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'On the Edge' Archive:
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July 11th, 2008
All through the month of June we looked at this Scripture in Isaiah 54 and how the Lord was preparing the Children of Israel to return from their captivity in Babylon back to the Promised Land. This passage has terrific relevance to where we are as His people and how God is preparing us for an exciting future as we reach new people for Christ. The main word I would like to share with you is "preparation." Often, even in the Christian Church, we "fly by the seat of our pants" in God's mission instead of carefully listening and preparing the way for the Lord's blessings. River's Edge needs to be preparing for the great opportunities that the Lord has in store. Our mission is to impact the world with the love of Jesus Christ. God has certainly blessed us over the 3 years we have been together. Our size has doubled since the beginning, we have seen new families continually come into the fellowship, we have a children's ministry, missions ministry, music ministry, apologetics ministry, and prayer ministry that are all truly amazing. Best of all, there is a real sense of community among the church body. These things could only happen by the hand of God and no one else!
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April 24th, 2008
Being in the presence of Jesus brings new perspectives on life. Two disciples walking down the road to Emmaus never dreamed they would encounter the Risen Savior as they traveled. Often, I don’t believe Christians expect to experience the presence of Jesus in worship, service or in every day life, yet He is here! He is working in His creation and in our lives if we will slow down long enough to recognize Him. When we refocus our attention upon the Savior, our hearts “burn within us,” as we discover the truth about life and how important it is to experience each day in the joy of Christ. It is so easy to become distracted with the busyness of our world and families that we miss the joy of seeing the “big picture.” We are created for eternity and not just for today. Don’t worry about all the small things that have no impact on your eternity or the eternity of others. Slow down just a little. Take some time to pray and ponder the things of God. Let His Spirit minister to yours. Feel your heart burning and know it’s not from the taco you had the night before, but it’s because you know God has everything under control and He is not surprised by anything that happens. He is ready to lead you in His best. He knows just what you need! In this busy season of graduations, year end shows, accomplishments, sports championships and nearing summer schedules, please take time to walk in the presence of the Savior!...
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March 4th, 2008
The words of Jesus are so clear! Our blessed mission from the Lord Jesus is to “let the children come”! Let them learn, grow, fellowship and find Jesus as their Rescuer! These words of our Master have really tugged at my heart lately. The need is so great in this generation to teach the children and give them the opportunity to experience Christ. It is our calling as His church to teach our children, grandchildren and any young ones put under our care the Word of God. The calling is first to every parent to teach their children the Bible and then the church should partner with that parent to support the foundation of faith begun in their hearts. I am more committed than ever to make sure River’s Edge is reaching the next generation of believers. The Awana children’s ministry has been and will continue to be our major tool to teach kids. We have seen the results already in just 18 months of beginning Awana. Please continue to pray for our children’s leaders and workers each week. From the Awana leaders, to Bible Study teachers to Children’s Church workers, these folks care about the souls of children! The entire church family cares and that’s what makes my heart glad to be your pastor! Note that on Sunday, March 30th we will celebrate our 2nd Annual Awana Day. This is a Sunday in which we will invite all our Awana parents to worship with us and see the things their kids are learning and doing. There will be some great testimonies and victories shared in this special worship time. Make sure this is on your calendar and don’t miss it! Children matter to God and to everyone at River’s Edge!...
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January 7th, 2008
These words of Jesus to Jairus the synagogue ruler are a tremendous encouragement for our new year of ministry at River’s Edge. This is a new year of destiny for us in which I believe the Lord is going to do more than ever in this church family! One question we have to ask ourselves as we launch into a new season of ministry is, “How high are our expectations?” Often, I believe we hold ourselves back from God’s will and His blessings when we do not expect Him to fill us and empower us to impact our world. We become comfortable with ourselves and our surroundings and desire to stay in our idea of a “safety zone” rather than step out into the Lord’s best for us. This may mean feeling uncomfortable and even fearful of making a mistake. The ultimate faith is entrusting God with all our decisions, hopes and dreams. Jairus was afraid for his daughter who was near death. He heard the news that his daughter had died as he was bringing Jesus back to help her. Jairus could have given up and given in to fear, yet Jesus’ calmed him by saying, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” Let these words be our direction for 2008! It will be the greatest year yet as the Lord prepares us to reach more children and families through the Awana ministry; to make International Missions a priority through our new Guatemala partnership; to make Church Planting a continued structure in our DNA as we continue to support and partner with Mosaic Fellowship; and to allow Personal Evangelism to be our focus through the FAITH Evangelism Ministry. Don’t be afraid of how God will lead us or what He will do this year – just believe that He can do it and He wants to do it through us! ...
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November 16, 2007
I am so thankful for you! The River’s Edge family is such a blessing to God and to my family. I’ll say it again, I am very thankful for you! You give thanks to the Lord and call upon His name, and God is pouring out His goodness on this church. The very first purpose we have as Christians is to worship the Lord and give thanks unto Him. It is not just a season of the year called, “Thanksgiving.” It is an attitude of thanksgiving shared among God’s people and to the peoples of the earth who need to know about Christ ...
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September 25, 2007
We have entered a year of destiny for River's Edge! An historic partnership is being molded by the Holy Spirit between us and the Mosaic Christian Fellowship! God has placed us together to be His ambassadors and to plead on His behalf to a wanting world. I am so excited to see the River's Edge family embrace the Mosaic family. Two congregations are placed together in one location for His glory and purposes. This new partnership to not only share a building, but share ministries, will develop into a new model for church planting and the Lord is using each one of us to be a part of it. How great is our God! ...
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July 17, 2007
The Lord is at work even in the middle of Summer! This week, we are experiencing the blessings of God's hands in our Game Day Central Vacation Bible School at Countryside Village. Children, Teenagers and Adults are all coming together to worship, teach, learn and grow. We can rejoice at what God has done by knitting the group of folks together for the week and we can also celebrate the way the Lord is working in the lives of little ones who without this VBS, might never hear the gospel message! ...
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May 16, 2007
It's been a great beginning of Spring at River's Edge! God has shown us so many new opportunities to reach families for Christ and some of those families have already joined the congregation! I truly believe when we "delight" in the things of God, He pours out His blessings on us. "Delighting in the Lord" really means desiring what He wants for our lives rather than just what we want. It is so easy to be caught up in our own preferences and wants even as believers in Christ. Unfortunately, many Christians today are seeking the greatest show or fanciest facility to bring their worship to God. This really makes church "about them" rather than "about the Lord." It makes me so joyful to remember that right from the beginning, River's Edge has boldly proclaimed that true church is the people of God maturing in Christ, majoring on ministry, and loving the world in missions ...
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March 22, 2007
The past two months have been an outstanding time at River's Edge! All of us have been blessed by the 40 Days of Community emphasis as well as Awana Day. Thank you for your dedication and spiritual preparation leading up to the revival services this weekend! You can never schedule a spiritual revival. Revival comes in God's timing and in His ways, but all of us can put ourselves in the position to experience revival. This comes through prayer, fasting, worship, ministry and simply calling out to the Lord in a united fellowship of believers. We have been doing this and now I believe the Lord wants to bless us in mighty ways. "Keep the Dream Alive" is the theme for the 4 services beginning this Sunday morning at 10:45 am. I will be preaching Sunday morning and we will celebrate the Lord's Supper together ...
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January 17, 2007
Get Ready! This new year of 2007 will be an outstanding opportunity to reach our community for Christ. I believe the Lord is about to do “amazing things among us,” just as He did for the Israelites during Joshua’s day. How do I know this? It has been so evident over these last weeks how the Holy Spirit has led our worship and serving times. God is supplying our needs and preparing us to make an even greater impact on our world. Please continue to pray, serve and give! You are blessing so many people with your efforts and I know God is pleased! ...
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