f you have your Bible, I’d like you to turn to the Book of Luke...Matthew, Mark, Luke...Dr. Luke. Luke chapter 5. We’ve been in a series called iLife and we’ve been looking at the simple, deeper questions of life. I think there comes a time in our life when we need to ask bigger questions: What the meaning? Why am I here? Why am I alive? What is my purpose? I had someone talk to me the other day in a counseling session and this person looked at me and said, Dino, you’ve gotta tell me, you’ve gotta help convince me that there’s more to like than what I’m living. I thought that was so interesting that she looked at me and said there has to be more to life than what I’ve experienced. I don’t think that’s an isolated case. I think that many times you can go through a season in your life where you’re trying to wonder, trying to figure out -- there’s got to be more meaning. I’ve got to discover why I’m on this planet. I’ve got to figure out why I’m alive, what I can contribute, what is my assignment, what is my mission? No matter what age you’re at, I believe there’s always that question we work through.
And so we’ve been looking at some of the deeper questions we can ask ourselves where we find the discovery of some of the purposes of God. Like, why I serve? Why do I reach? Pastor Mike did a great job last weekend. Why don’t we clap our hands for Pastor Mike? I know he’s around. He did a great job -- Why I give? Just really gave us a key to so many things in our life about the spirit of giving. A huge life-giving message. And then this week we’re gonna talk a little bit about why I build. You say, Pastor - help me through this for a little bit - You mean to tell me that there are discoveries about reaching, serving, giving and building where I can find meaning in my own life? Yes, because these are not man made values, these are the values of Christ. And our search for purpose doesn’t being with self-discovery. Our search for purpose begins with God Almighty. It all begins with Him. He created us, He has the blueprints so we look to Him. And so, we believe that there’s a 2-fold purpose to this series. One is been individually, we want to help you discover God’s plan for your life. We want you to be able to hear God’s voice; know the will of God for your life. And then the 2nd thing as we have been taking a behind the scenes look, personally as us as a church, as a faith community, about why we’re here. What’s our purpose, what’s our mission, so we’re gonna talk about that for a few more minutes today.
Lord, we love you, we thank you right now. We pray right now, Father, that you will help us to grow in everything you have for us. We love you so much. I thank you for these wonderful families. I thank you for every baby that was dedicated and those that were not that are here because Father, those are little treasures that you have a meaning and you have a purpose for them to discover. And God, I thank you that no matter what our age is, you want us to discover your purpose for us. We love you, Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about this series has been one of my favorite series to talk about as we’ve looked in God’s Word is because we’ve made it personal, we’ve used it in a way to say, why do I reach; why do I serve? Mike made it personal last week about why he gives as an individual -- why him and Rachel are givers into the kingdom of God; we believe that when you reach and you serve and you give that’s gonna help you build. So I like making it personal: why do I build the kingdom of God? Do you know over and over again in Scripture, Jesus would run into people and He would remind them what the kingdom of God is about. Because, see, they would get tunnel vision about what they’re dealing with. How many knows sometimes in life you can get so tunnel vision on what you’re dealing with that what’s before you right now? You can’t think about the future; you can’t think about the big picture; the small picture has you consumed. When Jesus was always telling stories or parables or giving illustrations or giving a truth to groups of people, hey, hey, remember something -- there’s a bigger picture at work here and it’s called the kingdom of heaven; it’s called the kingdom of God. And He would talk about -- this thing is like the kingdom of God. If you want to know what the kingdom of God is -- it’s like this: and He would help his disciples to focus on building the kingdom of God...expanding the kingdom of God in their life and through their life. So I thought about that personally, why do I build the kingdom of God? Why do I want to build what God is building? Why do I want God to build in me His purpose, His plan for my life?
And you know one of the things we’ve done is we’ve talked about a little bit my...I’ve kinda shared with you my own personal story about my early church experiences. or the early church experience I had when I started thinking about what God is doing today and I kinda one of the things I thought about with my first experience with church and with what God is doing. And I can tell you the Rizzos, we were CEO people -- Christmas and Easter only type people. That’s when we went to church, we went to church at Christmas, we went to church at Easter and that was about it. Every once in a while we’d make another visit but we didn’t go much. At 12 years old we kinda logged off, we didn’t go much at all after that.
When I was 12 years old we just kinda got out of church. I don’t ever remember going to church in Junior High and High School. We just ... when I would go I found out a few things -- that it was definitely a safe environment. Same thing would happen every time I went. Go at Christmas, go back the next Christmas, same thing was going on. And you know the other thing I could remember about my early church experience? It smelled -- the church that we went to smelled. It had a funny smell about it. I can’t tell you what it was but every once in a while I would go somewhere and I would smell it now. How many of you have smelled something and you could never lose...you can always remember that? It was musky; it was kinda woodish, kinda panelish -- if that’s a word...panelish. Because when you would leave there, you still smelled like that church. Don’t tell me you don’t know what that feels like. All of you have fried chicken -- 6 hours later somebody says, you’ve been eating chicken. Life works that way.
And so that was my earliest experience. And the other thing that I can remember is that I was scared. I stayed scared a lot in church. I didn’t understand every thing but the other thing was I was an ADD child, always moving, never could sit still, I found the oddest things funny so my mother had bionic pinchers. And she would pinch me -- and I don’t know what it was about my parents, they let us sit behind them. What were they thinking? I would sit behind my parents -- we would have a hoot and when they would look around -- glory. But she would lean over until she found a part of my body and she would pinch -- and my mother had supernatural strength. One time she leaned over in church -- I’ll never forget this - and grabbed my cheek and pinched me on the cheek. My cheek was numb for 2 weeks.
When I think about the earliest experience of God -- my earliest thought of God was going to church with my grandmother. Now the church was very old and it was very hot. I can remember sitting in there sweating like crazy. But the other thing about that church was it was creepy. It was a creepy church. Now I’ll tell you right now, they were good people. They loved God, they were great people. Everybody say, God bless creepy churches. But it was creepy. Why was it creepy? Because of this -- in the foyer -- they called it a vestibule - which is maybe somebody who wore a vest and rode a mule, I don’t know. It was a vestibule. In all seriousness, in the vestibule there was a monument to the founding pastor. But it wasn’t just a monument, it was his tomb. They’d put his casket in a vault and it was in the foyer of the church. So when you would leave the church, you would pass by his vault. And I mean, I’ll never forget, the wife after church -- the founding pastor’s wife -- God bless her heart, precious lady, godly woman - would go when church was over and would stand by the vault of her husband. Now I can tell you right now as an 8 year old ADD child that was creepy. I mean I can remember it was a fired up church, they would preach loud -- brother screaming preacher. I remember being there one Easter and he was screaming about the resurrection. I thought, oh my gosh, he’s gonna come out of that vault. I didn’t really have a concept of it. I didn’t factor it in.
Now I want you to think about something. We’ve been a church that’s 13 years old and you know, I’ve thought about this -- you know there are some children that this has been their only experience. I saw kids on this stage that will be raised in this environment. They’ll be raised here. You know, we have some kids that when we started this church 13 years ago, they were 5, 6 7, 8 where you kinda first start remembering your experience with God and do you know a couple of those are on our staff today. They’re interns -- they don’t know any other experience other than this right here. There are some of these kids -- I see Chelsea Rentz, she’s been raised in this church. How old are you Chelsea -- 11? She’s 12 years old. This is all she’s ever known. Won’t you stand up Chelsea? She’s a sweet girl -- loves God. Won’t we clap our hands for this girl right here? She just loves God. This is all Chelsea has ever know and will probably know for a long time. And you know what I started thinking about? I started thinking about, I wonder what she’ll think about we’re building here? I wonder what she’ll remember in 10 years -- 20 years? What was her experience about God? What was her early thoughts about God? Because a lot of what we’re building now is going to impact that.
You know, when DeLynn and I started this church 13 years ago, we didn’t have too many thoughts about what God was building but we did know this, we did know that we wanted it to be a church that was a healing place for a hurting world. That’s what we’ve done for 13 years. We’re a healing place for a hurting world. That is our mission, that is our purpose here. Let’s all say it together ... a...let’s try it again...a...healing place for a hurting world. That’s what we do. We did some things then that we still do now. We call them core values. Reaching people, serving people, giving to people, and we wanted to build the kingdom of God. We wanted to help build other churches, we wanted to help build into peoples’ lives, build leaders, build missionaries, build worship leaders. We just have that passion. God has done that. And you know what? I pray, Lord that’s what we’ve wanted to do and 13 years later I pray that we’re still doing that. Lord, what is that picture? What do you want to show us about that? Why do I build? Why do we do the things we do? What would be some of the answers, and you know what? I found a great scripture in Luke chapter 5 verses 27-31. That if you were to ask me what is the hope and prayer of what I’m trying to build in my own life -- what DeLynn and I are trying to build as a family, what I pray you are trying build as an individual, what God, I believe, is building in you, what God, I believe, wants to build through you, and what God hopefully is building in this house and with this vision is this picture...Luke 5:27-31
It says, "After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector. Now a tax collector was not the most popular person to be. They basically ripped off people. They ripped off their own people and they didn’t belong with the Romans so they were caught in the middle as criminals. And the Bible says that Jesus went out and saw a tax collector. His name was Levi and he was sitting at this tax booth. Follow me, Jesus said to him, and Levi actually got up and left everything and followed Jesus. I think it’s so interesting that Christ saw something in this man that he thought was valuable and wanted on His team. The other thing I think is interesting is that this man saw something in Christ that made him leave everything and follow Him. It says then Levi held a banquet for Jesus at his house. And a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with him. Now I want you to imagine that scene...Levi gets so excited about Christ entering into his world that he says I gotta do something. Could I sing in the choir? No, that’s not going to work. Can I preach? (whistle) No. Okay I know what I’ll do I can do this well, I’m going to throw a party. And you know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna invite tax collectors and sinners. One of the versions of the Bible says that he invited all the notorious sinners.
I don’t want to ask for a show of hand of those that had notoriety based on your sinning. There’s some people in here that would be listed in notorious sinning. You were known for your missing the mark when it comes to God. Now what’s interesting to me is that he invites tax collectors and these notorious sinners -- why would he do that? Because that’s all the people that he knew! He knew these people, that’s who he hung out with. He wanted his friends to meet the man that has changed his life like that. You know when I came to Christ...I hung out with sinners, to be honest with you. Before I came to Christ, I never got up one morning and thought, well, I want to hang out with the choir today. I wonder what those deacons are doing this weekend. Boy, I would like to go spend some time with them. I hung out with heathens because I was a heathen. And then when I came to Christ, guess who I went and told that I had gotten saved and I was in church and I was now a Christian? I went and told all my crazy friends. And you know what they all told me? What did you get saved from? What’s saved? One of them looked at me and said, you’re a Christian? You go to church? That’s where you’ve been the last 2 weekends. I’ll never forget, he looked at me on the beach and said, it will never last. You’ll be back here in 2 weeks. I have not been back in 23 years. Come on...the Holy Ghost is good super glue, can I have a good amen? He can change your life.
Jesus was having a party with a bunch of party animals. A bunch of heathens -- He’s there among them. And I love what happens next. It says and the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who belong to the sect complained to His disciples, why do you eat and drink with such tax collectors and sinners? They were complaining, complaining, complaining. Always remember that the ear of heaven hears your complaining. You ever said something about somebody and you didn’t think they heard you, but then they heard you? And you were embarrassed. Ohhhh. What did you mean by that? Oh, I just...I like your hair. You ever said something....they said, excuse me, I heard that. Oh, I love you. Always remember if you think Jesus is not in the room -- He’s in every room. He hears everything. And the Bible said Jesus answered them even though He was not in the whispering conversation. Jesus heard what they were complaining. Jesus heard what they were judging, and Jesus answered and said to them, it is not the healthy who need a doctor. But isn’t it the sick. He said it’s not the healthy who need a physician, the sick need a physician -- they’re the ones that need medicine. You don’t go to the doctor when you are healthy; it’s those that are not feeling well. Those that have something wrong with them need a doctor. See, I have not come to call the righteous or the self-righteous, but I have come to call sinners to repentance. Sinners to repentance. I’ve come to call out to those that have not got it yet. Those that it hasn’t clicked. I’ve come to call them to a repentance to Me. That’s what Jesus...when I see this picture, I love it because you know what I think? That’s what I would like to build with my life. An environment that calls sinners to repentance. Not an environment for the self-righteous. Not an environment for the perfect but an environment for those that have not yet got it to be able to have an opportunity to repent of their sins and to come to Christ.
And you know what that type of environment is? It’s 3 things. And here’s the first thing.
It’s an environment where everybody is welcome. Everybody is welcome with Christ. Every single person is welcome in Jesus. You know, I thought to myself no matter what you’ve done -- your past, your present, no strings attached -- you are welcome with Christ. He cares for you. I ran into somebody the other and they stopped and...we were at the airport -- and they said, hey, I visited your church...pastor I came to your church. I said, oh, great man, whooo cool. Did you enjoy it? Did you like it? And they really didn’t say...they said no, we hadn’t been back. I said okay -- awkward moment, awkward moment. Okay, I’ve got to go to the restroom. God bless you. Amen. But it was just kind of weird. He said, no we hadn’t been back. I said well great. Anything we can do to love you, serve you, that’s great. We just want to be your friend. He said, you do know that there are sinners in your church. Seriously. He said, I saw a lot of sinners at that church. And I think he said something like, we don’t have a lot of sinners at our church. And I just started thinking -- how many has ever been in a moment and you thought about what to say later on? And I had that happen to me. I mean, I wanted to say when he looked and said, do you know there’s a lot of sinners in that church...I wanted to say this, not since you left. But I didn’t! But I wanted to zing him. You know what I said? I don’t know if this came out of me -- well, praise the Lord. That’s a buster remark. I got in my car and I wanted to come back...I thought I was going back to find him in the airport, you know...not since you left! Have a great trip, don’t come back! I didn’t. I was trying to be like Mrs. Sherry May our children’s pastor, and be saved and be kind, be sweet. I thought -- praise the Lord. That’s as good as I can come back with. And I thought, yeah, that is. Because I do praise God that this is an environment where sinners are welcome. Where those who have not yet got it...those that it hasn’t clicked yet -- the God factor, Christ, the Cross, new beginnings, set free. It just...they haven’t got it yet but it’s an environment where they can get it. Where they can receive it.
I’ll tell you the other type of thing I think is so important is a place where everyone is needed. I believe what we’re building here has to be a church and a group of people where everyone is invited and everyone is needed. Everyone is needed, even those who have not cut off their cell phone. I think that they’re needed. You ever hear a cell phone ring and you think that everybody hears it but the speaker? I hear that cell phone. Everyone is needed. See, remember this, you have something to contribute to what God is doing. But God can never use me, Pastor. Remember this, God is not limited by our limitations. See, if God only used the perfect people, nothing would ever get done today. Matter of fact, there would only be one story in the Bible, that’s the story of Jesus. The rest of the Bible would be blank. He always uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary. He always uses the natural to do the supernatural. He always uses the broken to bring healing; the hurting to bring guidance. That’s how Christ does it.
And then the 3rd thing I think is so important is an environment ultimately, no matter how you come, no matter what’s going on in your life, it’s an environment we want to build with our life where everyone is changed by the love and grace and truth of Jesus Christ. Because He’s calling sinners to repentance, so it’s an environment where you can be changed and you can be transformed. So you know what’s interesting to me? Jesus never ran into anyone that He didn’t leave different. Those who wanted to change, He offered them change; those who cried out for transformation, boom! He granted them transformation out of His well of mercy and out of His well of compassion. When you want a change, God’s ready to help you change. When you want transformation in your life, the Lord offers you transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the power of the Cross, by the power of what He has done for us. There is transformation in Jesus. And I believe God wants you and I to live lives where they realize that they are welcome at the foot of the Cross. They’re needed in the kingdom of God. They are valuable to God, no matter what they have gone through, no matter what type of talent, what type of gift; they are all needed in the kingdom of God. And ultimately we live a life and we’re a family of God that says, you can be changed by the power of God. How do I know that? Because I’ve been changed by the power of God! I’ve not always been a pastor; I’ve not always been a preacher. I was a sinner for 18 years of my life. Didn’t always act right, didn’t always say the right thing. Christ changed my life. I’m not the same person I was. He loves me just the way I am -- you know this. But He doesn’t leave me the way that I am. He brings change in our lives. You can change, you can have a new beginning, you can be set free, you can be delivered into a new walk in your life. That’s what we’re trying to build here.
Now if I was to just tell you for a few minutes -- you said, well, Dino, really go behind the scenes, what are we trying to build here? What is it we feel like God’s called us to build? I can tell you this real quick if I was to get personal with you -- we’re the type of church that I believe God is building here is a multi-site, multi-service church. We believe in church planting -- we plant churches through ARC -- we planted 14 churches in the last 12 months and it will extend into the next 8 months but you know what? We’re not just a church-planting church. We’re an additional campus church. I want you to think about this: this is one worship experience at one location. One location, one worship experience. This is really what you care about today. But you know what? This is not the only thing that’s happened this weekend. This is one location out of 7 locations. And out of 12 experiences -- 12 experiences this weekend. One experience here but we’ve had 12 experiences. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Twelve experiences. That’s a lot of experiences...a lot of services. Do you know what? In 2006 because we’ve had 7 locations and 12 experiences -- I want you to hear this -- in 2006 we will have 624 different weekend experiences. When you add the mid-week services to it, and you add kid’s ministry, and you add Late Night, and you add Life University and Singles and Youth and all these things, do you know the experiences at 7 different locations will take place this year? 1,700 different experiences will take place. Why? Why is it? So that everyone can be welcome, everyone can be needed, and everyone can have an opportunity to be changed. Not just 52, you’ll be in this service 52 opportunities but you’re a part of 1,700 experiences. That’s what we’re doing. This next year we hope to add 2 more campuses; 3 more different services; 15 different experiences on a weekend. See, that’s what we’re a part of. We believe God’s called us to do this. This is what I believe God wants us to do so that we can continue to reach out and build the kingdom of God by offering other environments to touch peoples’ lives. I can tell you right up front, sometimes it’s tough doing it this way. It’s not the easiest thing. You know, I think it would be easy just to offer 52 experiences -- one service one day and that’s it -- we’re done. Sometimes it’s easier to do that but how many knows God has not called us to do easy things? And so it’s tough, it’s risky, it gets hard at times, but it’s been worth it because it’s reaching people, it’s making a difference to souls.
You say, why do we do this? There’s 2 reasons. You know what the first reason is -- it’s biblical to go to people. Matthew 28:19 -- go into all the world and preach the gospel -- we have to go and touch the world. We gotta go reach people, we can’t just be satisfied or be settled at what’s happened in the past. How many knows you never discover your future by rehearsing your past over and over? We don’t lean on the yesterday. We thank God for yesterday, we grow from yesterday, we learn from yesterday but God wants to keep taking more ground today. Because there are more people that have not got it. There are people all over that’s not clicked with Him yet. And so, those that have clicked with are going to do everything they can to help those who have not clicked with by going to them and offering opportunities for people to come to Christ. We’re going to keep going because we’re a go church. Turn to your neighbor and say, we’re a go church. Turn to the other person and say, we’re a go church. We’re a go church: we’re gonna go to the bars; we’re gonna go to the pool. (turned tape -- some words lost)....Christ, because the method is always secondary, the message is primary. The content of the message: Jesus Christ dying on a cross, forgiving your sins, resurrected on the 3rd day, Lord of all -- that is the primary of the message. Whatever method it takes, we will do it to reach people because we’re having to go.
We were in Danville, CA last week. Had a great trip, DeLynn and I, Mrs. Sherry, a lot of our team went with us for Danville, from our Spanish campus. We had an incredible time. We so enjoyed that. I love the weather in CA -- I think it’s a good place to have a campus. I love the people -- great people. We feel a connection to the people there.
Here’s the most important reason why we are there is it’s one of the great unchurched regions of America. Do you know there are 700 churches within 30 minutes of this piece of carpet? 700 churches but not every place in America has that many churches. So we want to find places that maybe need a life-giving, progressive experience. That wants to reach people that have not got it yet and it has not clicked for them. I so loved it last week -- we taught the men; DeLynn taught the women, they had a dynamic women’s conference. You know since, DeLynn, I’ll tell you since she’s leading our women now, she’ll be there tomorrow night -- got a great message, since she’s been leading our women, she’s got me talking to ladies now all the time. I’ve been speaking to women. I’ll tell you what, that is some type of method when a man has to teach the women about different things; share his heart with the women. And you know what’s funny is, I get real passionate about speaking some times, some of you know that, I find myself speaking in the first person to the women. Other day, I was preaching...let me tell you something, when your feet swell up and you’re 8 months pregnant, I know what you’re feeling. And you what’s amazing? The women didn’t even connect....they’re like yeah! Preach it, sister! Yeah! When your man don’t treat you right, I know what you’re going through. And it’s like there’s this big ..... we don’t even know...and it’s like me speaking and women like...go ahead, preach it girl! Whoa. This is way too much...blending. So that’s why I’m teaching the men now -- Wednesday morning -- 6 o’clock in the morning. So I can get a little male thing...what’s up? Teaching all these women. Man, I’m going with all these guys. How many know ain’t no women getting up at 6 o’clock and going to Bible study? But the fellows will!! We’re strong! Hey, where’s all my men in the house? Yeah, what’s up??! Weak! We’re teaching the men -- Frank’s -- 6 o’clock, you better have your behind there. Amen. It has such a great time. One of the ladies stopped me and she said, you know, Pastor, I go to Healing Place. I thought, no you don’t. But I remember that she goes to Healing Place in that environment. And she told me after that you’re much bigger on the screen...you’re kinda small guy. Well the screen’s like 10 feet tall, I mean life size. So I spoke at our Danville campus and when I was leaving she said, we enjoyed having you here but I think I like you better on the screen. I thought 2 things. Wow, I’m not needed here. Secondly I thought, wow, I’m not needed here. That’s great. It’s a method of a screen where someone can get a life giving message that you’re building and lives can come to know Christ.
You know the other reason why we’re multi-site, multi-service -- and I’ll finish up with this, is because I believe with all my heart it’s a good way to use our resources. We’re building a $14 million building up on that hill which is not that lot of money compared to some of the projects in our town, and some of the projects around the country. I was with a pastor goodness, probably 3 weeks ago, he’s building a $64 million building - their church is, because of the cost and the land and everything that’s going on in their part of the country. And so we’re building a $14 million building. Can I tell you this? We’re not going to build 7 $14 million buildings all around the country. We’re going to build one that acts as a server to other locations. And you know the other locations -- what’s so cool is -- you can use all different types of facilities. One facility is an old icehouse. One facility is an old warehouse. One facility is a new office park. One facility is a middle school. One facility is a 4-H building basically that we’re using their auditorium. So we believe that multi-sites are a good use of our resources and God really cares how you spend your resources.
Why do we do all that? Because we want to be able to tell people that they’re welcome, that they’re needed and that they can be changed. And the bottom line of why we build is because we want to keep changing lives. We want to keep changing lives. You see, just because your life has been changed doesn’t mean that it needs to stop with you. The change needs to continue through you to other people. When you go through a change, God wants to use your life to help change other people. See, the kingdom of God is built little by little though each of our lives. And God does it in some really amazing ways. Isn’t it good to know that God has a plan -- He cares about people and things that we don’t even know?
Here’s an email that I got this week after I got back from Danville. It says, Pastor Dino, when my roommate, Matt, from Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, who now lives in Jacksonville, showed me the Danville plant on the Healing Place website, I laughed and told him, that’s funny, I didn’t know there was a Danville in Louisiana. Cause the only Danville I know is the one I just flew back from last week where my sister and my family just moved out there. And I told Matt, I said, you know she lives on a road called Deoblo Road -- that’s a road that really needs God. I thought nothing more and we stayed up a little longer talking about church music celebration and we waited to hear from his fiancée who works at Healing Place to ask her about this. That’s when I later realized that it isn’t Danville, Louisiana that Healing Place has planted a church in -- or has a multi-site in -- it’s Danville, CA. I broke down, I started crying last night -- I began to weep because I realized how awesome our God is. He has heard my cry and my prayer for my family in CA, and now we have pastors in a church there that has the ability to reach out to them because they’re hungry for God. He said, my main prayer for the last year has been for my family that they would find their walk with God. I want them to experience eternity; I want them to experience all the blessings of the blessings of the kingdom of God that God has promised them that is found in Jesus Christ. And just like Cornelius, I believe that God has heard my prayers and now has resulted in a Healing Place Church, multi-site in Danville, CA. You know, when God moves I realize that He doesn’t answer things half-hearted.
My sister lives on Deoblo Road in the Hidden Valley Ranch exactly where the campus is. I emailed them all the information about Healing Place Church, Danville. I know that God is going to bring them to that church. I thank God for Healing Place Church Danville, CA. Think about that. Here’s what our pastors there, Rob & Brianna, said -- they said we got this email and we’re grinning from ear to ear. Life is so full when you follow Jesus. It’s like being a part of a much bigger story that God is building. See, we’re a part of a much bigger story that God is building and you can actually see the script, chapter by chapter right in front of your own eyes. Says the only problem now pastor is that I’m so amped up that I can’t get any sleep tonight. I’m excited about what God is doing. God is an awesome God, amen? Oh, thank God. Let’s clap our hands for that testimony.
Oh, you know, I’m so glad that I have met the One who came for people like me. I was a person who really hadn’t got it -- the whole God, Christianity, church thing -- it never clicked with me. But then I met Christ. He came for me so that I would get a hold of it. So it would click. And I thank God for the One that found me. Let’s all stand and let’s bow our heads...
