I want New Beginnings to be known as a "dangerous" church! Dangerous to the devil because we are people passionate to reach out and bring people to Jesus, helping them turn from darkness and emptiness to the life giving power of God! Dangerous to small thinking, non-risk taking, safe living believers who value their own comfort over the cross and cause of Christ! Dangerous to a world system that values image over character and what is expedient over what is morally right!

Being a “dangerous” church doesn’t mean that we are known for what we against but what we are for! That we as a people stand for all that is good, champion the greatness of God, and live for His eternal purposes. Being a “dangerous” church means that we will be people who expect the extraordinary, believe for the impossible and run the race determined to win!

May God give us the courage to be a threat to the source of all that is evil, hurtful, and abusive while being determined to be a compassionate force for good in our world!

Make a difference!

Ephesians 6:10 says “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!” I love this verse because it reminds me that our God is a God of power and strength. The bible is full of references that show us how truly powerful He is and how great men and women of the bible tapped into that strength enabling them to do great things. David took down a giant with the power of God working in him; Elijah faced off 450 prophets of the devil and with the power of God beat them silly! Caleb at 85 years old is filled with the strength of God and at a time in life most were retiring he was leading the charge, ready to conquer the people in the hill country. The hill country was the most difficult place to fight battles but he didn’t care because he was filled with the power of God!

As all children resemble their parents physically and take on the traits of the parents we as children of God should resemble our Father in heaven. There is no fear or back up in God! We serve a powerful God and we His children can look like Him, having the strength of God giving us boldness to face any challenge and win every battle! Is there a place in your life where you need to tap into the power of His might? You can do it! Be bold! God is for us! Live in His strength!
PB

It sure seems like summer arrived all at once in a powerful way! Thank you Jesus! I learned something about summer from growing up on the farm and also from watching my kids grow up.

Summer has always been the growing season. Kids seem to sprout up over the summer months and look so much older as they start that new grade in the fall. Crops are basking in the heat growing to maturity, being prepared to bear the fruit of the harvest season! All of creation is in the God established season of growth and it should be that way with each one of us also.

Can I encourage you to use these warm summer nights to linger on your porch or backyard and commit to spending some extra time growing your relationship with Jesus! Enjoy a time of extra reading of the Word of God or listening to a favorite worship CD (I recommend Pastor Jeffrey’s new one) or reading a great book that will stir your heart to follow Jesus more passionately! When we commit and are diligent to grow it is an absolute certain that we will enjoy a great harvest!

God Bless!

PB

For the last two weeks of June we will be joining with the One Prayer movement to pray that God’s church would be united in action to touch the world.

Unity is a powerful force in the Kingdom of God. Coming together on Sunday is an absolute necessity for being a strong believer but it is only the beginning of unity. I believe God has placed us here for a greater reason than to enjoy a Sunday message. Look for an opportunity to gather together in a small group and pray with or for someone, find a place to serve together in the church to be a blessing asking nothing in return, give generously to the cause of Christ and share your story often with any who will listen of how God rescued your life from destruction. These are the things that make the Kingdom of God unstoppable! We can make a difference when we do it together. May we continue to do all we can to reach out to people in need and be an unstoppable life - giving force to the world around us!