Bob's Blog

Sunday's Coming!

2012-04-27T16:43:00.003-07:00

Hi everyone ... What an exciting Sunday to look forward to!!! All the money has been raised ... And more ... And all the slots have been filled ... And more ... Praise God for all the responses ... What a privilege to be able to package 150,000 meals ... And send them off with our prayers to Honduras. We did the math and the 150k meals will be able to feed the neighborhood of 2,000 folks we have adopted for 2 1/2 years! We look forward to seeing the development and increased health in the children of Honduras thanks to your investment. Way to go GPC! See you soon!

Pastor Bob

One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 58:10-11 ....

“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

I’m proud to be part of your church family ...

Looking forward to this weekend!

2012-04-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Grace Point Family,

I hope you are staying dry!!! As I’m writing this ... I’m picturing some of you in traffic as it has begun to rain .. Yuck!

What a difference a week makes ... We had great weather last weekend for Easter. It was great to be outside!! Thanks to so many of you for volunteering to serve as we were able to bless many who joined us from our surrounding communities. Last Friday night we focused on how our list of sins was also nailed to the cross and covered ‘blotted out’ as Jesus was nailed to the cross. On Easter Sunday, we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection and enjoyed a few fishing stories from the life of Peter. It took inviting the resurrected Jesus into his house .. through his door ... that made a lasting difference in Peter’s life. That same invitation is ours today.

This Saturday night and Sunday morning, I’m looking forward to sharing with you some insights from Acts 17. In this one chapter, Paul visits three cities and in each city, there are some truths we can unpack and apply to our lives. I love how the Bible is full of stories that we can relate to. Have a great weekend ... I look forward to praising God with you at one of our three services and learning more from Paul’s grace extending journey.

Pastor Bob

Easter Weekend!

2012-04-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Grace Point Family ...

Easter weekend is almost here!! I am looking forward to the ‘Resurrection Celebration’ we have planned. The music we have planned is going to be great and I am humbled to have heard from God a special message I can’t wait to share with you and our surrounding communities. We even have a few special ‘guests’ that will show up as well ... If you haven’t sent out the attached Easter e-mail flier to those you know ... It is not too late! Also ... Let me encourage to walk down your street and share with those who are outside that we are offering a community Easter outdoor celebration that you think they would enjoy. It always amazes me that although I know many of my neighbors and friends are looking for a church to attend on Easter, I still feel nervous when inviting them. Maybe it’s the fact that we all feel a bit nervous when talking about things that are important to us. The truth is, when you invite a friend to join you for church on Easter they very often will come, and even if they cannot come, they’ll appreciate the fact that you thought of them.

If you want more copies to pass out, we have some at our office. Come on by!

Also ... Don’t miss our special ‘Good Friday’ service tomorrow night at 6:30pm. We have some special music picked out and I am looking forward to leading you to reflect on what Jesus was processing the Monday before he died on a Friday. Kids 5th grade on up will be joining us for the Friday night service and our children’s ministry will be caring for and leading our infants thru 4th graders ... making sure they have a meaningful time as well.

Along with the upcoming services ... Let me encourage you to begin to personally celebrate the good news of Easter starting today. Just think of it ... because of what happened on a Friday and Sunday, our past is forgiven, we have God’s power for living and we have a future in heaven! Romans 3:22 says, “We are made right with God when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we can all be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” ... That is good news! Lastly ... Thanks for your prayers!! I love you as a wonderful church family and am so grateful to be your pastor. It’s going to be a great weekend ... See you soon!!!

Pastor Bob

Looking forward to this weekend!

2012-03-09T13:18:00.002-08:00

Hi Grace Point Family ... Looking forward to the weekend with you ... This weekend, we’ll be unpacking Acts 12 ... A great chapter ... Full of twists and turns. In these twenty-five verses, there are some helpful insights we can lean into regarding handling the crises in our lives. We all want God to show up in our lives and make a difference in situations that are way out of our control. How much faith does it take for God to show up in big way? ... What we discover from this story and other accounts in the Bible might surprise you. See you Saturday night or Sunday morning ...

Pastor Bob

Our calling must be greater than comfort or culture

2012-02-28T12:07:00.001-08:00

Reflecting on Acts 8-11, I was challenged and humbled by how God is serious about the Great Commission. He meant it when he wanted his people to extend his grace beyond their comfort zones. As the early church thought it best to wait and worship in Jerusalem even after the Holy Spirit was available to them, God thought it best to nudge them to take the gospel (good news of God’s grace available to a sinful world through the sacrifice of Christ) beyond their geographic and ethnic barriers. There hang-ups and issues that fueled their delay to deploy God’s grace are the same issues we face today. Like the folks that God led the early church to reach out to, many who we might feel today ‘wouldn’t be interested in what we have to say’ or ‘because of their past and/or present actions should be avoided at all cost’ … God might want to surprise us as he did back in the 1^st century when he called “Saul the persecutor” … ‘my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.’ (Acts 9:25).

As children of God and ambassadors for the gospel of Christ, may we be known as a people passionate to break down and through walls rather than build walls to hide comfortably/safely hide behind. May God use the ministries of Grace Point Church to turn more Saul’s into Paul’s! Forgive us Heavenly Father for avoiding and judging those you want us to extend grace to. (1 Cor. 5:9-12).

Jesus' birth prompts different emotions.

2011-12-16T16:22:00.001-08:00

Hi Grace Point Family,

Our Christmas season is in full swing and I look forward to celebrating with you and sharing with you this Sunday. What a blessing it was last Sunday to watch the Christmas musical our KidsPoint ministry shared with us! This Sunday is part 2 of our Christmas series where we’ll revisit the Christmas story described in Matthew 2 and focus in on the Magi (wise men) that travelled from the east to find Jesus. Guided by a star, these travelers sought a new king and their journey brought them to a very unexpected place! Rather than being gripped with worry like Herod was when events surprised him (who we looked at a few weeks ago), these guys chose to worship. The choice to worry or worship wherever we are is before all of us. Have a great weekend … begin praying that God would prepare your heart and our church family to receive what He has for us as we gather together.

See you soon …

Pastor Bob

Summer Update

2008-07-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Grace Point Family and Friends … 7/25/08
I hope that you are having a great summer so far! Along with planning for the fall, I have been enjoying my ‘study break’ this summer and am looking forward to starting a new series of messages on September 7th titled, "Insights from Israel". The ancient land of Israel is a remarkable testimony of the great things that God did in that country. The assortment of places give further evidence to the truth of the words that we find in the pages of our Bible.
After coming back from my recent trip to Israel, I have been carving out some extended time for further digging and studying related to the places where the stories of the Bible took place. Along with the more ‘popular places’ (i.e. Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho etc.), I have been personally refreshed and challenged by the ‘lesser known’ places (i.e. Kursi, Gamla, Sapphoris, Belvoir, Korazin, Gezer etc. ... ) and the truths that are ‘dug up’ there. In my summer study time, God has humbled me and helped me grow stronger and closer to Him. I am confident that the lessons from these places I have been studying and learning will help our church grow stronger in the months ahead. God has used the timeless lessons from the land of Israel to recharge my batteries as we look at what is ahead of us at Grace Point Church and I am looking forward to sharing them with you.
Speaking of looking ahead, I mentioned last Sunday morning that I will hosting three ‘vision nights’ this summer to get us thinking about the days ahead of us. The first two will be the next two Sunday nights ... July 27th and August 3rd .. both from 5:30pm to 6:45pm. The last one will be August 24th at the same time.
At these meetings, I will be sharing about where we have been as a church family and some thoughts as to where I see God leading us in the days ahead. I will also be looking forward to getting your feedback and addressing your questions as we look ahead together.
There is nothing more powerful than a local church that is unified and committed to growing and serving together. In the past years, God has done some truly amazing things in and through our church body. The memories many of us share looking back will last a life time. Our campus that was dedicated last December stands as a testimony to God at work in and through our lives. Having said that ... I am confident that the best days of maturing (building intimacy with God) and ministering (broadening our influence for God) are ahead of us! I look forward to the days ahead partnering with you in the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
Thankful for our partnership,
Bob

Back from Israel

2008-05-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Rhonda and I made it back from Israel and are still digesting what we experienced. We look forward to sharing more in the days ahead. One of the main challenges so far was the fact that the land wasn't all that amazing. It's just a piece of land. Lots of rock and desert packed in a relatively small area. What made it amazing is what God chose to do there in previous generations and what He says will happen in the future. Just as when Moses saw a bush burning (Exodus 3), it wasn't the bush that was all that special but God fueling the bush for His purposes. God is still looking for opportunities to light up lives (and churches) for His purposes. Let's stay open to His light and leading.