We’re always trying to engage those around us here in Rancho with the love of Christ through as many means as possible. So I just posted a link on Craig’s list today offering to answer spiritual questions that folks might have in our area with no strings attached. The post is below and you can also check out the link at: craigslist Enjoy!
Answers to Spiritual Questions.
We don’t have all the answers; but we’d love to have you throw us your questions and we’ll give it a shot. Questions about: God / Religion / Jesus / The Original CHURCH / You name it. So feel free to send your questions and we’ll do our best to get back to you as soon as we can.
Steve with NHCC
Bob Roberts Jr.
The 2009 Exponential New Church Conference was a blessing in a lot of ways. (Wish you all could have been there with us) I was encouraged to hear Bob Roberts speak on Wednesday afternoon and touch base with him quickly following the main session. I met Bob in Dallas last October and have followed his blog for close to two years now. Bob has a huge heart for world evangelism and the Church. You can check out the skeleton for the message he gave last week on his blog at Glocal.net. One of the underlining themes throughout the week was that of going back to a relationship with God and personal discipleship. This was most clearly illustrated through the life of Onnuri Community Church in Soul, Korea. Read the complete Post.
We’re about half way through the 2009 Exponential National New Church Conference and there’s a lot to talk about. Don’t worry, I won’t unload on you. But one of the things that I love the most about these types of gatherings is not just the info you can glean, but the encouragement and camaraderie of other folks in the fight. It has been great hanging out with two of my best friends, my “little” brother Eric, and Leo, whom I’ve known since late 96 from a ministry in Indiana. It kind of reminds me of one of the things we see in the biblical model of authentic church, and that’s just the daily encouragement of the saints toward one another. I like that. That’s also a HUGE reason why I love our community here at NHCC. So thank God for THE Church. Thank God for Eric and Leo. Thank God for NHCC.
Hey Folks, there are a number of things I’d like to blog about today, including the start of our new series, From Strife to Life, but I wanted to share a thought from Ruth Gallo on the importance of Community. Ruth, and her husband Steve, have been with us since summer of 05 and it has been a total blast getting to know them. So enjoy!
Steve and I were involved in a wonderful church for many years in Roseville even after moving to Mather. Because we loved our church so much and we felt a strong sense of community with them, we stayed though it was a long drive (30-45 minutes each way). We stayed for several more years and as each year went by we felt more distant from the other members in our church. We realized we weren’t able to get involved in all of the wonderful things our church was doing because we were just too far away. That’s when I ran into someone promoting a brand new church that was meeting in the school near our house. I decided to check it out and now, three years later, we are more involved in the lives of the people who live near us. Read the complete Post.
Yesterday with Spring Break in the air Deb and I took the kids up US 50 into the hills to just mess around as a family. We found some remaining snow drifts above 5000 feet and almost instantly engaged in WWIII snow ball fights, Hinton Style. After everyone’s hands were half frozen we headed for some snacks and back down into the Sacramento valley. One of the tunes that I listened to on the way home caught my attention anew. It was In Christ Alone. by the Newsboys. Some of the highlighted lyrics were:
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
I heard those words and replayed the song really mediating on them, especially those last ones. “No guilt of life, no fear in death!” Wow, that’s what Easter is all about. Jesus rose from the grave 2000 years ago and that makes all the difference. Yeh, I’m thankful for Easter and looking forward to Sunday. What about you?
The Western church celebrates Easter is just two weeks and I’m really getting excited about it. Thought we don’t know the exact date when Jesus rose from the dead, we do know that it happened. I’ve found that most often when folks scoff at the notion of Christ coming back to life after the crucifixion, it’s not because they have examined the evidence and found it lacking, but rather they have a personal agenda to not accept it. The proofs of the resurrection of Christ are enormous. It is because of that resurrection that we can know Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for us. Our sins can be forgiven. But in addition to that, we can live a new life in the here and now. I’m reminded that Jesus once said that he came, “that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) Now that sounds a lot more exciting than what most people are experiencing today. Read the complete Post.
