Take a Moment

Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today

Read The Daily

 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

A tummy full of turkey.  I am glad for an annual day for giving thanks to God, just as I need calendar reminders to remember the significant people in my life on their birthdays and remember to celebrate my marriage on its anniversary date. But why? Why should we need to be reminded to give thanks? I know why I need it. Because I am quicker to complain than rejoice. I am quicker to look to myself for solutions than pray to God. I am quicker to credit myself for good things in my life than see the connection to heaven. I am quicker to feel cheated and envious than blessed and rich in everything that matters. I need the Word’s encouragement to see and acknowledge the Source of everything good in my life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The Word opens my eyes to be aware of the holy angels who protect me, the Spirit who lives in me, the Father who daily forgives me, and the Son who loves me unconditionally. A tummy full of turkey is only one example of the constant stream of blessings that I enjoy. This Thanksgiving, God will be hearing from me more than usual. But, you know, really every day is a day of thanksgiving.

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

The post Friday – Thanksgiving Week appeared first on C3 Church.

Listen instead of reading

Take a Moment

Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today

Read The Daily

Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. (Romans 16:3-4)

Thanksgiving means thanking one another too

We are born, all of us, with GDD–Gratitude Deficit Disorder. The notion that everything good in our lives was given by a gracious God has to be revealed to us. Without that critically important information from the Bible, we would live in the delusion that we made everything ourselves, or worse, that we were at the mercy of the gods of luck. Learning to say thank you to other people is also learned behavior. We see ingratitude in our children and work hard to teach them how to show appreciation. We make them write thank-you notes to their grandparents for birthday gifts. But let’s not assume that we grown-ups are totally healed. We can be terrible takers too. St. Paul’s letters are masterpieces and models of GDD therapy. The opening words of each are full of praises and thanks to God. But the final verses usually carry his heartfelt words of appreciation to the people whose sacrifices, hard work, and passion made possible a community of faith (Romans 16:3-4). How many people have you thanked this week? Does your church have a thanking culture? Does your spouse feel appreciated? Do the people you work with ever hear praise from you?

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

The post Thursday – Thanksgiving Week appeared first on C3 Church.

Take a Moment

Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today

Read The Daily

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 )

An attitude of gratitude

“I’ll be happy when I get _____” is a triple trap. For one, it keeps you miserable as you wait impatiently to be fulfilled. Second, wanting more never satisfies, even if you get your first wish, because you then want still more. Third, it cheats you out of the happiness with the wealth that you already possess. Cultivating a thankful heart and thankful spirit are learned behaviors. You have to choose to be like that, because the attitude you’re born with is one of selfishness, greed, and discontent. By nature we feel cheated, envious of others, and sullen at our lot in life. Jesus calls us to a better way. He opens our eyes to the gospel of our free and full forgiveness, given to us at the cost of his death. He opens our eyes to our new and wonderful relationship with our heavenly Father, source of all good gifts. He opens our eyes to the great wealth we already have–treasures of possessions, friends, and family. Best of all, he promises that we are not only forgiven but immortal. The gospel makes us optimists. It also invites us to overhaul our attitudes daily to be in line with our new status in heaven. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

The post Wednesday – Thanksgiving Week appeared first on C3 Church.

Take a Moment

Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today

Read The Daily

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 )

There is a reason why our culture has so enthusiastically embraced annual birthday and wedding remembrances. Time slides by, and we tend to take one another for granted. Birthdays and anniversaries are helpful reminders about the importance of the dear people whom God has sent into our lives. An annual call to national thanksgiving is just as urgent and helpful. President Lincoln knew that America badly needed God’s help, and even in a time of terrible war, he wanted Americans to pause and express their gratitude for all the divine interventions and blessings that made their lives better. Sinners like us need periodic wake-up calls to notice God’s working in our lives. Our instincts are either to take his gifts without noticing or thinking or to suppose that everything good in our lives comes from our own achievement. St. Paul knew how engaged our Lord is in the lives of each believer, and he urged a Greek congregation and he urges us to pause, notice, understand cause and effect, and make a joyful noise of thanksgiving. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) What three treasures in your life can you trace back to God’s kindly giving?

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

The post Tuesday – Thanksgiving Week appeared first on C3 Church.

Take a Moment

Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today

Read The Daily

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

During the week of Thanksgiving, our nation pauses. Most businesses and schools close. Kids come home from school with Pilgrim artwork, black buckled hats, and stories of Squanto. There will be much turkey, pumpkin pie, and football. There may even be some giving of thanks. I don’t mean just being “thankful,” i.e., a generic, warm and fuzzy, slightly guilty awareness that we live pretty well. This day provides a great opportunity to ponder a direct object for the transitive verb to thank. Thanking Somebody who makes good things happen is learned behavior, like telling the truth, like honoring a promise, like staying faithful to a flawed spouse even when it’s hard, like sticking to a job and finishing it. The Bible helps us with deep insights into cause and effect in our lives. Are our treasures the result of our hard labor? . . . of blind, random luck? . . . of destiny or kismet or accumulated karma? No, actually not. Everything good in our lives comes as a result of direct intervention by a loving Creator and by a Redeemer who loves to do good things for his children. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (i.e., the stars)” (James 1:17). Do you have time this week to take inventory of the treasures in your life? As you look backward and thank your Benefactor, has it occurred to you that you can look forward with the same gratitude and joyful anticipation? The One who made your past better is already planting gifts in your future.

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

The post Monday – Thanksgiving Week appeared first on C3 Church.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)

Sometimes Jesus doesn’t meet our expectations. 

When he showed up in the first century, people expected him to liberate them from an oppressive government. They expected him to be intimidating and powerful and usher in a new age and way of life. How else do you fight for justice and peace? Instead, Jesus’ approach was upside down. Instead of conquering, he talked about freedom. Instead of being born to a prominent family, he identified with the poor and persecuted. He loved children. For sure, Jesus came to bring freedom, but his target was the heart, the source of all lasting change. Only one verse in the Bible describes Jesus describing himself. He said he was humble and gentle. 

Wait—gentle? Like weak and soft-spoken? Passive? 

And that’s where we learn a secret. Real gentleness is “power under control.” Imagine an immense Clydesdale being led by a child. Picture a mighty river flowing within its banks or invisible gusts pushing a turbine. Gentleness is power doing good.  Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing is so gentle as real strength. So when the world expected a hero to wipe out the enemy, Jesus offered the enemy mercy. He lavished kindness on the beaten down. Blessing to the broken in spirit. A haven for whoever is weary of this world and its empty promises. He never wrote a book, or led a campaign, or held a political office. He didn’t do anything that we typically link with greatness. But he did say, Come to Me—for I am gentle . . . and you will find rest for your souls. 

That explains why he never once ignored an honest cry for help but stiff-armed the proud who thought they had life figured out. That’s why when we meet Jesus in the Bible, he’s surrounded by the most unexpected crowd—the marginalized, the unknowns, the weak. Where are all the power players? The social influencers? The people who can make things happen? Apparently, humility tells a better story and when word of it got out, it went viral. 

All his life Jesus fought against people’s expectations. Yet he knew what he was about every moment between his birth and death. No one’s criticism or opposition knocked him off course. His journey progressed intentionally to his ultimate goal.

That goes way beyond our expectation. But so does his love.

Start Really Living Life 

Action Steps 

Bible: What is God showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.

The post Friday Cross Training | Jesus Changed The Narrative appeared first on C3 Church.

We love each other because he loved us first. (1 John 4:19)

Have you ever thought, “There’s Got to Be More?”

Do you ever have the feeling that you are chasing something in life that won’t fully satisfy you? Pay attention to that feeling. It’s from God.

We’re not just talking about substance abuse issues, although drinking and pursuing other addictions are certainly ways of chasing something futile. But I’ve also known a lot of what they call “good church people” who sit in a service every week—or who even preach to those people—who feel themselves to be far from God. They’re “successful” or “put together” or “righteous” on the outside, but they’re missing God on the inside. They keep busy with religious practices and work, school, or family, but it just isn’t enough. They long for God to feel real to them.

When you long for a love that is deep and satisfying, when you want to give yourself to something that will truly make a difference, or when you seek answers to life’s most difficult questions, you are looking for God. You’ve really got two options: you can keep searching to fill these longings on your own, or you can look to the One who gave you those longings in the first place.

Our longing for real love goes all the way back to how the human race was made in the first place. God intended that we experience his love both directly from him and through others we relate to in a healthy way. What we long for, God doesn’t just have but actually God is. He is love and he pursues us with love.

We’ve heard it said that every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is really looking for God. If you are knocking on the door of some self-destructive behavior or relationship, you might actually have arrived at an important point in your journey to start living an Epic Life.  Why? Because the disappointment you inevitably feel in cheap substitutes will make you wonder where you can find real love. Will you open yourself up to letting God fill your longing to love and be loved?

Start Really Living Life 

Action Steps 

Bible: What is God showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.

The post Thursday Cross Training | Epic Life Launches In 3 Days!    appeared first on C3 Church.

Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. (Hebrews 6:11)

I know of several C3ers that are going through really tough times right now.  My daughter was in for Labor Day weekend and I was sharing one of their stories and what they are going through.  It’s so tough that Teegan, my daughter, actually said, “What do you even say to someone going through that?”  

Following Jesus is not without tough times. In the Old Testament, God’s people wandered the desert for 40 years then fought battle after battle as they tried to protect their land from invaders. In the New Testament, God’s Son hangs on a cross, church leaders are thrown in jail and others are killed for their faith. The Bible is full of examples in which the lives of God’s people are difficult.  

Anyone of faith for any length of time has been through a season when God seemed far away. So what is the point? Why persist in our faith if it doesn’t make our problems go away? The reason is simple: The point when we feel the most inadequate is the point at which we are most dependent on God.

When following God is simple, easy and clear, we have little temptation to give up. Our obedience makes perfect sense. But when we persevere through confusion, doubt and pain, we demonstrate something unique to those around us and offer something of great value to God — our humble submission.

If you’re not dead, God is not done. Don’t quit just before the miracle. When we feel like there is no reason to press on in the Christian life, but we choose to stay faithful in spite of our feelings, God can use us in amazing ways.

Action Steps 

Bible: What is God showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.

The post Wednesday Cross Training | God’s Not Done appeared first on C3 Church.

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

I spent close to 5 years doing Crossfit 3 days a week at 4:30 am.  It was intense to say the least, but I was also maybe in the best shape of my life.  One summer because of vacation and a trip, I had to miss working out 2 weeks in a row.  At the end of my vacation, I was playing kickball with my family and after running to first base, I noticed I was out of breath.  Just two weeks earlier we were running at least a mile in the morning. How is it that all of those weeks of training could be lost completely in 14 days?

Maybe you can relate to me when it comes to your progress trying to follow Jesus.  Maybe there was a time that you were maturing, taking next steps, hearing from God and experiencing spiritual growth, but lately you feel like you’ve lost so much ground you can’t muster the energy to even read your Bible. The author of Hebrews compares new Christians to infants who need milk, but says in verse 14 that “solid food is for the mature.”

So how do we progress from infant to mature in our spiritual lives? In just two words, verse 14 gives us the key ingredients to growing spiritually: “constant use.” The Bible doesn’t say “periodic use” or “occasional use.” It says, “constant use.” What if you made a decision today to focus on staying connected to Jesus throughout the day.   

Not sure what to do next? Join a C3 Group  or Epic Life.

Action Steps 

Bible: What is God showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.

The post Tuesday Cross Training | Two Words To Help You Change Your Life appeared first on C3 Church.

In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. (Hebrews 5:9)

I grew up with two brothers which always led to doing a ton of stupid things.  Most of them, I am not proud of.  However, I’m also thankful that nobody had cameras or phones back then or I may still be serving prison time with my older brother.  With a shady past, one of the strengths is coaching and dealing with jr. high and high school boys.  They think they are sneaky, but like one of my friends said, “We not only know what you’re doing but we probably invented it”.  

There is power in knowing what’s going on because you’ve been there and done that.  I think that’s the power of Jesus being our High Priest.  Any darkness or depression you have faced…so did He.  Been betrayed or lonely?  So was He.  

The writer of Hebrews has established that we have a great high priest in Jesus who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because he became like us. Thus, rather than being in fear, we are able to approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find the grace we need to help in our time of need.  The good news of the gospel isn’t that Jesus came to Earth to shame us for not matching up, but that He actually came to take our place and do for us what we could never do for ourselves.  

Action Steps 

Bible: What is God showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.

The post Monday Cross Training | Been There, Done That! appeared first on C3 Church.