Near and Far Faith

I've never been on TV before and I guess this is a good place to start - the local Christian station.

One of our Deacons hooked us up with a  local pastor who does a show on the station and I'm going on to promo The Good Love Project. I'll be on with Gary Millspaugh, the director of the Allentown Rescue Mission. Check out how God has been behind this to bring our two ministries together - it's awesome!

I'll link to the show as soon as I get that info. We're taping Thursday and it will air Sunday night at 6:30 and Tuesday at 10 pm.  The program is called "The Living Truth" and pastor Larry Burd is the host. He's the pastor at Calvary Baptist in Bethlehem.

Pray I don't make a fool of myself or have lettuce in my teeth.

So you've heard about it at Carpenter's for the last few weeks and saw the video this week, but in Case you didn't, here's the vision for Good Friday this year...

We have been disenfranchised by people who call themselves Christians but don' DO anything but go to church. That does make you a Christian. I just doesn't. There's also this mentality in the church that it's a fortress to hide in and once you're strong enough or good enough or know enough, then you can reach out and serve. It's backwards from the scripture.  We - the church and those who claim to be Christ-followers - should be moving on the pain and needs of our community... now. Not when you've been in church long enough. Not when you know a certain amount about the Bible. The key is this: if you're following Christ then you know LOVE and that's enough.

So we're setting out to show our community what love is - Good Love - real love. Unconditional sacrifice. And the timing is perfect. We're teaming up with other churches and organizations and focusing on one area  - the living conditions of the people in the Lehigh Valley. We want to help improve the living space of those who can't be that for financial reasons, a physical disability, a parent or spouse is off at war, a single parent who doesn't have the time, or anyone who needs it.

I got the idea from a song by John Mayer, one of  my favorite artists, called Good Love Is On The Way.

So now you've read this and you're hereby charged to get involved. If you're a Christ follower then get involved and make yourself available for the 4 weekends leading into Good Friday to serve at the projects we're lining up. If you don't have the time but have the cash then give it. If you have the time but not the money then give it. Not because anyone deserves it but because our God values people. For more info go to thegoodloveproject.com and click the email link to communicate more.

If you know anyone that is a good candidate to be served by this, go to thegoodloveproject.com or guide them to it and get them an application. It's time to become the church that we are meant to be - a sacrificing body because that was our example.

These projects will culminate on Good Friday with a party of parties to celebrate what God's done and the freedom we have to serve and continue to show Good Love because of His sacrifice.

Stay close later this week for the unveiling of our Good Friday project this year. It crept into the bulletin this week, but next Sunday we'll really tear it open for you.

I know I exagerate at times, but in all seriousness this has the potential to change the Lehigh Valley and the Christian name locally.

@loswit just started following my twitter. I'm flattered... and I feel that I need to talk about cooler things than my bits about Walmart. If you don't know who he is just look at how many people follow him. He's a pastor at Buckhead Church - one of North Point's campuses. Thanks for the bump los.

And if you haven't started twittering yet  - come on. Not only is it fun but it's a great way to connect with people more regularly.

I've talked about it a few times that I'm just so blown away by what our student leaders are stepping up and doing this season. They continue to rise above and beyond what my dreams have been.

This week begins a whole new level. For the next two weeks at Ignite two different Student Leaders will be teaching. I love giving my job into capable hands and this is gonna rock.

We've been working hard at keeping our podcasts consistent - both on Sundays and Tuesdays - so check the Ignite podcast on Wednesday to listen to Jon Gonzales' debut and next week for Emily Theal's.

Just wanted to take a moment to encourage you if you've jumped on our 21 day challenge. I challenged us last Sunday to spend 10 minutes in the Bible every day for 21 days to build the habit.

Remember, the goal is this: to know God better. I believe and have seen with my own life that the better I can understand who our creator is, the better I can display him for others.

One thought of caution though - don't be lulled into believing that there is no enemy or that he's not interested in this kind of thing. That would be exactly who he is. You will wrestle with waking up early and turning off the TV to take these few minutes - I did this morning. It is worth it to engage in the battle and fight for this.

I've been listening to this series called "The best question ever" by Andy Stanley and he made an interesting point that really hit home with me this morning in part 3 of the series - if we were to add up all the "urgent" things that we allowed to derail our call, we'd have nothing. The cumulative result of sleeping in and watching TV is worthless. But the cumulative regret that we will see and feel as our families fall apart and we fail under the pressure of fear is great.

So stay strong and build the habit. 13 days left.

Last weekend was nothing short of refreshing and passionate. Anything that Holyfire touches is. Jan. 30 through Feb. 1st was Ignition - our version of winter camp for Ignite Students. I sat down with their lead singer who also preached for the weekend to discuss the theme. If you've never heard of Out of Hiding and Holyfire Ministries this is your chance to partner with an amazing ministry.

ALSO - if you want to get a feel for their music and heart, we recorded two of their worship sessions and one of Justin's teachings from the weekend and you can find them HERE at the Ignite Students podcast.

Check out the Episode 8 of The Little Big Church Podcast - The Holyfire interview.