SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (IDENTiTY Series)

Week 4 / LORDSHIP

Stealing the words of Louie Giglio in his book... i am not but i know I AM

"Scripture tells us that, 'By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. He Spoke, and IT CAME TO BE; He Commanded, and IT STOOD FIRM.' In other words, God created the cosmos without even lifting a finger! When He created the heavens, He did it all without the aid of a 'how to make a universe' kit, and existing photo, a template, or a diagram. God was CREATING in the truest sense of the word, speaking the world into existence out of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!'

THIS is OUR GOD - OUR LORD! God knows everything about everyone! It makes perfect sense that His name should be I AM. And even more sense that my name is i am not!

The amazing thing is this... even though you ARE small - you are HIS most loved & prized of all creation! He has been pursuing you with relentless passion & patience!

Stop putting GOD 'in a box' that diminishes His Lordship! It's time to truly understand your IDENTiTY in its purest essence! After all... the 'size of your box' is proportional to your FAITH!

WHO DO YOU PLAY FOR?

In case you've forgotten - let me remind you... 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; the Old is GONE, the NEW HAS COME!'

FAMILY FOCUS... (Are there ROCKS ahead?)

Second straight week of TWO BLOG POSTS from PJ! I never cease to AMAZE myself!

Do you remember the PRINCESS BRIDE where Fezzik & Inigo are having a RHYMING conversation? Inigo asks Fezzik... "Fezzik, are there ROCKS ahead?" To which Fezzik replies... "If there are - we all be dead!" This type of conversation happens almost WEEKLY in the Barrett household! Ginger just can't keep from PASSING her Kidney Stones! So many FAITHFUL people PRAYING - DAILY - for my sweet wife and for that - I am grateful! I ask you humbly to continue doing so! We desperately need STRENGTH & GRACE that only the Lord can provide - and often! We thank you for your FAITHFULNESS - please pray for ours!

Isaac... The MUSTANGS are 3-1 baby! Another VICTORY under the belt this past week - and the TEAM did GREAT! Very proud of my LEFT TACKLE - he's showing signs of GROWTH in his FOOTBALL SKILLZZZZZ!

Caleb... Doctor's Appt today! Got the SEVERAL things FINALLY taken care of for him! RX for... 1) In-Home Speech Therapist 2) In-Home Occupational Therapist 3) Diapers 4) Pediatric Opthamologist & Pediatric Urologist Referrals 5) Handicap Decal Authorization 6) HepA Shot 7) SUCKER!!!! That's a mouth-full! He did GREAT - all except getting his ears checked - not a BIG FAN of having his EARS played around with!

Charis... CrAzY nuts about this little girl! She is getting to be quite the BUCKET full of ENERGY! And now she is PRAYING - in some unknown language - and I've got a Baptist background!? It's AMAZING! Next time you see me with her - ask us to PRAY and you can see it for yourself - it ROCKS!!

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (IDENTiTY Series)

WEEK 3 / COMMUNITY

The VISION of COC is simple…“MAKE HIS NAME MORE FAMOUS IN MARICOPA!”

We accomplish our VISION this way…

“Come & See” (GATHER)

“Follow Me” (GROW)

“Be with Me” (GIVE)

“Remain IN Me” (GO)

-The role of a ‘Follower’ (Believer) is to LEARN/GROW and ‘Make His Name More Famous!’

-The role of ‘Leadership’ (COC) is to EQUIP the ‘Follower’ to ‘Make His Name More Famous!’

Here’s what COMMUNITY is – the ORIGINAL design… Ephesians 4:11-16 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things GROW UP into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From HIM the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Vs 12 presents us with the GOAL… to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

PREPARATION for Ministry!

PREPARATION to BE… So you can DO! (Which is…)

Vs 13 is the OUTCOME… until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Vs 14-15 is the reminder of the WHY… Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things GROW UP into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Vs 16 is the WHERE… (the SOURCE) From HIM the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

VISION is THIS folks… THE COURAGE TO DO!

The courage of Vision is to say… "Lord if that is you, let me come to you walking on the water."

The courage of Vision is to say… "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

The courage of Vision is to say… "If God be for us, who can be against us."

The courage of Vision is to say… "The trials of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory of the next."

Don’t MISS this Sunday as we introduce the NEW “COMMUNITY-LIFE” Concept at COC called… DNA Groups!

FAMILY FOCUS...

Back in the SADDLE of Exercising & Dieting... AGAIN!!!!! You know what stinks the most about battling your health/weight - regarding EATING & EXERCISING habits - is the absence of the METABOLISM we once had as kids!! The thing that STINKS the most is the kind of people - that are in their 30's - 40's & 50's that just LOOK at a Treadmill and lose 5lbs?! WHAT's that all about!?!?!? It's kinds like me just LOOKING at Chocolate Chip Cookies and GAINING 5lbs - it happens that way too!

Nonetheless... I'm 'back at it again' and should I make it past this first week or two - it does get easier after that! For those who might know - I lost over 85lbs this past Spring & Summer and then gained about 30lbs back through the HOLIDAYS!!!! I did it with a LOW CAL eating program and not too much exercise - but this time around I'm ADDING the EXERCISE! Through yesterday and today - I've already biked over 14 miles - and consumed about 1500-2000 Calories thus far! The week is planned out - EXERCISE-wise - everyday I'll be on the BIKE! The one great thing about ARIZONA - everything's FLAT - and the HEAT hasn't arrived yet! Although... I do love the HEAT - it BURNS MORE CALORIES! So far - so good! Riding the BIKE is great - all for the VERY SORE BOOTY!!! Ginger tells me that I need to SHRINK my BUTT so there's not as much to be SORE - to which I SMILE and SAY... 'YA THINK-GING!?!' (No sarcasm at all - on either part!!!)

ISAAC...

MUSTANG FOOTBALL BABY! So far - his Spring Football Team is 2-1! They kicked off the season with 2 Wins on the first weekend - but last week the COUGARS gave us a 'BARE-BUTT WOOPIN'!' I'm not sure what he's thinking so far about FOOTBALL!? He's learning the SPORT - and the INTENSITY that comes with it! Is it in his future... (Daddy would love for it to be) - we'll wait and see!

CALEB...

MISCHIEVOUS is the BEST description for that little boy! He is a HUMAN TRASH COMPACTOR right now - I have NO IDEA how much a little dude his size can CONSUME so much FOOD!? Still working through the POTTY-TRAINING - going a little slower than GING & I would like - but I think we'll get there someday!

CHARIS...

Are there any other words besides - PERFECT - that can describe my ANGEL!? I know I'm bias - but she ROCKS! Although... we are beginning to see a little of her MOMMY in her at times - especially when she get a little SNOTTY! (Sorry Ging... that's payback for the SMALLER BUTT comment!)

I'm trying to POST TWICE a Week from now on! One FAMILY FOCUS (Tuesdays) and the other will be a SUNDAY SNAPSHOT (Fridays)! Make sure you go SURF the Church of Celebration's NEW WEBSITE sometime - same address... churchofcelebration.com - different look! My BLOG is located on this SITE now!

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (IDENTiTY Series)

If you are a ‘Follower of Christ’ – THAT is your IDENTITY! Remember... you'll never know WHO YOU ARE until you know WHO GOD IS! After all... it's not 'what you do' that determines 'who you are' - it's "WHO YOU ARE" that determines "WHAT YOU DO!"

Do you ever find it difficult living up to what God expects of you in your daily life? I do - and what a frustrating life that can be at times! No matter how hard any of us try to do what the Scriptures say - the 'Follower of The Way's' walk continues to be a challenge! Its demands are clear… ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and ‘Love one another as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.’ And WHAT does that LOVE look like exactly? ‘He laid down His Life!’ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 actually explains this type of LOVE in a more descriptive fashion… ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…’ In reality… LOVING others like Christ can be a pretty daunting task! I mean… there appears to be no real way to measure up to these – or is there? On the outside a person might look and sound good to some - but on the inside there is a totally different story being told! Here’s what I mean… just like the physical identity described by the ID you would have pulled from a wallet or purse – the reality is that we also have spiritual IDENTITIES that describe WHO we are and WHAT we possess in the spiritual realm. Actually… the Bible contains several ‘before and after’ contrasts of WHO we were Before and WHO we are After being ‘IN CHRIST.’ When Christ is invited into a person's heart - a metamorphosis begins to take place. God refers to it as becoming a ‘new creation IN CHRIST!’ It's kind of like the caterpillar changing into a butterfly. The butterfly isn't a caterpillar with wings - it is a NEW Being with a NEW IDENTITY! The caterpillar is known for crawling on the earth with its many feet and eating leaves. The butterfly is known for being able to fly in the air – with wings of beauty. That old being is GONE and so is its IDENTITY! The caterpillar had no part in that process of change - its Creator did it all! And so the butterfly can never be a caterpillar again because God did away with the OLD creation and made a NEW creation! That same process of change occurs to every person who is ‘IN CHRIST!’ Your Old IDENTITY is gone and your New IDENTITY is eternal – this is HOW you can begin to CHANGE YOUR IDENTITY! Understanding that YOU have no real part in that CHANGE! It’s because of WHAT CHRIST has done IN YOU that enables YOU to MAKE THAT CHANGE! The ability to then… be LIKE CHRIST – living up to His standards!

This week in our IDENTiTY Series - we are taking a CLOSER LOOK at... WHAT YOU ARE TO DO NEXT! We'll be taking an in depth look into the Ministries of the CHURCH OF CELEBRATION and HOW they are strategically designed to better SHAPE your IDENTITY -- IN CHRIST! You'll hear words like GATHER - GROW - GIVE - GO! You'll better understand what BAPTISM is and WHY it's so important! You don't want to miss this week - our Exec Pastor (Give & Go Ministries) - MAT BALGAARD - is gonna BRING IT!!!

Don't Forget...

NEW TIMES (9AM & 10:45A) & NEW LOCATION (Maricopa Wells Middle School / 45725 W Honeycutt Ave)

NEW Series... NEW Worship Location... NEW Worship Times... NEW Website...

The WEEK of NEW'S...

NEW Series...

"Therefore... if anyone is in Christ - he is a NEW creation; the Old has gone - the NEW has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) -- Your Old IDENTITY is gone and your New IDENTITY is eternal – this is HOW you can begin to CHANGE your IDENTITY! Understanding that YOU have no real part in that CHANGE! It’s because of WHAT CHRIST has done IN YOU that enables YOU to MAKE THAT CHANGE! The ability to then… be LIKE CHRIST – living up to His standards!

Don't Miss It!

NEW Worship Location...

MARICOPA WELLS MIDDLE SCHOOL

45725 W Honeycutt Ave

(Maricopa Meadows Subdivision)

New Worship Times...

9AM & 10:45A

(9AM - Addicted Youth SH)

(10:45AM - Addicted Youth MS)

*Celebration City Kids (Birth-5th Grade) - BOTH Services!

New Website...

www.churchofcelebration.com -- Same Address - NEW LOOK! Check it out!