got to church early and got things ready for the day. Did some last minute things to get the building ready(the day will come when someone steps up to take that job from me, but until then what an honor to make sure things are ready.

I was able to help Pastor Herbert Halbeisen of the Exchange Church today. Brother Jon was ministering at a youth camp so I helped lead praise and worship. I love leading praise. Pastor Herbert was on call all week while at the same time working 8-5 and then preaching Friday night to a youth camp in Buda, Texas so I felt honored to fill in for him today and preach the morning message. I preached on leadership princples found in 2 Kings 6:1-8. Very awesome new church with great people.

Before the service started at the Springs Sister Debbie informed me I would be playing the drums for worship. Wow! that was a nice challenge for me and the people who had to listen to it. Literally I was making a joyful noise unto the Lord.

I brought the message Transformation bring Transparecy and God really spoke to all of us. We had a great altar call.

After Service we had our monthly dream session and it was great to see the cooperation from our partners. We had another round of gifts come in for our worship center expansion.

After service we went to lunch with Elder Paul Taylor and family. We had great fellowship. I think I found someone who like chips and salsa more than me.

Came home and caught the interview that we did with the Nehemiah Initative called Urban Missionaries.

So glad that I live i America. Thankful for my family and friends. Thanks to all the comments made on facebook about todays sermon.

Well its time to kickback and enjoy the rest of the Lords day. God Bless.

Transformed by what we Believe

Here are 7 questions to consider when asking yourself about your belief system. We all have a worldview. The question is what determins what you believe.

Transformed By What Believe
James 2:14-26
We have a lot of questions posed to us by this issue
1. Is saying we believe in something transforming? Or are we transformed by what we believe
2. Who determines what you believe?
3. Do you think what you believe makes a difference?
4. What determines what you believe in?
5. Is it possible to believe in something that is false?
6. Is it possible to believe in something, but not really believe it?
7. We cannot dictate what others believe - we can only have the conviction to believe something that will make others ask what it is that they believe.

Big Day Ahead

When do you plant a shade tree? You plant it today! On September 18th, 2011 we are going to have a Big Day @ the Springs. We are going to blow away our highest attendence day ever. On this day we will have over 150 in worship attendence and one of the greatest services ever at the Springs. Why? Because we want to see the lives of people transformed by the power of Jesus Christ who is able to save, heal, deliver, restore, do miracles, move mountains and anything that needs to be done. When you jump over a hurdle you always take a running start and that is what we are doing this summer at the Springs. We are praying, we are planning, we are preparing to make the Springs the Church that God has called us to be for this hour in our city. The partners of the Springs are on mission to be a growing and effective ministry on the border of the NW and the SW corner of 1604 in San Antonio, Texas. Make your plans to be a part of a historic and significant day @ the Springs. We have some exciting news to unfold along the way so stay tuned.

The Springs has begun its worship center expansion project so we ask for your prayers and patients as we will have dust on our pews over the next few months. In the mean time join us every Sunday at 11am and ever 3rd wednesday during the summer months as we continue to be "A Gathering of Transformation"

Mission Partners

Today at the Springs we did away with church membership and started mission partnership. What is the difference and why even address it? Here are some of the reasons.

We have become so comfortable with the term "church membership". And after all, isn’t the idea of “church membership” biblical? Paul does say ”so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Rom. 12:5).

Despite it’s historic use and traditional use I think its time for a shift. In fact, I think churches would benefit changing the terminology of “church membership.” I recommend the change for one purpose: to make the mission of Jesus for His church more clear and concrete in the hearts of our people.

Here are five reasons to start. You help me build the list!

#1 Membership is culturally hijacked terminology by its use from country clubs to platinum cards. Partnership is a term that carries less baggage and brings new Biblical clarity

#2 Membership may emphasize privilege to the neglect of responsibility. Partnership emphasizes both.

#3 Membership could bring deeply rooted assumptions about church in general that are no longer valid for your church. Partnership creates an opportunity to reset expectations.

#4 Membership is a static. Partnership brings a sense of both action and direction.

#5 Membership is a relatively small portal for vision-casting.
Partnership opens a dynamic way to express impact, togetherness, adventure and risk-taking. It captures the “sentness” of a missional reorientation.

3 Ways to Take Up Your Cross

I have thought about how some live Christianity as a competition. Some use there faith as manipulation of others. The Bible says we are to die to self. Here is a great blog about taking up our cross.

This is From the Blog of Mark Batterson

3 Ways to Take Up Your Cross
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34-35


This may be the most important description of what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the entire gospel, yet most of us have no idea what it means. We understand the imagery, but we don’t know how to live it out. What exactly does it mean to take up your cross?

First, it means self-denial. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t want to experience self-fulfillment, but the only path to self-fulfillment is self-denial. There is no other way. While self-denial may sound miserable, it’s actually wonderful. We simply deny ourselves those things that are temporarily pleasurable but eternally painful. We deny the desires of our flesh. We deny the temptation of sin. We refuse to settle for anything less than the best which is God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Second, taking up your cross means torture. And we wince at the thought, but stop and think about it. Any great achievement requires torture. Athletes torture their bodies. Thinkers torture their minds. And we get that on the physical and intellectual plane, but wish there was another way on the spiritual plane. There isn’t. Just like the physical realm: no pain, no gain. Are you willing to suffer temporal pain for eternal gain? That’s what it comes down to.

Finally, it means death. You have to die to self everyday. How? By allowing your circumstances to help you become more like Christ–especially the circumstances you don’t like. Anytime you feel the pain of an insult, disappointment, suffering, physical challenge, failure, injustice, or trial–it’s an opportunity to die to pride, die to ego, die to sin, die to self. And if you keep dying to self, you’ll come alive in ways you never imagined. In fact, you’ll live forever.

We worry about all the wrong things! You only have one job and it’s this: take up your cross. That is your portfolio as a Christ follower. You simply need to deny yourself, endure torture, and die to self. If you do that, God will do the rest. If you do it everyday, you have all of eternity to look forward to

Keeping things Clear

Clarity is important if we want to see the results we are looking for. Just exactly what are we going to do to achieve the results we desire. Do you need money to expand? How are you going to bring that money in? Do you want more people? What are you going to do to get those first time guests? Do you want people to commit to the ministry? How are you going to make that happen.

To help with clarity keep things simple. In ministry sometimes we equate business with progress. We can spread ourselves so thin that we become ineffective. We must learn how to devote ourselves to those things that are helping us fulfill the vision. Here are some of the things we are doing over the mext 6 months to give clarity to the vision of The Springs.

THE SPRINGS=TRANSFORMATION
Our emphasis over the next few months is GOING BIGGER GROWING DEEPER.

We want to go bigger so we need more sanctuary space. Our plan is to improve and inlarge our worship center space. We need money so we are going to have a vision banquet to raise the money to make this happen.

We want to go bigger so we are doing everything we can to make our Sunday morning service a destination for people who need to take there next step toward Christ. We have committed to 3 summer events to expose people to the ministry of the church. That means putting our mid week gathering on hold until September 2011 to focus on these events and make them our focus. We have entitled them the 3rd Wednesday.

We want to grow deeper so we are planning to provide a summer devotional series for people to do at home through a worksheet or online. We are going to encourage people to spend time in prayer through providing a weekly prayer list and specific times of prayer before service on sundays.

Our mission is to see transformation in the lives of people. We want to help people experience life change that can only come through an encounter with Jesus Christ.

On September 18th, 2011 we will have a big day to fill our new worship space with 150 people and then in December we will have 3 Christmas services with a total attendance of 200 plus.

The Great Commission

Jesus made it crystal clear that He wants us to reach the world with the God News of Jesus Christ. The Church needs to enlarge it's circle and the church needs to grow deeper. The Great Commission gives us these 2 important mandates. When a church starts to get serious about going bigger and growing deeper it will face challenges. The challenges the church faces will come in many different faces. Sometime a church will have to look at what it is doing schedule wise. Sometime programs will need to be reevaluated or even eliminated. Parking will always need to be addressed. Space issues are always a concern. Worship space, Children and nursery areas will need upgrades. Bathrooms are key to maintaining larger crowds.

Now is the time for the church to take to heart the great commission. Now is the time for the church break down walls and fear not the unknown. Our God is able to provide for every need. Now is the time for us to seriously reach out to a world in desperate need for a savior who transforms us with His great power. We must pray. We must study. We must work. We must give. We must go bigger and grow deeper.

Go Bigger Growing Deeper

There is a tension between numerical growth and Spirtual growth in the church. We know it is Gods will for the church to grow numerical but it is equally essential for the church to help the body grow spiritually. As we reach out to the unchurched and the drop out church member we need to make our message meaty enough to spur the believer to greater maturity.

During the month of May here at the Springs we are going to be adressing this issue with the goal of challenging the church to go bigger and grow deeper. I am excited that our church is growing and I want to make sure that we help all people saved and unsaved take that next step to Christ and in Christ.

Breaking Barriers

Today at the Springs we broke a barrier that helped to see ministry in a totally different light. Today our church opperated at a different level because the more people you minister to more must be done. Here are several things we have to keep in mind.
* Parking needs will always need to be adressed and thought through. You need to have a parking plan. You can't grow with out a good parking plan and
room to park.
* You need volunteers to help greet people joyfully and give directions.
* You need people willing to help bring and serve snacks and drinks to the guests.
* You need to make your church facilty as nice as you can with what you have.
* You need to put your best foot forward in providing children's ministry
* You need good music
* Your message must speak to the needs
* You must be mindful of the time. If you say 1 hour than 1 hour. state your time of starting and ending.
* Let people know how much you appreciate them being there.
* above all put your whole ministry in the hands of God and trust Him to the work only He can do.

You can learn alot by setting goals to break barriers but it is worth it. When we break one barrier our faith grows and we know we can through the help of the Lord we can do all things through Christ.

That My House be full

Luke 14:23 teaches us that God desires a full house. God wants as many people in house as possible. A full house is a house full of possibilities. A full house is a house full of potential. A full house is a house filled with promise. God loved the world so much that He gave us His Son Jesus. The world is a big place filled with billions of people that need transformation. People are lookinbg for life change because what they are doing is not working. People are looking for meaning in life and for a cause bigger than themselves.

God has plans for people and He wants to get people in a position to get those plans. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is Gods instrument to help people find Gods plan. God wants a full house because that means people are in a place to find a great life.

April 17th, 2011

Breaking barriers is huge. We are going to break a barrier here at the Springs on April 17th, 2011. The barrier we are going to break is about people. This barrier is about changing our culture to one that values reaching as many people as possible for the Glory of God and the expansion on His kingdom. It is our hope and prayer to have over 100 people in our worship service on April 17th, 2011 at 11am. This has never been done in this church.

LCD- Several months ago we put into place our LCD plan. This plan is simple

L=50
C=100
D=500

We wanted to have a consistent 50 people in our worship service and preach transformation of people, culture and attitude. Thanks be to God we have seen this. Now it is time to challenge our selves to the next step. 100 people in worship with a transforming message of life and growth.

Join us and make HIS-STORY on April 17th. Everyone is invited to help us smash this growth barrier and never look back again.

Church Growth Conference

Why have a church growth conference? Creating a culture of growth starts by being intentional. We want to be a growing church. We want to lay the foundation that we are interested in lost souls. We want to lay a foundation that says we want people growing in there faith.

When a church grows is is not an accident. Churches that grow plan to grow. Churches that grow have a strategy. Churches that grow are making a difference in peoples lives.

Jesus said He would "build His Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it". The right vision with the system with the right effort equals results. It is Gods will for His church to grow. Lets join Christ in His mission.

Whats in a Name

This week Living Springs Church made a decision to start and use the name The Springs to represent the ministry. Why? We wanted to have a name that was easy to use and to remember. We wanted a name would say we are here and ready to meet the challenges of our times. The Springs is a place to find life and to be refreshed. People are not looking for religion they are looking for relationship. We want our church to be atractional and purposeful in it's attempt to help people find new life in Christ.

Update

We have had 2 great Sunday's in a row here at the Springs. We are seeing alot of new faces and reconnecting with some friends. This Sunday we began to promote our Breaking the 100 barrier for April 17th, 2011. We are using the next 10 weeks to lay the ground work for what it will take to have a 100 people in attendance for worship on a Sunday morning.

I am very excited about how people are believing God for great things for our church. We are going to concentrate on the children's ministry (nursery)
and student ministry. We are going to focus on our worship service and our follow up execution.

The foundation for this goal is not the number but the people. We are looking for life change. We are praying for the transformation of lives by the power of God.

Great Day

We had our highest attendence since I have been at living Springs this Sunday. The worship was great and the passion of the people was evident.
We began some fundraisers to help a young missionary get to Australia and we heard a good testimony from him as well. God is good.

God is doing some great things in the lives of His people. God is doing some great things in the life of His Church. This week our message was "The Greatness of God".

Living Springs Church UPDATE

2011 has already been a great year in the making. I can see God is working in the lives of people and that is what really counts. I have made EXECUTION the key word in my life for 2011. I am convince that execution is what i need to key in on for the progress of life and ministry.

I have 3 areas that I will be focusing on for 2011 for living Springs Church

1. Good First Impressions/ doing our best to let people know we care for them enough to have them in mind when they take there time to be our guests.

2. Good Delievery of our message/ Making sure that we have done everything we can to prepare our greeters, teachers, preachers and workers in general to deliever the right message to all who take there time to be our quest.

3. Good follow-up of our quests and members/ taking the right amount of time to let those who have taken the time to be our quest that we are there to serve them in away we can. To not forget the needs of those who are a part of the church family.

I am really looking forward to a great year of making a difference in peoples lives.