Happy New Year

Just wanted to extend my best to everyone this New Year 2009. I have been getting revelation on the fact that God is for me and not against me, and His greatest desire is to see His children succeed. After all, that is what any good father would want for his children. So I encourage all that would read this, to begin to focus on the Good things that God has in store for you this 2009. I heard a great man once say that "you become what you focus on" I am determined to focus my thoughts and efforts this year on the promises of God for my life. Because, the promises of God are yes and amen. May your new year be blessed with happiness, grace, and peace.

Jake

Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours

Christmas, one of my favorite times of the year. The lights, the sounds, the colors, sitting around a fireplace on a cold winters night (Really cold in Memphis). It seems however, that to many of us Christmas takes on a whole new meaning in times like these. It gets our focus off of ourselves and causes us to be greatful and thankful for the little things in life. Like a roof over our head, food on the table, being able to pay the mortgage on time. In good times these things are often taken for granted, but I am determined that this year I am going to turn my attention on the things that really matter. My relationship with Christ, my marraige, and my children. When I think about Christmas I cannot help but think about John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. The word that stands out to me most in that very familiar passage is the word Gave. I think that this describes one of the most essential attributes of God that most of all He is a giver, even to the point that He would give His precious Son for a people (us) who were undeserving of the gift. With that said I want to challenge you this Christmas to focus not so much on getting, but on giving to those a little less fortunate than you, or maybe just lend a hand to someone who can use some help. May you and yours be richly blessed this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas,

The Claunch's

Uncivilized

Civilized. I suppose one could use this as one of the words that describes human history. Our quest to become a civilized people. Which in and of itself is not that bad, a desirable pursuit to further advance oneself in society is certainly and admirable thing.

Recently I was reflecting on the passage of Scripture in Luke 18 where Jesus rebuked the disciples after they had rebuked the little children who were wanting to hang out with Jesus. The Disciples were under the impression that Jesus had no time for the affairs of children and their childish ways. However, on the contrary Jesus took the opportunity to teach these "Men of God" a valuable lesson about his kingdom.

Let the little children come unto me and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. Luke 18:17

Pretty strong words I would say. Which brings me to this. I was reflecting on one of my favorite movies last week during Rocky week on TV the other day. Rocky 3 is probably my personal favorite of the series. In the movie Rocky is getting frustrated with his trainer Mick because he feels that Mick has been intentionally carrying him through his fights so he wouldn't loose his title. After an argument Mick looks Rocky in the eyes and says this " The same thing has happened to you that happens to every great fighter - You became civilized-

When I think of the Luke 18 verse I cant help but think of my own children, my 8 year old with not a care in the world that thinks he is invincible, or my 5 year old daughter who thinks she is a princess and one day she is going to live in Cinderellas castle. Then I can't help but think about the fact that Jesus said this is what all of us must be like in order to truly inherit the kingdom of God. Just like children - Free of worry, Free to dream, Believing that anything is possible, not afraid to try something new, not afraid to get undignified or maybe one word would best describe all of that. Uncivilized

So next time you approach God remember to get a little bit uncivilized, just be you, not the fake you that has built up over years and years of trying to be someone that your not. Because, remember God loves you for you, and He likes it best when you are just yourself.

Caught in the Middle

Recently I was reflecting on the story of the disciples of Christ as they set sail across the Sea to Bethsaida. The Bible tells us that Jesus sent them ahead of Him while He went up on the mountain to pray, It had been a long day for Christ the day prior to this event and solitude was sought but not found as He looked out and saw His disciples in the -middle- of a storm in the -middle- of the sea. When I read this passage I can't help but think of Jesus saying "they are in trouble again" (my own thought). The Bible does tell us that He obviously went out to rescue them, teach them a lesson on faith, and show them that He had control, even over the forces of nature. The part that I have always found curious is the verse that says (vs 49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him and were troubled.)

There are many different lessons about our faith that we can learn from this, but the one that has always stood out to me is the fact of knowing that God is always in the middle of my storms even when I can't see Him. It says that they were in the Middle of the sea and obviously they were in the middle of the storm, the middle of any body of water is almost always the deepest part and the middle of any storm is almost always the most violent, and in life this is where most of us want to throw in the towel and just quit, much like the disciples did. They were so distracted by the storm that they almost missed their deliverer mistaking Him for a ghost.

There is something to be said about this and the fact that so many times in life we get so distracted about all of the things going on around us we forget that God is right beside us, waiting for us to recognize his presence and power in our lives, so that He can began to take control of the situation and subdue even our greatest problems.

So next time you find yourself in the middle of one of life's storms, remember that the creator of the ends of the earth, the everlasting God is right beside you waiting to move on your behalf.

Let God Drive

I am in the middle of a sermon series right now that I have entitled What Does the Lord Require of Us. Recently, I ministered that among the many things the Lord requires, mostly it is for us to have faith in Him "Without faith it is impossible to please God" Ahhhh Faith. It seems these days in these uncertain times, that the word faith takes on a new meaning.

I am reminded of one of my fishing experiences when I was about 16 years of age. As I have mentioned before I love to fish and so does my dad who of course, taught my brothers and I how to fish. On this particular fishing trip we found ourselves about 5 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River out in the Gulf of Mexico at one of our favorite offshore oil rigs where we were loading the boat with snapper (at night- we would frequently spend the night on the boat as it is a great time to fish during the summer). We suddenly began to notice some lightning that was being generated by a thunderstorm that was barreling down on our position, you certainly don't want to be caught in 800 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico in a bad thunderstorm at night. So my dad decided it best to head back for the river. That area of the gulf can be very confusing at times because of all of the lights generated form the many oil rigs and the ships coming in and out of the river, so needless to say it was a pretty scary ride back, as a matter of fact about half way there I found myself on the floor of the boat in tears begging my dad to stop. For a second there I just wanted to push dad out of the way, grab the wheel and turn around, even though dad kept on telling me that it would be O.K. that he knew where he was going. Low and behold he was right and he put us dead center of the river and brought us back to safety. I was so relieved and remember thinking of how smart my dad was.

I said all of this to say that, life is just like this at times. I have found myself so many times on the stormy seas of life wanting to take the wheel from God and try to fix things myself, because I am not sure that I totally trust Him. This is faith, trusting God when trusting Him is hard, when we can't see nor do we know where we are going. Remember the Bible says that Faith is the evidence of things hoped for and the substance of things not seen. Sometimes we can't see the evidence, but it is in these moments that we have to trust our heavenly father that indeed He knows where He is going and what He is doing.

Our Inheritance

Well it has been a while since I have posted. I am going to try to do better with this, it is amazing how quickly the time goes by . Speaking of time, my oldest child Bradyn recently started second grade, my middle Madi just started kindergarten and my youngest Brock is almost two. I cannot believe I have a child in second grade, it seems like yesterday I could hold him in one arm.

As I began to think about my children the other day I remembered the Proverb in the Bible that says a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. Of course, the first thing that usually comes to our mind when we hear the word inheritance is money, but I think the Bible is referring to more than money. I have found with my children that it takes more of an effort for me to give them my time and attention than it does to just buy them something. In today's society there seems to always be some new gadget to keep your kid happy, but it is your time and attention that they really desire, and that desire is a God given one, it is a desire that can only be fulfilled by a parent.

It is in these moments that we teach and show our children the attributes of God. Love, Patience, Integrity, Character, perseverance, peace, joy, etc. The fact is the greatest inheritance we can leave our children is that thing that will not fade away with death or the passing of this world, and that is to live a Godly lifestyle, treating people with respect, and making a difference in the world around us. These are things that can only be taught by spending time with our children.

So before yours are grown and gone, vow to spend some more time with them and leave them a lasting inheritance.

Jake

Hot Fudge Showdown

This past Sunday night at youth we had a hot fudge sundae contest to see who could build the best looking and best tasting hot fudge sundae. They broke up into pairs of two and competed to see who would take home the crown of Sundae champ. (Congrats to Trey and Chris for winning). What we all realized is that some times what looks good doesn't always taste good. Some of the sundaes were pretty terrible.

Afterwards, we talked about how the things of the world are not much different. Many times the things the world has to offer look very good and appealing, but when you actually take a bite it winds up not tasting very good at all, in fact it's almost like food poisoning and may even taste good going down, but when it gets down. Well you know the rest of the story.

Jesus however, is quite the opposite. He tells us "Taste and see that I am good" I have never had a person that gave thier life to Christ come back later and tell me that they regreted it. The reason for this is because once a person truly gets a good taste of a relationship with Christ, they realize that Christ truly is good.

So if you are tired of chasing temporary highs, try Jesus! He won't dissapoint!

Unleash The Dream Within

"Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall have no beggining" This is a quote that I recently came across by John Cardinal Newman, and how true it is so many times in life we live by the rules of playing it safe, but sometimes playing it safe can be risky business. When God first laid it on my heart to plant Eagle Heights Memphis I thought that it was just me talking, that God wouldn't tell me to uproot from a great life, a great church, and a great job to go and start a church from scratch 400 miles from home. I thought that just didn't make very good sense. However, that was the problem, I was spending all of my energy making plans for God, instead of really seeking God and what it was that He really wanted me to do. The point is this, maybe there is something that you have always dreamed of doing, or maybe God is telling you to take a leap of faith into the unknown and the unfamiliar, keep this in mind. Twenty years from now you will be more dissapointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, discover. (Mark Twain)

Growing

I have titled this blog growing in expectancy of what the Lord is doing here at Eagle Heights. Last night we had our second connection group meeting (It was a great meeting). We had several new folks and everyone that came again from last week. We are excited about what God is doing. He is writing our story, and we are watching it unfold.

I think that planting a church is kind of like reading a book. You know that the end has great things in store, but you have to take it one page at a time. We are looking forward to reading our story that God is writing, and we hope that you will join us and be a part of it as we watch God build His church for His Glory.

A Brave Soul

This past Sunday we had our first youth event, we had a blast and we gave away a phone. Cograts to Liz for winning the phone You are the texting queen. One of the things that we did was a belly buster competition in which they were climbing up onto a wall about 4 feet high and seeing who could do a true belly buster without breaking or folding. I have attched a pic of one of the youth that we caught in mid air.

As I was looking at the picture, once again God gave me a paralell as it relates to us His children and Himself. The kids were willing to jump off of a rather high place and expose themselves to a considerable amount of pain for the glory of being called the belly buster champ (Wow) and I don't think any of us remember who won the competition.

However, when it comes to God, often times He requires us to do just the same, something that may seem somewhat crazy and courageous both at the same time, though it may seem foolish to some it is wisdom to God. (God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise 1 Corinthians 1:27). Maybe God is calling you to jump off into something that is unknown, unfamiliar, maybe even a little painful, but just remember that God always rewards our obedience to Him.

And we're off

Well tonight we had our first connection group meeting in my home. It was great! I am looking forward to next weeks meeting.

We are pumped about our upcoming youth event the 312 text challenge. If you are reading this and are from the ages of 12-18 you have to come. We will be giving away a free I-Phone(or comparable to whatever your plan provides) to the winner. We will be texting, swimming, eating, and winning prizes. You don't want to miss it, this Sunday night at 6:00. Look for the details in the events section on the youth page of the web-site.

Today I was reading in Psalms 144:1 Bless the Lord who is my Rock.
I want to encourage you today to remember that the Lord is your shield and your strength. No amount of worrying or fretting about a situation can change the outcome. You must lean not into your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge God, and He will direct your paths. I want to encourage you to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and in the end God will see you through, for His promises are always true and He is always faithful.

May you be Blessed Today,
Jake

We are here

It is 12:09 a.m. on 7/4/08 and I am posting for the first time from Memphis. I find it interesting that I woke up to make this post on Independence day (The day that we celebrate our nations independence from tyranny and oppresion, and our rights as free people of a free nation), how blessed we are.

I am excited to see where the Lord is going to take us from here. For those of you who may have gotten a flyer or an invitation to come to our church, and are visiting the web-site for the first time. I felt it neccesary to explain a little about what we are doing, and how we are going about doing what it is we are doing.

Eagle Heights is a new church plant that is being started here in Memphis in which I (Jake Claunch) will be the lead pastor. I have been the youth pastor, associate pastor and just about any other ministry position you could think of at a church in Hammond Louisiana for the past seven years (Eagle Heights of Hammond).

In the fall of 2007 God called us to Memphis to plant a church, so with the support of our home church we have now officially moved here to start Eagle Heights Memphis.

In the begginning stages we will be meeting as a home church in my home on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. We will be meeting as a small group, also called a connection group. Child care will be provided. We will also be holding our youth group services on Sunday nights at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Charles and Becky Claunch. Of Course, it is our prayer that these locations will only be temporary locations and we can move into a more central facility in the Cordova area. We will be having our first connection group meeting on Wednesday 7/16/08 at 7:00 p.m. at our home at 1360 River End Cv. Cordova, Tn. 38016. I look forward to seeing you there.

In regards to what denomination we are? Eagle Heights is an interdenominational church. The best way to describe that is to think of an interstate that connects states. That one interstate may connect many many different states, each state having its own personality, culture, ethniticity, history, landscape, and makeup. However, all are joined together by the one common thread of the interstate that runs through them. This is what we desire to be at EHCC, a church where people from all different walks of life feel welcome, accepted, and challenged to live a happier more fullfiling life through the common thread of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.

The Time Has Come

It is hard to believe how quickly the time has gone by since we originally announced that we would be leaving to plant EHCC Memphis back in January. Our journey at Eagle Heights in Hammond is coming to a close, and our new journey is getting ready to start. Only God knows the rest of our story, we have been obedient to His call, we have prepared and planned as best as we know how. Now the rest is up to God.

Words could never express how much we are going to miss all of you at EHCC Hammond. You are our best friends, and we will forever value your friendship. I will never forget my first Sunday at Eagle Heights, how welcomed and accepted I felt. I pray that you will always treasure that quality, as it is a special quality that not every church has.

I want to say to my 313 group how much you have meant to Ashley and I. You have been a special jewel in our lives and I know that the Lord has great things in store for each of you, keep God first in all that you do.

Thank you 312 youth movement for being an awesome youth group. Never settle for just being an average youth group. God has called you to greatness.

To our best friends Philip and Julia: What an amazing man and woman of God you have become. You are an amazing example of a witness for Christ. You inspire us. Be strong and of good courage, fight the fight of faith, and run the race with endurance

What can I say to my Pastor (Pastor Kevin) I could not have asked the Lord for a better spiritual father, mentor, and friend. You are a true man of God with the utmost integrity. Thank you for everything. You are a pastors pastor.

Pastor Lisa, never has there been a spiritual mother quite like you in our lives. Your humility, passion for God and His people, and your willingness to serve God will always go with us.

I have always said that the opportunity of a lifetime, must be taken in the lifetime of an opportunity. Thank you Eagle Heights for giving me the opportunity to be your brother, your friend, and your pastor. It was an opportunity well worth taking.

We love you,
Jake and Ashley

Fishing and the Lessons it teaches

I had the pleasure of taking the guys from my Community Group Bible study fishing in Venice Louisiana this past weekend. For those of you who don't know, I enjoy fishing, and there is no greater fishing in the world(if you ask me) than Venice. It is a very special place. When the Lord told me to move my family to Memphis to start the church he knew getting me away from Venice would be tough, as I will be 6-8 hrs from any body of saltwater. I guess I will just have to take up freshwater fishing. Pictured here is my friend Cole Martin standing on Breton Island (a barrier island off of the coast of Louisiana) holding his first ever Jack Cravelle, a prize fish to many anglers. The fish was about 40 inches long and weighed approximately 30 lbs, the fish was released and swam away in the pristine waters joyfully. Congrats Cole. I had about 9 of my closest friends with me on this trip and we had a great time.

As we were cutting up and laughing around the dinner table Friday night at the marina restaraunt after a day on the water the Lord reminded of the story in the Bible when Jesus speaking to some of His future disciples said "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". These men were rough neck, blue collar, ordinary guys (fisherman by occupation), and Jesus challenged them to leave what they knew and felt comfortable doing, to do what sometimes can be the uncomfortable, for us Christians (fishing for men). As I began to think about most of the guys at the table that night, I started thinking about thier stories, remembering when they came to know the Lord, and how far in life they had come. I started to think about the individuals that had invited them to church or shared the message of Christ with them, that would eventually lead to thier salvation in Christ. I thought about the difficulty of a fishing trip to Breton Island, this an Island that sits about 8 miles off of the coast, and can at times be not easy to get to, but if one can get there, the fishing grounds are tremendous, the fish seem to always be there. Sometimes as Christians we tend to want to sit back in our comfortable places and never leave the shoreline, it's not always easy, but Christ is calling us out into the deep, where the hurting world is crying out for a savior that is real. That savior is Jesus, and I challenge all of us including myself to launch out into the deep on a daily basis and be a fisher of men.

Web-Site Launched

I am excited about the new church web-site www.eagleheightsmemphis.com that has been recently launched. This web-site will be a very useful tool in communicating Eagle Heights to those in our church and also, those interested in possibly attending one of our services. This important tool will be particularly effective in the very beginning stages of the church, as we will use it to announce weekly, and special events. It is my hope that this web-site will one day become what I like to call full service, where we will have live video and streaming audio of current sermon series, and advertisements of upcoming church events and activities. Stay tuned to the site regularly, while it will be continually undergoing updates and changes as we approach the launch of the church. Should you have any questions or comments please feel free to send an email via the page on the site labeled contact us.

Jake

It is Official

Well it is finally official. June 29, 2008 will be our last Sunday at Eagle Heights Community Church in Hammond. I really cannot believe how fast the time has gone by, it seems like only yesterday we were announcing to everyone our plans for planting a church in Memphis, Tn. However, that was almost five months ago. God continues to amaze us with His favor. As many of you know, we needed to sell our home here in Louisiana, we told the Lord that even if it didn't sell we were still moving to Memphis to do what He has called us to do. We put the house up for sale without an agent and sold it 12 days later (to God be the glory). Our next obstacle was finding a place to live that someone would rent to us without having to sign a lease. Well, lo and behold a very precious neighbor friend of ours offered to let us live in a home that she had been fixing up to rent, (that is right across the street from our old house), absolutely free for as long or as short as we needed to. The really cool thing about this story is that about a year ago the Lord laid on my heart to take the college group over and plant some flower beds in her yard, and we did just that, we didn't do it for any other reason but to just be a blessing to someone in our community. God never ceases to amaze me with His blessings. One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 10:22 - The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. I have lived this scripture on both sides of it. I know what it means to have a lot, and be miserable, but I also know what it means to have a little and be happy. Happiness is not in things, relationships, popularity, or reputations. Happiness is in God. We have been so blessed to have been a part of such a great church, with such wonderful people. Words could never express our heartfelt gratitude to all who have been such a vital part of our lives. We are going to miss this place very much, our hearts will always be with Eagle Heights in Hammond. Please keep us (Eagle Heights Memphis) in your thoughts and prayers.


Jake