This Week's Wins

I LOVE to write this post every week!  Exciting to see how the Gospel is changing lives each week here at CCC!  Here's some highlights:

This sugar cream pie is one of MANY things you all have done for pastor appreciation month!
It is so overwhelming to feel the love that you all have shared!
THANKS A TON!

Snapped this photo during worship yesterday; a cool visual of the community we are blessed with!
I say the more the merrier!

Snapped this cool model of the Temple in our 4th and 5th grade guys  Root 2:52 group!
Bonus points if you can ID everything...

Cooper Hall squirms to the finish line as he wins a pizza party for his d-group at FUEL!

Taking Root,

Blake

The Good and Bad of The FLC

The Family Life Center is my favorite place in the whole church.

There is more life, energy, and happenings in this one room than many of the others combined.  People naturally gather here to have fun, to eat, and to be in community with each other.

And we want it to always be a safe place to do that.

The children and teens of CCC love running around this room and playing, throwing balls, and just burning steam.  Every once in a while, you might even see a big, goofy youth minister doing the same thing!

Here's where we need your help.

During program time, we as ministry staff and volunteers make it a priority to keep the time spent in the FLC safe.  However, before and after programming, it is impossible for us to be the policeman for the wide variety of ages of children and youth who enjoy the space.  So if it's not too much to ask, here's some basic suggestions to keep this a safe place:

No Running

No Throwing or Kicking Balls other than to play Basketball.

Let's work together to keep the FLC a place where everyone can have safe fun.

Taking Root,

Blake

Taking a Deeper Look: Stewardship

I'm continuing a series on a deeper look at the 6 areas of growth in our Rooted in God's Love initiative.  Check out earlier posts on Study and Prayer, then dive into today's post on Stewardship!

Biblical Basis

It's easy to read the Old Testament and understand that a tithe (AKA 10%) was expected of everything.  For generations people have argued that it doesn't apply in New Testament living.  Here's 5 passages to read.  You connect the dots and see that we are to continue in this grace of giving!

Passages: Leviticus 27, Malachi 3, 2 Corinthians 8-9, Genesis 14, Hebrews 7

Growing in Stewardship

Our Rooted in God's Love formational goals range all the way from "I know all things belong to God" to "I am investing in the global church with my time and treasures."  As usual, quite a range.  However, also note that one can't simply start giving money to foreign missionaries and be rooted in stewardship.  It's a process of growth and requires much more than some of your money.

While I am for from an expert on this myself, here are some other resources that can push you to grow in this area:

Contagious Generosity by Barry Cameron
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
The ABC's of Financial Freedom by Barry Cameron
Proverbs: Wealth - A Sermon by Mark Driscoll

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying any of these resources have the ideas of stewardship perfected, but they have been partners on my journey, so I offer them to you hoping you can use them wisely as well!  Be a good STEWARD!

Some Practical First Steps

1. Step back and check if what you're giving is still a tithe.  Those cost of living raises or extra side jobs add up fast!
2. Do an evaluation of all your resources. Are there resources that could be finding a purpose in God's Kingdom that aren't being used?  Make a list of things you can use to enhance the kingdom.
3. Check your schedule.  Our responsibility to manage our time well is stewardship.  Are you wasting time that could be focused on something more productive?  Are you giving God space to work in your schedule or are you manhandling it with the things you want?

Taking Root,

Blake

This Week's Wins

Some more reasons to be reminded that I LOVE MY CHURCH!

• We've got a new brother in Christ! Be praying for Aaron as we know that Satan usually likes to attack in situations like this (See Jesus, Matthew 4).  Also, consider inviting our new brother to your small group, Sunday school class, or just out to lunch!
  
• KCA Pastor Appreciation was REALLY cool!  Just makes me smile thinking about seeing so many CCC kids quoting and singing scripture as they appreciated us and challenged us at the same time!  Special thanks for our notes and cards too!  You keep those around for future encouragement...

• A Lot of People Filled-In for Role's they don't usually play this week!  It's just stressful to fill-in for role's that aren't usually yours.  This week, I can count double digit people who did that to help fill in the gaps!  That's a great TEAM!
• Some Pictures From the Week...

This is a 55 Gallon Trash Can FULL of Candy!
People tell me it takes about 4 of these to be ready for Trunk O Treat!
Great job so far!

Tinley got to spend time with her Great Grandparents this weekend!
I post this because I want to THANK so many of you for being Tinley's
Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins during the week!
It means a ton to have that kind of family at church!

What's Up Wednesday!

All kinds of opportunities for you and your family to take a step towards being rooted in the upcoming weeks.  Here's 3 I want to highlight:

1. Prayer Vigil - I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed people's faith being changed by intentional time away in prayer.  God is really good at speaking to us when we give him the margin to do so.  Get yourself and/or your family signed up today!
   
2. SuperStart - Click here for more details on this trip for 4th-5th graders.  Click Here to get signed up ASAP!
   
3. Buried:  Student Fall Retreat - Click here for more details on this trip for middle and high school students.  Click here to get signed up before Nov. 1!

Taking Root,

Blake

This Week's Wins

Running a little slow on the blog this week, sometimes God has other ministry in mind!

Here's a few pictures to highlight some good things:

Trunk o Treat: Is this you?

The details at the end are wrong, but I love this video promoting trunk o treat!

Trunk or Treat Downtown Promo from Heather Dobbins on Vimeo.

FYI - This was the first thing that popped up when I googled Trunk o Treat promo.  Gotta love the internet!

So....

Here's our details:

Wednesday, October 31, beginning at 5:30 pm.

We need the following:

• TRUNKS! Contact the church office to get signed up to host a trunk.  We have limited spots, so call ASAP!
  
• CANDY! LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY!!  We're talking thousands of kids here.  Donate your candy in the bin in the foyer.

Taking Root,

Blake

2012 Fall Retreat: Buried

I can't wait!

November 16-18 we will be getting away to White Mills Christian Camp for a retreat weekend.  Guest speaker, Matt Lee, from Lexington will be there as well as a team of students from Johnson University.

Our theme for this year is BURIED and we will focus in on Matthew 6:19-21:

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The cost is $40 and you need to be signed up by November 1!

Taking Root,
Blake

What's Up Wednesday

Don't Miss Out on our New Masks series in FUEL!

• Get Signed up for Trips!
  Our 4th-5th graders are planning a trip to SuperStart ($55)and our Middle School and High School are gearing up for the Fall Retreat at White Mills ($40)!  Contact Blake or Kari Jo to get your name on the list today!
  
• New Masks Series Starts Tonight!
  FUEL kicks off Masks tonight, come and bring a friend!
  
• Sunday Night Programs Resume
  This week student small groups and children's devotions resume on Sunday nights!

Taking Root,

Blake

Taking a Deeper Look: Prayer

Even Tebow does it...

Biblical Basis

Head to any Bible app and type in the word pray and you will be overwhelmed with the number of search results!  Here's a few of the big ideas about prayer from God's Word:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV84)pray continually; 

Matthew 6:6 (NIV84)But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 

1 Corinthians 14:15 (NIV84)So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 

Ephesians 6:18 (NIV84)And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Growing in Prayer

Our Rooted in God's Love initiative shows a growth progression in prayer that ranges from "I know I can pray to God about all things" to "I have a constant awareness of God's presence in the world."

What are some of the big steps in that progression?  So glad you asked...

Nuts & Bolts

So many people struggle with what and how to pray, even though they feel the burden of why to pray. In the early development of a Christian's prayer life, we want them to begin to understand the basics of what prayer looks like.  Ironically, it's different for everyone!  The way we pray changes and grows as our relationship with God does.  The more we know God the better the conversation!

Consistency

As people get a grasp on how to converse with God, we want to inspire and encourage them to make their prayer more and more consistent.  This helps enhance our relationship with God and also makes our prayer more effective.

Trust

Deeper faith requires greater trust.  As our prayer life continues to grow, we need to learn to trust God more and more by beginning our endeavors with prayer as opposed to inviting God to join our current situation.  The more we do this the more trust we show in God's plan and his ability to work through us.

Awareness

The more time we spend in conversation with God, the more we hear him speak (not necessarily audibly.. not trying to be weird here.).  This phase of our growth in prayer is all about seeing God and hearing what he wants to speak in our current situation.  As we become more aware of God's presence in our world, we see more and more the part we are called to play in it!

What's my Prayer Score?

Spiritual formation and growth is difficult to measure.  It requires self-evaluation and honesty.  Click on this link for a quick evaluation that I have put together to help you get started:

Prayer Evaluation

If you'd like to get your score back and some steps to take for growth, enter your email at the bottom before submitting.  Otherwise, it's completely anonymous!

Taking Root,

Blake

This Week's Wins

I'm learning the more that I depend on God to show up, the more I get to see him work; and I continue to see that happening in the life of CCC!  Here's some wins that happened this week, sponsored by the letter M:

• God challenged and encouraged both Rodney and I at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta!  I know this doesn't involve everyone, but it has an impact on everyone!  We're hoping to invite other leaders in our congregation to attend this conference in the future!  The theme was Make.
  
• It was pretty cool to feel the Spirit moving amongst the people during The Great I Am yesterday!  What a blessing to worship with the worship team and spend some time resting in God's presence!  My heart was moved, motivated, and remade!
  
• The Fall Festival created memories, meetings, and meals!  First, Carla Williams did a FABULOUS job coordinating this!  Do me a favor and flood her with your gratefulness through a text, call, or note!  The memories made at the festival were awesome and the pictures are soon to come!  Keep your eye on the newsletter for more.  It was also cool to meet several new families that joined us!  What a great chance to learn people's story and invite them to join us in the journey of following Christ!  And then there was the FOOD!  Yum...  Also really cool to see us being able to provide a meal or two for some families that needed it!  Great job church!

Taking Root,

Blake

Get Signed up for SuperStart!

WHAT:  An overnight conference for all 4th/5th grade students that is OUT OF THIS WORLD!
WHEN: November 9-10.  We will leave at 3 pm Friday and return 5:30 PM Saturday.
WHERE:  Northside Christian Church, New Albany, IN
WHO:  YOU!  If you're in 4th or 5th grade!
HOW MUCH:  $55 to cover registration costs and hotel, plus money for your meals (More on this later!)
REGISTRATION:  Due October 24.  You'll need your $$, This permission slip: CIY Permission Slip, and a copy of your insurance card.

If you have questions or to get signed-up, see Kari Jo.

Taking Root,

Blake

What's Up Wednesday!

There is NOTHING up this Wednesday!  Enjoy Fall Break!

On another note, pray for Rodney and I as we left early this morning for the Catalyst convention in Atlanta.  Pray that God would teach and challenge us this week.

Taking Root,

Blake

This Week's Wins

It's RAINING!! A LOT!

A good reminder of God's mercy that rains down on us each day.

We're in low gear as many are enjoying fall break this week; Here's a couple highlights from the week that was.

• A semester high 47 kids in Root 2:52 this week! Praise God!
  
• A GREAT turnout for the Heavenly Haven farm trip!  It was so fun, I didn't even get to taking any pictures!