Struggling to Worship
If your mind works anything like mine, you've probably spent a lot of Sundays distracted during the worship time. Busy with your own thoughts, angry at the person who came in late and disrupted you to get to his seat, or distracted by some abstract person or motion between you and the stage. Though worship consists of far more than what happens during the Sunday service, we tend to allow it to swallow the focus of our lives, until Sunday is the only day in which we act in a holy manner.
The following video has been very popular lately, and for good reason...it ironically reflects the truth that we need to get serious about worshiping, both on Sunday and throughout the week, with our singing, our witnessing, and our fellowship with God.
The First Service of Prestonwood Dallas: Glory to God!
This past Sunday was the first ever service for the Prestonwood Dallas church campus. Despite spending the week assembling furniture, cleaning rooms, and setting up the sanctuary--activities that culminated in the carpet install finishing at 5am Sunday morning--we were ready for 2,000 guests at 10am on Sunday. And the best part: God was ready to welcome those 2,000 guests.
God has been at work setting up this new church for months now, pointing us to the facility, reaching people in the area with the desire to encounter Him through the church, and equipping people to serve as ushers, greeters, media coordinators, worshippers, pastors, and children's ministers. Everything from the carpet to the sermon ultimately got its start in His initiative. Stacy and I were simply thrilled to be a part of it, and to feel the Holy Spirit at work in that place. Stacy and I have been growing alongside everyone else during this process--I spent the morning of the first service overwhelmed by my own personal encounters with Him--God had something for all of us that day.
Many months of new beginnings lie ahead for us in this new facility, and if you are looking for a church home in the North Dallas area, please join us! We would love to host you, and God would love to encounter you here...
Countdown to Launching Prestonwood Dallas
One month from now, Prestonwood Dallas will host its first official live service at Hillcrest and Arapaho. It's a very intimidating thought, because we are expecting quite a crowd on our first Sunday and have only had a short amount of time to prepare. Since we purchased the property in May, we've had crews busy painting, fixing, and praying over our new building. Signs have been up for over a month now outside the church, in neighborhood yards, and in the hands of our members all across the Metroplex...and there's no shortage of unchurched people in that part of Dallas!
With a core group of a few hundred members, we are preparing to host a crowd of a thousand or more: parking them, caring for their children, welcoming and directing them, and producing a dynamic worship service intended to do one main thing: share the gospel and compel them to join us in following Christ. Its exciting, a little scary, and a huge step of faith for our small crew of staff and volunteers, but we're trusting the God who has led us to this step of ministry, and depending on Him for great results.
You only get one first impression, and we're hoping we allow God's people and presence make a HUGE one in the lives of those who join us on August 21st.
Does Online Church Work?
A decade ago, the internet was viewed as a nusance...now it is the information and entertainment center of the developed world.
A few years ago, and unknown pastor and his church in a little-known suburb of Oklahoma decided to pioneer the use of this medium to create a relevant online worship experience, where people could hear the gospel, and visit church without having to leave their homes. Here's the result...
Thank you, LifeChurch, for ignoring the critics and paving another channel for the effective proclamation of the gospel!
www.lifechurch.tv
Blogging Someone to Church
human3rror posted a great story on his blog a few weeks back about how a person's online presence often leads others to church. I for one am glad to have a concrete example of this process, because I believe that our social networking tools are doing this more often than we realize. Everything from our Facebook status to our in depth blog thoughts are windows into the life we live as salt and light for this world. My encouragement is to take advantage of the technologies that fit your life, and cast your heart for God to the world. Shine bright...and realized that there are opportunities to shine to the world that have never been more effective.
Your online life may be the most effective ad for Christ people ever see.
http://human3rror.com/2009/02/22/blogging-someone-to-church/
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If you don't know Jesus Christ, please view this site first...nothing on my blog matters as much as this...
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