Devotional:  What is in your hands?

 In John 12 we read of Jesus walking into Jerusalem on what we now know as Palm Sunday.  As He came into the city the scriptures tells us a "great crowd" of people were crying out, "Hosanna!  Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!" (John 12:13)  As this crowd celebrated Jesus' entry they waved palm branches in honor of His visit.

This was a truly a momentous occasion, however the unfortunate truth is that it would be short lived.  Only a few days later these same people who were crying out, "'Hosanna, hosanna!' Were crying out, 'Crucify Him, crucify Him!'" 

 This stark turn of events begs the question, "What happened?  Why did they turn on Jesus so quickly?  We know they should not have done this, so where did they go wrong?  Why was their worship so inconsistent?" 

There are a few reasons why this crowd turned on Jesus:

1.  They worshiped Jesus on Sunday, but not the rest of the week.

This crowd of people did not see the importance of having their worship carry over from Sunday.  Because their worship of Jesus was only for this day, none of these people were there for Him when He needed them most.

2.  They worshiped Jesus when they thought He would give them what they wanted, but not when He didn't.

If this crowd who welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday were to be honest they were excited about Him coming to Jerusalem because they thought He was going to liberate them from Roman oppression.  When they realized that Jesus was not going to give them what they wanted they turned on Him.

3.  They worshiped Jesus when it was convenient, but not when it was inconvenient.

This crowds worship of Jesus only occurred when it was easy to worship Him.  When He entered the city everyone was excited He had come.  However, once the tide of public opinion turned on Jesus those carrying their palm branches turned as well.  To follow Jesus at to the cross was not nearly as convenient as it was to welcome Him into the city.What we have to realize is that it is very easy for us to worship Jesus on Sunday, with a Palm Branch, when life is good and everyone is supportive of our faith  The unfortunate reality is that those times do not reveal what our faith is really made of.If our faith is simply made up of worshiping Jesus on Sunday, when it is convenient, and everything is going well, then we are no different from those who welcomed Christ into Jerusalem with palm branches.    What we have to realize is that God never called us to carry a palm branch.  He called us to carry a cross.  Jesus said, "Anyone who does not carry His cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27).The question we have to ask is, "What is in our hands?"  Is it a palm branch that leads us to worship Jesus when life is convenient or a cross that calls us follow Jesus even when life uncomfortable?  Here are some questions to help you discover what is in your hands.

Reflection Questions:

1.  Does the worship you give God on Sunday carry over into the rest of your week?

2.  How do you respond when God does not give you what you want?  Do you doubt He exists or that He is unfaithful?

3.  When you read an uncomfortable command in scripture how do you respond?  Do you think of someone else this truth applies to or do you think of how you can apply that truth to your own life?

Part of our mission at Clifton Christian Church is to connect with the community around us. With many of the churchs in Clifton growing smaller and having less opportunity to engage the community there is a need that we have certainly been meeting. It has been great to see our church step up to offer service projects, family fun events, caroling, tax services, as well as many other things for the Clifton area.

Recently a member of our congregation recounted to me a conversation that he had with a local Clifton community leader who has been in this area for many years. The community leader said, "One of the great stories in the Clifton neighborhood today is the revival of Clifton Christian Church." As I heard those words, I was reminded of how far we have come and the great strides we are making in this community. One of the primary reasons we are so active in the Clifton area is to give people here a different perception of the church. It is great to hear a story of that happening!!

Weekend Highlight  

This past weekend we did a "Leadership Summit" promotion at Clifton.  It was great to hear some good feedback from the talk we heard.  I know it was very refreshing for me to hear Wayne's talk on, "Leading On Empty".     

 As most of you know, "All good leaders are learners."  So I want to tell you about a great opportunity to learn more about being a better leader.  On August 5/6 from 9 am - 5:30 pm Northeast Christian Church will be hosting a conference called the "Leadership Summit."  Past "Leadership Summit's" have been some of the most impacting experiences that I have had as a leader.  This is something that I do not want any of you to miss out on and I would like to encourage you to attend this years conference with me.

 Now let me answer a couple of FAQ's:

Is the conference worth attending?

Absolutely!  I promise there will be at least one speaker who will speak to you where you are and challenge you take that next step to where God is desiring you to take.

Is the conference live?   Yes and no.  The conference is held in Chicago at Willow Creek Community Church and they will send a live satellite feed from Chicago to us in Louisville.  Northeast will have a very large projector screen that will simulcast the conference for us.

How much does the conference cost? 

WITHOUT a discounted rate this conference costs upwards of $200.00, but WITH the discount that Northeast Christian Church gets you, you will only have to pay $75.00!!  For many of you that $75.00 can be written off or paid for by your employer.

How can I register for the conference?

You can go to the link below and enter the promotional code listed here - Promo Code:  Team2010s.  Once you have done this you will be prompted to give some of your information and how you would like to pay for the event.   http://www.necchurch.org/leadershipsummit

How can I get more information about the conference?

You can go to the internet link below and it will offer you information about the vision of the Summit and as well as all of the speakers.   http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2010/

Weekly Highlights:

Event:  This past Wednesday we had our first Community Family Night for the Clifton neighborhood.  If you had a chance to come to this event then you know how well it went, but if you missed then let me give you a little information on it.  There were a lot of people from the community who came out to enjoy the bounce houses, carnival games, free food, movie, and even a few door prizes.  Many of these people I had never seen before, which is very cool!  We had several of you make it out to the event and take time to mingle amongst the people from the neighborhood.  I just want to tell you how GREAT that is!!  When we take time to get to know the people around the church, we are building bridges to them that God will most certainly use!  There were roughly 150 people who attended.

If you have a chance encourage Jason Flannery, our youth minister, and the rest of the team who put this event together.  They all did a tremendous job!!!!

What To Look Forward To: 

July 4th-9th - iCamp:  Elementary Summer Camp (Location:  White Mills Christian Camp - Contact Jason Flannery for further information or go to Northeast web-sites listed here -http://www.necchurch.org/icamp)

August 2nd - Community Family Night (Location:  Clifton Christian Church - 6:30 - 10 pm)

August 5th-6th - Leadership Summit (Location & Time:  Northeast Christian Church 9 am - 5 pm) For more information go to the link listed here - http://www.necchurch.org/leadershipsummit

Weekend Highlight:  

I believe that in a church's life there are God moments that are truly momentous and monumental for the people who have the opportunity to be a part of them.  The interesting thing about these moments is that they can never be planned or programmed, but only experienced and responded to.  Yesterday was one of those moments for our church!!!  

 If you missed it let me catch you up on what happened.  Currently we are in a sermon series called, "Greater Than..."  The central idea is that no matter what we have faced or are facing in life, God is GREATER THAN it!  Yesterday we talked about how God is greater than our past.  We illustrated our pasts with bricks that we carry around with us that eventually wear and weigh us down.  Those bricks represent something different to us all, but generally they are things that we wish we could take back or do different.  Where we go wrong with these bricks is that we carry them with us and we resist taking them to the cross where Christ wants to carry them for us.  With that thought in mind at the end of the sermon yesterday everyone in attendance was challenged to come forward to pick up a brick on the stage and lay it down at the cross to signify that they were not going to carry that brick, their past, anymore.

As I sat down after the sermon I closed my eyes wondering if anyone would respond, but then a few seconds later I looked up and there was a line of people all the way down the middle isle waiting their opportunity to go to the cross.   We had so many people respond in fact that we ran out of bricks on the stage!!!  For those of you that came forward I know it was a hard step to take, but it was a step that was certainly worth it!!

 With that the next great challenge each of us has is to leave that brick at the cross.  I think one of our greatest temptations we face in life is not so much the struggle to give something to God, but the struggle to not take it back.  My prayer for each of you this morning was that the brick you placed at the foot of the cross would be a brick that would stay their for the rest of your life.     It is truly an honor to be your pastor!!! 

What To Look Forward To:

 July 4th-9th - iCamp:  Elementary Summer Camp (Location:  White Mills Christian Camp - Contact Jason Flannery for further information or go to Northeast web-sites listed here - http://www.necchurch.org/icamp)

Weekend Highlight:  

I believe that in a church's life there are God moments that are truly momentous and monumental for the people who have the opportunity to be a part of them.  The interesting thing about these moments is that they can never be planned or programmed, but only experienced and responded to.  Yesterday was one of those moments for our church!!!  

 If you missed it let me catch you up on what happened.  Currently we are in a sermon series called, "Greater Than..."  The central idea is that no matter what we have faced or are facing in life, God is GREATER THAN it!  Yesterday we talked about how God is greater than our past.  We illustrated our pasts with bricks that we carry around with us that eventually wear and weigh us down.  Those bricks represent something different to us all, but generally they are things that we wish we could take back or do different.  Where we go wrong with these bricks is that we carry them with us and we resist taking them to the cross where Christ wants to carry them for us.  With that thought in mind at the end of the sermon yesterday everyone in attendance was challenged to come forward to pick up a brick on the stage and lay it down at the cross to signify that they were not going to carry that brick, their past, anymore.

As I sat down after the sermon I closed my eyes wondering if anyone would respond, but then a few seconds later I looked up and there was a line of people all the way down the middle isle waiting their opportunity to go to the cross.   We had so many people respond in fact that we ran out of bricks on the stage!!!  For those of you that came forward I know it was a hard step to take, but it was a step that was certainly worth it!!

 With that the next great challenge each of us has is to leave that brick at the cross.  I think one of our greatest temptations we face in life is not so much the struggle to give something to God, but the struggle to not take it back.  My prayer for each of you this morning was that the brick you placed at the foot of the cross would be a brick that would stay their for the rest of your life.     It is truly an honor to be your pastor!!! 

What To Look Forward To:

July 4th-9th - iCamp:  Elementary Summer Camp (Location:  White Mills Christian Camp - Contact Jason Flannery for further information or go to Northeast web-sites listed here - http://www.necchurch.org/icamp)

Weekly Highlight:  

This past Friday we had 35 women come together for a "Ladies Night" at the church.  This evening consisted of Bunco being played, bracelets being made, pizzas being cooked, and even some pictures being taken.  As I heard about the different women who attended this event I could not help but be encouraged!  We had women there who were in their twenties and in their eighties, who go to church and who do not go to church, who are married and who are single, who have been a part of Clifton for years and others only for months.  It was then great to see so many of the connections from that night be carried over into conversations on Sunday morning.  It is always good to see the mission of church, to Connect To One Another, being lived out, not just on Sunday, but other days of the week as well.  That is exactly what was able to take place this past week!  

Weekend Highlight:

 We had a great service this past weekend as we celebrated many of the things that have been happening in the lives of people within our church.  It was so good for us to hear the stories of people who have been living out the mission of our church which is: Connect To God, Connect To One Another, and to Connect To Our Community.  In case you missed it, I want to share some of those stories with you again.  

Connect To God:  Jordan Alvey came to Clifton a little over a year ago and was baptized shortly there after.  It has really been encouraging to see him go all in on his faith since then as he has continued to connect with God more and more each day.

Connect To One Another:  Taylor Eisenmenger got plugged into a group about 5 months ago.  It is those guys in his group who have provided weekly support and encouragement for him.  The men in that group have not only grown closer to God since getting together, but have grown closer to one another.

Connect To Our Community:  Pam Baldwin and Lindsay Tucker shared about the importance of living out their faith and how they have been personally impacted by serving the Clifton area through the Community Dinners.  

As we move forward with the mission of our church before us, we must remember the challenge I offered yesterday.  That challenge was that we cannot expect our mission statement to make our church great, but we must be willing to live out that mission statement to the point that we make it great.  So let's be a church that continues to live out that mission in our lives, in our church, and in our community.  

Men's Fraternity:  Two Sunday's ago several men at Clifton completed the first year of Men's Fraternity.  It was really encouraging to see so many guys being willing to take this class to get more in touch with who God created them to be.  The second year of Men's Fraternity will begin on Sunday, June 13th.  It will cover how men can win at both work and home.  If you would like more information about this, please contact Mark Watkins at markwatkins@bellsouth.net.  

Weekend Highlight

Church Highlight:  Those of you who read my update last week know that there was a gentleman by the name of Victor who came into our church looking for help.  He came forward during our service asking for assistance, and we helped him the best that we could.  After that Sunday we did not hear anything else from Victor.  I thought to myself that we may not see him again, but that was until yesterday when I looked across our sanctuary and saw Victor right there with us.  We had a few gentlemen take some time to talk with him during the beginning part of the service and see how he was doing.  After they connected with him, Victor then enjoyed the rest of the service worshipping with us.       One Sunday Victor came to us for help, and that led to the next Sunday when he came to us to worship.    To everyone on the team of people who reached out to Victor, thank you all for being willing to do that!!  I have no doubt that God was smiling upon our congregation this past weekend.  

Personal Highlight:  Victor was not the only person this past weekend that was a surprise guest for me.  My sister attended our service yesterday with her daughter, Willow.  Without going into any long stories, this was a very big step for her and a step that was very encouraging to Laura and I both.  We have really tried to reach out to her, probably more Laura than myself, but have not been able to get her to attend a service.  Then, out of the blue, she just showed up yesterday to worship with us.  Please be in prayer that God would continue to be working on her heart and would continue to place people in her life who can show her the love of Christ.  

Weekly Highlight  

EXCITING PART:  On Wednesday we had our fifth Community Dinner at Clifton Christian Church.  This team is doing a great job!  They served 57 plates of food last Wednesday.  We had a very even mix of people who attend Clifton and those who do not attend Clifton who were at the dinner.   

At the dinner Laura and I had an opportunity to eat with a gentleman by the name of Larry.  We small talked with Larry much of the dinner and then gave him a Clifton gift bag that we give to all of our guests.  In the bag is information about the church, a sermon, an eco friendly light bulb, and a few other things.  As Larry was going through the bag he showed a lot of interest in the many things we have going on at Clifton.  However, even with the interest he expressed to Laura and I that he could not attend church at Clifton on Sunday's because of a prior commitment.  After Wednesday we did not think much more of our encounter we had with him.  Then last night I went to Men's Monday Night Group and the first person I saw when I walked in was Larry.  Larry may not be looking for a church home right now, but I know he is looking for a group of guys to get connected too.  That is exactly what he found!!!  

 INTERESTING PART:  During the service we had a gentlemen come to front of the sanctuary during the service right before we went into our time of communion.  Our team of volunteers, led by Butch Pulliam, immediately addressed this issue and escorted the man out of the sanctuary.  The situation was then resolved from there.  Over the past two days have spoken with several people to get all of the facts of the incident and make sure that we move forward appropriately.  This coming weekend I will spend a little bit of time talking about how we handle situations like this as a church, so I won't touch on that in this update.  However I would like to let you know that the man who came forward in the service was simply asking for help and our church was the only one that he could think of that might help him.  It is certainly an odd compliment to receive, but it is just that none the less.     I hope you can join us this weekend as we finish the, "Going All In" sermon series!!!   

Weekend Highlight:  

Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade:  What started out as a very dreary Saturday morning became a tremendous opportunity for Clifton Christian Church.  We had about 30 people come together to prepare for and be a part of the Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade.  We took advantage of this opportunity by connecting with those from our community who attended the parade in as many ways as we could.  We handed out almost 400 flyers promoting the Community Dinner and the Church Service, 300 Clifton Christian Church balloons, 250 Tissue Paper Flowers, and about 30-40 pounds of candy to all of the kiddo's who were there.  Big thanks to everyone who helped out!!! 

 Easter Services:  We had two great services this past Sunday!!  I saw several new faces at both of them.  We had 191 people in attendance, which is more than a 50 percent increase from our our regular weekend attendance.     My wife, Laura, and Reda Logsdon both told me they had an opportunity to speak with a first time attendee this Sunday by the name of Jewell who came with her three young daughters.  They heard about Clifton through a flyer they were handed the day before at the Easter Parade.  It is always nice to see a little fruit come so quickly from the work we do for the Lord!!!

Intimacy In Prayer

In Luke 11 we read that the disciples asked Jesus to do something for them that they had never asked Him to do before.  They asked Jesus to teach them how to pray! 

After this request, Jesus responded with what many of us have come to know as the Lord's prayer.  This is not a prayer to be repeated as it is to be modeled after.  Jesus' teaching on prayer tells us four elements of prayer that we should all include in our prayer lives. 

Jesus said, "When you pray you should say, 'Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name...'" Luke 11:1  The first component of prayer we need is:

1.  Adoration 

When we pray we should begin by saying, “God, You are worthy. Thank you for being so faithful.  God, I love you for… I praise you because…  "

 When adoration starts our prayer time, it takes the focus off of us and puts it on God. As we do that, it puts all of our problems into perspective, because we realize that nothing we’re dealing with is too big for Him.

Question:  What qualities of God amaze you and what implications do those qualities have in your life?  

Then Jesus said, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Luke 11:2

The second component of prayer we need is:

2.  Affirmation

This is where we say to God, “God, I affirm that what I want for my life and for this world is for Your will to be done.”

The thing that gets us from focusing on our will, to focusing on His will is when we realize what the world would look like if His will were to be done.

There would be no need for child protective services, soup kitchens, divorce lawyers, or even court rooms.  There wouldn’t be abuse, neglect, infidelity, corruption.  That is what happens when God’s will is done.

Question:  As you look through your life and the world that surrounds you, where do you see that you need to affirm God's Will?  

Jesus continued His prayer with, “Give us today our daily bread.”  Luke 11:3

The third component of prayer we need is: 

3.  Appeal

We go to God with our needs, and we ask Him to intervene in our lives.

Philippians 4:6 says, “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Question:  Where in your life do you need God to intervene at?    

Jesus would conclude this prayer in Luke 11 with, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…”   Luke 11:4

The final component of prayer that Jesus gave us is:

4.  Apology

We go to God and we confess our sins and say, “God, I need Your forgiveness.”

1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  

Question:  What is sin is there is your life that you need to ask God for forgiveness for?  

Weekend Highlight:  

As I have spoken with church leaders from all over our city, state, and country, I have received a very consistent answer to what one of the greatest indicators of a healthy church is:  They say, "One of the best indication of the spiritual health of your congregation is whether or not your church is continually seeing new people attending ." 

There are a few reasons for this: 

1.  If new people are attending that means people from your church are inviting others to be a part of what they are a part of.

2.  If new people are attending that means there is a buzz going out from your church into the surrounding community that prompts people to want to see what is happening at your church.  

 3.  If new people are attending that means God is moving there and He has a tremendous amount of confidence in your church as He gives you the responsibility of shepherding one of His children.  

The reason I tell you all of that is to tell you this: THIS PAST SUNDAY WE HAD 6 FIRST TIME GUESTS ATTEND OUR SERVICE!!!  Each of those guests came through different means, one because a friend invited her, another because of the mailer he received, and one couple because a friend, WHO DOES NOT ATTEND OUR CHURCH, told them that great things were happening at Clifton and that they should come check us out.    

Let us continually celebrate and never take for granted any new face that God brings through our doors!!!

Weekend Highlight:  

This past Sunday we had a great opportunity to do something we only do a few times a year at Clifton Christian Church, that is "Baby Dedications."  The purpose of the dedications is to give parent(s) an opportunity to take their child before the Lord and say, "We are committing to doing everything we can to provide a Christian home for our child to be raised in so that one day our child might place his/her faith in the Lord."  We believe that dedicating a child to the Lord is a high honor and a tremendous responsibility.   This past weekend we had 4 children dedicated to the Lord!!!  I know that may seem like a small number to some, but that is great news for Clifton because that is twice as many as we had dedicated last year!!!    Below is a list of the children and family member(s) who were apart of the ceremony.  Please be in prayer for each of these children and parents as they move forward with this great commitment they made to the Lord!  

Child and Family Member:

Kennedy Watkins - Mark and Jessica Watkins

Paige Hobgood - Brad and Mandy Hobgood

Isabella West - Mark and Melanie West 

Miles Eberle - Vicki Eberle    

Weekly Highlight:  

This past Wednesday we had our church's fourth Community Dinner.  This dinner is something that we provide as a church to the Clifton Community and to our congregation.  It is for anyone who might be in need of a warm cooked meal or might need a night off from cooking for their family.  

This past Wednesday I was so encouraged by our church's spirit at this dinner.  There were about 50 people who attended the dinner, half of which are a part of our church and the other half are people from the Clifton area, many of whom had never stepped foot in our church before.  Through the entire night there was never a time when those people from the community were not being welcomed, engaged, or served by someone in our church!  No matter how you score it that is always a WIN!!!  

  As we continue to fulfill our mission as a church of connecting to one another and our community I want to encourage more of you to help promote this dinner each month to anyone who you think would benefit from it!!!  It truly is a great evening for everyone who gets to be a part of it!  If you would like to help serve at the Community Dinner please contact Kelly Faust at (502.751.0313).  

About a month ago we did an initiative at the church called The Bless Back Project.  We started this project by giving away the church offering for that weekend.  We then asked everyone to take that money and go out into our city, blessing in the name Jesus.  Once someone completed this assignment we then asked them to turn their story into us.

Our mission statement at Clifton is to Connect To God, Connect To One Another, and Connect To Our Community.  Yesterday I shared one of the Bless Back stories that really fulfilled our mission as a church.  In case you missed the story or would just like to hear it again, I copied it below.  I promise it is worth your time to read!!!  

 A few weeks after receiving the money I had to take my daughters back pack and folder to her at school. There is an elementary school my daughters High School so I called there and explained what our church was doing and asked if there was something the children could really use.  The secretary said "SHOES!  We really need shoes." When she said that, I felt that was what God wanted us to do with the money.  The secretary went on to explain they needed various sizes of shoes and added that they could also use some sweat pants because sometimes the kids will have an accident and soil their clothes. She said often they will see a child with shoes that are worn out, too tight, too big, or just don't fit. I talked it over with my husband and this is what we did. We stopped at WalMart and they had some nice sneakers on sale for $10 each in different colors. I bought 8 pair of shoes, 4 pair of sweat pants and 2 10-pack of socks. We dropped them off at the school.  This was just a way that God could bless this school in Portland.  Praise God!!!