“The angel went to Mary and said, ‘Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you; You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus” Luke 1:30-31

It’s December 2nd, 2010. My radio station has been playing the Christmas Classics for a month. Thanksgiving is past. The best is coming.

In rereading Mary’s story I was struck anew with what incredible young lady she was. As she is out & about going through her daily routine an angel shows up. Now that doesn't happen every day. And Gabriel delivers his message. SURPRISE– You’re gonna have a baby. And the only questions Mary could utter was HOW?

And God’s answer back to her in verse 37 is worth noting. “Nothing is impossible with God.” We may be in some tough situations right now. Guess what? Nothing is impossible with God.” We may in the middle of something we never saw coming. Nothing is impossible with God.”

O that we would have Mary’s courage who replied to the angel “I am the Lord’s servant, be it done to me as you have said.” (verse 38)
How I wish this mindset for each of us. How can we get there?

It starts with realizing you are indeed HIGHLY FAVORED. (check out verse 28) Now that’s a SURPRISE. That our God sees you as one of his prized possessions. We are of infinite worth to him. As Gabriel began his message to Mary by reminding her who she was in the eyes of God I want to remind you that you too are highly favored. God’s Grace extends to you reading this today! His mercy and his faithfulness are new to you this morning.

SURPISED?? Don’t Be– Maybe you need to recognize God's Gift of Forgiveness found as you trust His Son Jesus Christ as your Savior. Seek to follow him. If you know Jesus then live like child of King you are. In so doing we can both be a surprise and encouragement to those around us.

Pastor Mike

In recent days the world has watched in fascination and awe at the rescue of the Chilean miners . What a miraculous sight to see those men come up from under the earth. They survived over 2 months in the belly of the earth. Hoping, waiting, anticipating but never really knowing for sure if they’d ever be saved. Up above a host of people from different nations working frantically in the rescue operation. It just goes to show what can be accomplished when people are willing to work together for a greater purpose.

The same can be said of any church when they understands the purpose for which God has for them. A variety of people with different backgrounds, vocations and education coming together to work for the Lord Jesus. And for what purpose? To rescue the “trapped”. They might not be buried underground, but to many it sure feels like it. Trapped in guilt. Snared in poor decisions and living with the consequences. Buried in bad habits. Feeling abandoned even while there are people all around them.

We as the body of Christ at StoneBridge have the opportunity to do to make a difference. As we speak out of our love for Jesus Christ we offer hope. We who were once discouraged or defeated can shout with a loud voice “There is another way.” Jesus Christ came as the resurrection and the life, to offer life to anyone who would follow him. We are his representatives still sharing his message.

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Do You Believe this? Then I’ll see you this Friday night at Trunk or Treat. It’s our night for a rescue operation!

No Fear

“The fear of man will prove to be a snare but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Pro. 29:25

“The fear of human opinion disables; trusting God protects you from that.” The Message

There’s a lot of scary things in life and I’m not just talking about the latest Halloween outfits. Fears seem to come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Often they seem to be “tailor made” for us. Fear destroys families, friendships, our health and our peace of mind. As author Henry David Thoreau has said “Nothing is so much to be feared as fear.”

So how can we combat this enemy? Note Solomon’s words above, “Whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Were you aware that over 366 times in the Bible we are commanded by God to “FEAR NOT”? Literally one for each day of the year.

So let’s tackle just this one fear, the fear of man. You may know it by its alias, “PEER PRESSURE”. You know, keeping up with the Jone’s, Smith’s and Walton’s. It’s poor decision making to get a better name or because “everyone else is doing it.” We fear man more than God when we pass on doing the right thing because we don't want to deal with the grief. Fear of man comes into play when we want to please anyone more than we desire to please our Lord Jesus.

So what can we do?

1. Decide to do the right thing even if it’s inconvenient. Then trust God with the results. Proverbs 21:3 “to do what is right & just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifices.” (see also Pro. 23:19)

2. When unsure about #1, seek the counsel of Godly people. I say Godly, because many have an opinion, but you need input from those who already fear the Lord. Proverbs 19:20 “Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise.”

John Ortberg makes a keen observation when he writes, “You will never know God is trustworthy if you don't risk obeying him.” Were you aware both Trust & Fear have something in common? They are both contagious & can be spread to others.

God’s desire for your life is to be faithful and fruitful, not fearful. “Whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe”, is kept secure! Be Safe today!!

June 27, 2010

Sunday was a fantastic day here at StoneBridge! During the service we had the opportunity to "officially" welcome Eric Szymanski to the SB team as Director of Student Ministries. It's a delight to have he and Darci and their children here with us.

Afterwards we had our 4th baptism service, with 6 giving their stories of God's goodness to them. One of the really neat privileges I have as a pastor is to hear from them first hand how our Lord Jesus reached out and found them along life's journey. Sunday we had two 10 year olds, two college students and 2 women a little more wiser. Their stories were unique - yet the end result for each in coming to know the love, forgiveness and grace of God through Jesus Christ as Savior is the same.

Praise to God for what he is doing in changing lives through his people!

You are welcome to join us this Sunday- but whether here or somewhere else that worships Christ, I pray that you know of his love for you!

A Real Church

Dan & I recently attended a seminar where the presenter, with tongue firmly implanted in cheek, commented how "real churches first get a pastor, then hire a secretary, and you know when you're really a church, when you have your own copier." Well it looks like we made it, as ours arrived on Tuesday.

Along with a lot of hard work it's also been such a huge, fun journey being a part of a REAL CHURCH. We've been REAL for a little while now. God is working here. People are hearing about what God is doing and he's been adding people weekly. In January we celebrated the fact that our attendance has doubled over the past two years. For the last Sunday of January and first in February StoneBridge has had more people attend than in any week not labeled Easter.

We've narrowed our search process down for our next staff position and as I write this post we'll have two couples visiting us in the next couple weeks. We continue to wait on God to provide us with additional help, especially in ministering to families with students. These are exciting times!

This Sunday, Valentine's Day 2010 we'll have 5 families present their children to be dedicated to the Lord Jesus. This is a public recognition that God is the giver of our children and our desire as parents is to raise them to know the Lord and seek to follow him throughout life. It's what Mary & Joseph did with their son.

Real Churches love the Lord Jesus and they love the people he loves. They seek to serve him and care for his people. God loves people. God loves you!