Thank you for all who participated in our 24 hour prayer vigil last weekend. God heard our prayers and anointed our Sunday morning praise and prayer services. The Holy Spirit also moved in a powerful way at our FOCUS worship service. May this only be the beginning of a Mighty Move of God here at Christ Community. Keep on praying for God’s fresh anointing to fill us so that we will have boldness to witness to a world in desperate need of God’s saving grace.

"And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
(Act 4:29-31 NLT)

Pastor Keith

Join us for a night of worship on Sunday, August 29 at Christ Community for FOCUS twentyTen at 6:30pm. All are invited: whether you are a part of our church, another church, or even if you don't go to church. We're planning some big things; we've got some new music and our new pastor, and there is no doubt that what God has in store is even bigger. You don't want to miss it!

That same night, as a part of our worship, we're sponsoring the This Means Love! food drive to show the love of Christ in a practical way to those in need in our community. Bring some form of non-perishable food. We'll collect the food and then distribute it to local families in need. Together we can make a big difference!

We can't wait to see you there!

First there was plasma, then LCD, next LED-LCD, 3-D etc. The pictures are sharp and crisp. The media is intense, creating a surreal experience. The goal is to grip you, pull you in, mold and shape you, and stimulate you to interaction and involvement with the message.
These images evoke powerful emotions that can literally change the direction of people’s lives. How many of you have been moved by inspiring true—life movies like: Remember the Titans, Glory Road, Radio or The Blind Side? The right message at the right time, touching the right person has the potential to be a life-changing experience.
We need an HDTV (Heavenly Directed True Vision) that will surround us with God’s reality that will change us for eternity. We need an HDTV (Heavenly Directed True Vision) so real that we will follow Jesus wherever he leads us. We need an HDTV (Heavenly Directed True Vision) that is so life-giving that we will literally give our lives to make it a reality.
Jesus never lost his perfect vision for people’s salvation that drove him from heaven to his earthly ministry… “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) That HDTV took Jesus through the cross, resurrection and back to heaven. His Holy Spirit now imparts his HDTV to his church to carry the message of salvation to a world that needs God’s redeeming touch.
Paul received his HDTV on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians. It turned him around completely channeled his unrelenting passion to preach Christ to a world that needs the saving message of the gospel. Paul testified: “…King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision…” (Acts 26:19) The passion of that vision and power of the Holy Spirit pushed Paul way beyond any human limits (imprisonments, beatings, ship wrecks) or resources to make the vision become a reality here on earth.
Has Christ touched you with his HDTV (Heavenly Directed True Vision)? How is your FOCUS on Christ’s HDTV? Is it clear, crisp and compelling? Do you have a passion for Christ that drives your actions so one day you will hear Jesus say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant?”
Christ Community needs all of you to sign up for the 24-hour prayer vigil so that Christ’s vision to save a lost and dying world will become our passion. We need the Holy Spirit to give us a renewed clarity of the Cross so that we will pick up our own cross and follow Jesus. We need the Holy Spirit to fill us with power so we can make Christ’s vision a reality here in Clayton and surrounding area. Would you like God to give you an HDTV? Sign-up today!

Pastor Keith

How much is a bowl of Chili worth to you--$2.50, $3.75 or $5.25? It all depends on a number of factors. 1) Do you even like chili? (If not, pick something else—grits, clam chowder, pea soup?) 2) What temperature is it outside: 110 degrees with 98% humidity or 25 degrees with six inches of snow on the ground? 3) Who made the chili? (Lynne’s chili competes with the best!) 4) How hungry are you right now?

Esau paid Jacob a double portion of his inheritance for a bowl of “lamb chowder!” Esau didn’t give it a passing thought. He was full and content for the moment. Later on, after further reflection it gave him heartburn! (Genesis 25:29-34; Hebrews 12:16-17)
This story gives us very good reason why we should get involved in our 24 Hour Prayer Vigil. We have a tendency to focus on the wrong things. Esau focused on his immediate hunger at the expense of despising the value of his birthright. How many times has the immediate stolen our attention away from the things of God? Too often we have a crisis mentality. We go from crisis to crisis and don’t have any energy left for God things!

On the other hand, Jacob’s focus was greed, which led to exorbitant price gouging to take advantage of Esau’s weakness. How many times have we chosen things of this world that pass away over laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven? “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father, is not in those who love the world… the world and its desires are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

God—direct our focus is a basic prayer for God to fix our mind on things above and not on things below. Whatever our minds are focused on affects the choices we make. If we desire Jesus to be Lord of our lives, we need to follow his directions.

FOCUS 2010 is about worshiping God through sharing his love in concrete actions. Our fall sermon series, “Marks of a Model Church” is to clarify our vision so that we will strive to be a model church that glorifies God. May God focus Christ Community on Jesus so that we will be his body in this world. Take time today to sign up for our 24 Hour Prayer Vigil, 9:00 am Saturday, August 28 until 9:00 am Sunday August 29. Let God direct your focus so that you will walk by faith and obedience to his will.

Pastor Keith

It is with great joy that I welcome you to Christ Community United Methodist Church. We are excited to be here and are looking forward with great anticipation to what God is going to do among us. God has already blessed us with the warm welcome we have received from Christ Community. We were deeply touched by the large number of people who showed up to unload our truck at 8:00 in the evening! Everyone pitched in and worked hard. Our stuff was unloaded in a half hour! The food that was provided for us while we settled in was also a great blessing to us.

Now that we have been here for three weeks, we are feeling more and more at home. Thanks to many who have reached out to us with a warm smile, a kind word and the many prayers on our behalf. Together we are starting out on the next chapter of the faith journey for Christ Community United Methodist Church.

Our hope and prayer is that God will immerse our congregation with his GRACE! I like to think of GRACE as God’s Redeeming Activity (thru) Christ Encounters! We are praying that God will pour out his grace upon us in a very powerful way. We encounter Christ in many ways: Prayer, Worship, Fellowship, Service, Witnessing, Giving etc.

God is always at work in the world and in our lives. May God raise our awareness of his GRACE in our lives. May we humble ourselves and submit to Jesus and cooperate with his Holy Spirit so that God will transform us into the image of Christ. May Christ’s anointing flow through us as God uses us as his instruments in redeeming the lives others.

Grace & Peace
Pastor Keith A. Miller