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!

San Diego...

FAMILY FOCUS...

Enjoying some DOWNTIME in beautiful San Diego this week! Our National Conference (Converge World Wide) is hosting it's annual LARGE CHURCH PASTORS & WIVES GATHERING in San Diego this week! COC was gracious enough to send GINGER & myself out here to ENGAGE with some other Pastors & Churches to REFRESH a bit! Really enjoying the TIME AWAY with Ginger & I think she's enjoyed the BED with NO ALARM the past few days as well!

Mom & Dad are INCREDIBLE in Parenting our kiddos for a few days as well!

ISAAC... Outside of losing a tooth today & Football Practice every night - has been PRETTY BUSY! Tonight was FULL PADS night - let the HITTIN' BEGIN!

CALEB... Had a rough patch the other day at School - making things a little 'Sticky' to say the least with Sue Ann - as he 'MESSED IT UP' in his pants a little - and not to mention - decided it was pretty hilarious to throw his SKIVVIES in the Toilet as it was flushing?!?!? What is that kid thinking!?!?

CHARIS... Well - All I here from her is that Nana & Aunt Nanie (Melanie) have been doing some SHOPPING together - guess those GIRLZ need to start YOUNG!

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT...

This week is an UNUSUAL week at the COC! A week before we make our OFFICIAL LOCATION & TIME CHANGE to our New Facility! It's our first ever "SERVE SUNDAY" - we'll be FULL PRODUCTION & PROGRAMMING the new site from start to finish - and EVERYONE else who comes will be SERVING with Projects we've lined up with Maricopa Wells Middle School to help assist with some CLEAN-UP Projects around the Campus!

Just wrapped up the FREAKONOMIC$ Series last week - spending 4 weeks talking SPECIFICALLY about the GENEROSITY Topic of TREASURES - this particular week we get to put the other TWO INGREDIENTS of GENEROSITY (TIME & TALENTS) into motion as we SERVE our New School! Should be an ABSOLUTE BLAST!

9-11a / SERVE Projects

(Maricopa Wells Middle School)

11a-12p / ALL Church BBQ

DON'T FORGET TO BE THERE!

Also...

Starting FEBRUARY 07th - we'll be in the NEW FACILITY with TWO NEW WORSHIP TIMES (9a & 10:45a) - SAVE THE DATE!

MARICOPA WELLS MIDDLE SCHOOL

45725 W Honeycutt Ave

(Maricopa Meadows Subdivision)

We'll also be starting our NEW SERIES...

DON'T MISS IT!

SEE YOU SUNDAY @ 9A!!!!!!!

FrIdAy Already!?!?

Family Focus...

FRIDAY already!?!? Seems like I say this rather frequently! The older I get - the weeks seem to get faster and faster!! Is that the same for you too?!

Started a new 'strategy' this week with our oldest - ISAAC!! It's an FPU (Financial Peace University) Concept - called COMMISSIONS! Isaac WORKS his regular daily/weekly 'Chores' (per say) - however - he gets COMMISSIONS (i.e. PAID) for accomplishing these tasks ON TIME & ADEQUATELY! The unique 'twist' is that if he doesn't - he doesn't get paid for it! And... if the ATTITUDE is weak - he can receive FINES! It took some convincing - cleaning up his pup's DOOKIE is not something he's fond of - but it appears to be going well so far! Really PROUD of him responding well!

Caleb - let's see - what's UP with Caleb... well - I would have to say his FRO is the biggest thing UP right now! He hasn't got a haircut in about 4 weeks or so! Mommy wanted to let it grow a little this Winter - and OH is it growing! It's not just a FRO - it's a 'HIDING PLACE' for many things as well! I'll try and get a PIC up next week!

Charis is doing GREAT! Beginning to TALK more and more and it get clearer and clearer! She does have a pretty strong personality - like her Mommy (of course)! What else... Have I ever mentioned that she ROCKS MY FACE OFF!!!

Keep PRAYING for Ginger! Those pesky 'Kidney Stones' are not taking a break - which means that she is constantly in PAIN! TY for PRAYING!

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT...

WK 3 ~ THE SWEET SPOT!

Are you really like GOD or do you just THINK you are?

Taking a bit of an EXEGETICAL look at the word TITHE this week! Pay no attention to that big THEOLOGICAL word I just mentioned - it simply means... WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT IT!

When Jesus talks about MONEY in 16 of His 38 Parables...

When He talks about MONEY in 1 out of every 10 verses in the NT...

When He mentions MONEY more than He talks about Heaven/Hell/Grace/Prayer - COMBINED...

WE KNOW HE THINKS IT'S A BIG DEAL - SO SHOULD WE!!!!

The TITHE was PRE-LAW / LAW & POST-LAW!

Regardless of what you may have come to believe - the TITHE is just as Biblical TODAY (NT) as it was YESTERDAY (OT)! Don't take my word for it - come on out Sunday and see WHAT the Bible says about it!

Don't forget to ck-out FREAKONOMICS.ME and see WHAT God is doing through the people of COC - in 'Making His Name More Famous' through GENEROSITY!!!

Back in the GROOVE...

LIFE goes back to NORMAL! That's what this week contained - 'back in the GROOVE!' I have to say - as much as I do ENJOY the Christmas Season - when life gets back to its normal 'Rhythm' - I do welcome her back!

Spent some great TIME in the WORD this week! And MESSAGE PREP was AWESOME - as I looked closer at the word TITHE - Biblically what does it mean & what does God have to say about it from it's root - back in the OT! I think many 'Followers of THE Way' today would be quite embarrassed if they have fallen trap to redefining it! Though Jesus & Grace have superseded the OT Law - HE NEVER RENDERED IT IRRELEVANT!

FAMILY FOCUS...

BACK TO SCHOOL - fun day at the Barrett's - not with the Barrett Kiddos! Actually... only Isaac was not so happy about heading back to the academic scene! Caleb LOVES it - and the ROUTINE is Awesome Therapy!

Ging - Isaac & Charis got to head back to Springfield last week(end) and I'd thought I'd share some of the FUN IN THE SNOW! (Enjoy)

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT...

WK 2 / BUCK NAKED

Are YOU really like GOD - or - do YOU just THINK you are?

The FREAKONOMICS.ME testimonies of 'Making His Name More Famous' have been rolling in! If you missed it - last week we GAVE $4000 away in three services at COC - via 400 denominational units! The only 'CATCH' - INVEST it into 'Making His Name More Famous' in some creative way! Then... you HAD/HAVE to share it with us @ freakonomics.me (ck-out the website & you can see some of the stories so far on the Stories Page!)

Keep 'em coming - loving to see WHAT GOD is doing THROUGH YOU!

We'll be taking a closer look at Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 this week - gaining a better perspective on...

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

HOW MUCH IS OURS?

HOW MUCH WE WILL LEAVE?

Don't Miss It! See you tomorrow... 8:30A / 10A / 11:30A