Merry Christmas

Christmas is most definitely one my favorite times of the year (although I could do without the cold weather). The sights, the sounds, lights, festivities, fire in the fireplace, eggnog in the coffee cup, and the smell of a fresh cut tree in the house. As 2009 comes to a close I reflect on the greatness of God, He has been so faithful to us. You can always rely on God, when everything else fails, He never will. I cant help but be reminded of a day some 2,000 years ago when the father God in the greatest display of love that the world has ever known sent His only begotten Son, the diamond of Heaven, to be born in a feeding trough likely in a cave in a small town called Bethlehem. A day when The Lord of Glory would come with a mission to save us. During this time of the year it is so easy to forget about Jesus, with all of the other distractions around us we forget about the MIP (Most Important Person) of the whole season. This Christmas I want to challenge you to honor the gift that Christ gave to us, dont over look the King of kings for the business of the season. It is with a heart of gratitude that I thank Jesus for all that He has done for our church and for my family in 2009, and we are excited about what God has in store for our future. I love our church! God has brought together an awesome group of people from all walks of life, and He continues to add daily. So with all of my heart Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

May your Christmas be Bright,

Jake

An Attitude of Gratitude

Recently I was reflecting on the many things in my life that I have to be thankful for. My family, My church, My friendships, and the many other things that God has so graciously blessed me with. However, most of all I am simply thankful for the fact that Jesus saved a sinner like me and like Paul I will boldly declare that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ . Recently, we had a very memorable Sunday morning service at our church where several people got up and shared thier testimonies of how God has changed thier life,and that they had found a new hope and outlook on life through the eyes of Jesus. Today if you are reading this never forget to be thankful for Gods great mercy and grace that He has given you. This time of year I am reminded of Noah when he got off of the ARK, the Bible tells us that the first thing he did was to sacrifice of the animals that he had on the ARK in a display of his great gratitude for what God had done for his family by saving them from utter destruction. The story goes on to say that when he made the burnt offering it went up as a sweet smelling aroma to God in other words Noahs attitude of gratitude got Gods attention, and God was pleased. When we have a thankful heart toward God I believe it moves His heart toward us, He becomes much like any parent does when thier children are thankful and His desire is to bless us because of our Attitude of gratitude. So I encourage you to always rejoice in the Lord, because He is always rejoicing in you.

With A Thankful Heart,

Jake

When Love is in the House

- When Love is in the house the house is packed - I love this statement because it is so very true! We are all drawn to people who will accept us for who we are, people that are real and genuine, people who display the love of God in a world that so desperately needs it. This past Sunday I taught on the subject of love, we reviewed the story of the Good Samaritan and how all of us can use this passage of scripture to help us in displaying Gods love outside of the church walls in a practical way. The amazing thing about this story is that the beat up Jewish man who was left for dead on the side of the road by thieves and robbers would have probably called the Samaritan man anything but good, because of the bad blood between the Jewish and Samaritan people. However, despite their differences it was the Samaritan that displayed Gods love that day, not the so called "religious crowd". The story tells us that the priest and the Levite(from the priestly Tribe of Israel) passed by on the other side of the road leaving the hurting, wounded, broken man to die in his miserable state. The title of last Sundays message was You Give Love A Bad Name. The challenge that Jesus gives us in this story is not to be like the so called "religious people" (The Priest and the Levite) but rather to put love first. Not to get so caught up with the affairs of this life, that we forget the basics of what being a Jesus Follower is all about -Loving God and Loving people-. So I want to challenge you to live a life that displays the Love of God. In the words of St. Francais of Assissi "Preach the Gospel at all times and when neccessary use words"

Lets give Love a Good Name

Jake

Life is a Highway

Recently I have started a new sermon Series entitled Life Is a Highway in which we are covering many of the issues of life. Can God use me? Can I be forgiven? Can I forgive those that have hurt me? Is there truly peace on earth? Can my marraige be a success? How do I raise my children in a Godly manner? How do I stay on track with God? etc.

I have found that life can be very much like a highway. At times the road of life is smooth, easy going, no bumps or bruises. However, most of us have also experienced the potholes of life that can literally shake us into a talespin. This is what we are covering through this series. The fact is that there is nothing we can do to keep from hitting the potholes of life. However, with God's help we can learn how to overcome them and prepare for them. So I would like to invite you to come check us out one Sunday at Eagle Heights as we travel down this Highway of Life together.

Your Friend,
Jake

Amazed by God

Wow! I continue to be amazed by God! This past Sunday we had our fall kick off service to kick off the fall season. We had over 100 people in attendance which is an AMAZING thing to me being the fact that not even a year ago we were meeting as a small group in my home with about 10 people. God has been so good to our church. The excitement and the life giving atmosphere was tangible, we truly have a great church that is made great by awesome people that love God, and love each other. If you are reading this I hope that you will join us one Sunday at Eagle Heights where Anyone is Welcome, Everyone is Accepted, and No One stays the same.


Your Friend,
Jake

Fall Kick-Off

I am so Pumped about our Fall Kick-Off Service this Sunday Morning at 10:15. If you are reading this I hope that you will come out and join us this Sunday. I will be starting a new sermon series titled LIFE IS A HIGHWAY In which we will be reviewing all the different aspects of going through life, and then finding out what God says about living life on purpose and for a purpose. I pray that you will come out this Sunday Morning where you will meet some of the greatest people that I know, and experience God in a relevant, uplifting, and Life giving atmosphere.

Your Friend,
Jake

Safe In The Harbor

"A ship is safe in the Harbor, but thats not what ships were made for." This is one of my favorite quotes, because it reminds me of the potential that God has placed in all of us. Sometimes the harbors of life can be safe, but there is nothing like leaving the harbor and experiencing the depth of the greatness of God. If you are reading this today, always remember that God has a great plan and purpose for your life. I challenge you to dream big, Love much, Live life to the fullest, push away from the safety of the harbor and trust God with your life. Then watch to see what happens!!

Football is in the Air

I get so pumped this time of year. You can almost smell the quickly approaching fall season in the air. It is one of my favorite times of year for many reasons, but I suppose most of all because fall is the season that football starts. There is just something about football that gets your blood boiling. Lay aside the particular school or team that demands your loyalty (Geaux Tigers!!!)this time of year in our part of the country is kind of like Christmas. We get geared up for the another great year of Food and Pig-skin, BBQ pits get cleaned up, new food concoctions get made up, faces get painted up, and the colors go up. So from my heart to yours have a great fall season.

Jake

Awesome!!!

Wow!! It is Wednesday and I still can't stop thinking about what an Awesome day this past Sunday was. I continue to be amazed at the greatness of God, Sunday 13 people were Baptized and publicly proclaimed that Jesus Christ was the Lord of their lives. I am currently preaching a series entitled TRANSFORMED, in which we are talking about the process of becoming more and more like Jesus. When I think about this past Sunday I can't help but to reflect on the verses of the song that says "There's no such thing as perfect people, there's no such thing as a perfect life, so come as you are broken and scarred, lift up your heart be amazed, be changed by a perfect God." This is at the core of what Eagle Heights is all about, a church where Imperfect people find new life, new hope, and true purpose through our PERFECT GOD.

Your Friend,
Jake

A Day at The Beach More than Just a Good Time

This week after attending a conference in Birmingham Al, We took the kids down to the beach for a couple of days, the picture above is of my baby boy Brock. As I was looking at this picture I was reminded of how much family means, and how much my family means to me. I want to encourage all of you who are reading this (especially parents) to put priority on your family time, our children aren't getting any younger only older so make it a point to invest your time in their lives. In today's society there seems to always be something else bidding for your time and it is so easy to sell out our time to things that don't matter. However, our families do matter in fact, they matter most and the investment we make into the Lives of our children and our marraiges is the greatest investment we will ever make.

Exciting Times at Eagle Heights

Wow!!! Amazing things are happening at our church, what an awesome experience it is to stand back and watch as God builds His church for His honor and for His glory. I am humbled and privileged to be the pastor of such a great church. If you are reading this and are currently looking for a church home, I encourage you to come and join us one Sunday morning as we celebrate Jesus together and become the church where Anyone is welcome, Every one is accepted, and No one stays the same.

Your Friend,

Jake

We All Need Jesus

Today I was meditating on the parable of the rich fool which goes like this in Modern day terms.

There was a wealthy man who had accumulated many material things through the course of his life. One day as he walked out and surveyed all that he had attained. The fine cars, the boats, the home of his dreams, the career of a lifetime yet he found himself unsatisfied so he said to himself "I know what I can do! I will build a bigger house, buy a more expensive car, and get another degree so I can start a new career". So after many years of hard work he once again found himself having met his goals, and he said within himself now I can finally kickback, Chill out, and enjoy retirement with all of my possessions, but sadly that very night he died. As he stood before God he realized that on that very night his soul would be required of him and that all of the things he had accomplished and achieved meant absolutely nothing compared to eternity.

This is the story of someone that lived life going from temporary high to temporary high. We have all been there living life for the next level up, the next feel good moment, the next weekend, the next hobby, etc. etc. There is always a next, but there is only one Jesus who will outlast time and space. As a matter of fact, He cannot even be measured according to time and space for the Bible says that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He has no beginning and He will have no end. This is why I have determined that I am not going to sell out my life for this side of eternity, because this side is just a mere blink of the eye compared to the wonder of an eternity with Jesus. I wonder where is your life headed right now? Which side of eternity are you living for?

Seasons Change

Spring is finally here and summer is on its way. Thank God, for a South Louisiana boy the winter I have experienced here has been near torture, but hopefully I will get use to it. I am so thankful for the warmer weather. It seemed as though winter was going to last forever.

The same can be said about life at times, there are moments when we go through those winter seasons, so to speak, and it appears that it is never going to end. Someone has said that a great tree, even though it appears lifeless in winter, is actually growing more in this season than in any other it just can't be seen. So next time you are in a winter season of life decide to grow beyond your obstacle so that when Spring comes it will be all the better. Remember weeping may endure for the night but Joy comes in the morning, the night may be long but the the dawning of a new day is certainly coming.

Jake

Golf is in the Air

I shouldn't have watched the Masters! Every year about the time the masters is played the golf bug begins to reveal its ugly head, and unfortunately I seem to always succumb to the temptation to go play. I must admit I am hooked on golf (my wife would say I am hooked on several hobbies).

The other day I got the chance to go and had a great time. The fact that golf can be so difficult is an intriguing thing to me. You really wouldn't think it would be so hard at first glance you think to yourself "O.K. this is going to be easy" until you start playing. Now I am at the stage where I can consistently get it to the green with a two putt for par, but unfortunately that is about the extent of my game, it all goes down hill after that.

This causes me to think about our walk with Christ. So many get so close to truly developing a genuine relationship with Jesus, the kind of relationship in Him that leads to victorious living, incredible faith, and a better life. However, it is so easy to give up on God especially when it gets hard. I have frequently stated that it is easy to do what's right when doing what's right is easy. But it is another thing altogether to do what's right when adversity comes. What I have learned is that if I will hold on to God when it gets tough, he will lead me through those difficult times and at the end of the thing I can say like Paul "I have finished My course" even if it took many more strokes than it should have taken, I didn't give up.

The Undisputed Champion

"O death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Death couldn't handle Him, and the grave couldn't hold Him.
Thats My King - S.M. Lockridge

At this time of the year I seem to always find myself in awestruck splendor at the work of the cross and the power of the ressurection. In a moment of time the kingdom of satan was conquered, and his apparent victories in the Garden of Eden and at the cross were reversed by Jesus death and resurrection. From the vantage point of Jesus victorious return, death and hades (The Grave) have no power over Christians, because Jesus has already conquered both. He is and always will be the undisputed Champion of Heaven and Earth. Praise the matchless name of Jesus.

Persistence Wins the Day

This time of year is a great time for fishing. Man I love fishing and fortunately for me my son does as well, after all the Bible does teach us to train up a child in the way they should go. I figure that means teach them to be passionate about the things you are passionate about too- (O.K. that's my own opinion, but it sure works well with my wife). Recently I took my son fishing to a beautiful lake in south Mississippi called Lake Okhissa, we had alot of fun and caught some nice fish.

In the photo above my son is holding a nice bass that he caught. However, the picture only tells a brief part of the story behind the fish, what you can't see is that Bradyn (my son) threw about 5,000 times and 25 different lures to finally catch this fish. Getting an 8 year old to fish for 2 solid days without catching a fish is a miracle in and of itself, much less asking him to really fish for those two days, but to my surprise Bradyn stuck with it determined to catch a bass before we left that lake. Through heat, rain, tangled lines, broken lures, and plain boredom he somehow managed to keep casting and in the last 30 minutes before dark on the second day Bam he hooked one at long last he had caught his bass and a nice one at that.

As I was thinking about how proud I was of him for pressing through the adversities and receiving his prize God began to speak to me. So many times in life we give up, throw in the towel, bail out right before the breakthrough that we are so desperately needing, is about to occur. Maybe you are reading this and in need of a miracle breakthrough in your life, remember that God knows what you need and when you need it and His timing is perfect. Don't give up on God because He hasn't given up on you. Keep casting because your miracle is out there waiting to be caught!

Tangled Up

Yesterday, I took my 8 year old son and 2 of his friends out to the lake here in our subdivision for a little fishing. What an experience that was! I spent most of the evening untangling lines out of trees, getting hung lures off of stumps, and even looking for a lost cell phone. Somehow in the middle of it all I did manage to catch a few fish.

After I got home I got to thinking about our trip and how tiring it was, but even though it was some work on my part my son and his friends had a great time. Then I thought that the same could be said about God, so many times we are like the little boys finding ourselves tangled up in life, loosing our way, and needing Gods help. I am so thankful that God is always there to untangle our mess, and help us to find our purpose once again. Maybe you are reading this and can relate, maybe you have lost your way, so to speak. I encourage you to cry out to Jesus, because He is our loving father and no one loves you more.

A Picture of God

Recently, we took a family outing to the dog park at Shelby Farms and what an outing it was. If you can imagine 3 small children and a bulldog at a dog park where the grass is filled with, well lets just say smelly surprises. It never fails that the Pastors dog is the dog at the park who needs obedience training, not to mention his kids. It was fun though, but Ashley and I sure took a sigh of relief as we loaded everyone back up into the car to head home.

After a few days I came across this picture that we took while we were there of the boys and the dog (Vinnie). As I was looking at the pic, God suddenly began to speak to me as He seems to always do in the strangest of moments. He said this this picture is a picture of Me. I couldn't quite figure it out until He quickened my mind to a movie I recently saw - Marley and Me - great movie - In a nutshell the movie was fundamentally about one thing, the simple things in life that bring happiness and love you the most. At the end of the movie John began to reflect on all of the great years that his family had with his dog Marley. As he reflected he came to the conclusion that a dog is one of those creatures that loves you for just you, doesn't matter how mean you are to him, how many times you lock him outside, or punish him, or how aggravated you get with him, he just continues to love you right up until the bitter end.

Then God brought me back to the picture and showed me that in that picture contained three beings that absolutely and unconditionally love me, my boys and my dog Vinnie. Even though I haven't been the perfect father by any stretch, or the perfect dog owner, each of them still choose to look beyond my flaws and see my good points. Then God said to me "Now do you get the picture?" God is the same way with us. We can all say that there are moments when we throw God out of our lives, or forget about him altogether, but when we need Him the most He is always there just waiting for us to return to Him. He always has his hands of love out in hopes that we will become the person that He has destined for us to become. He loves us just the way we are, we don't have to do any special tricks, know any special things, look or dress a certain way for God, He just accepts us all of the time, any time, and every time.

Gentlemen Start your Engines

What a great day yesterday was, as we held our first official Sunday morning service in our new location. It was a lot of hard work, and everyone pitched in to accomplish the task at hand, but I believe that it was all worth it yesterday. Ashley and I are so grateful to all of you that helped to make this possible. I know that the Lord was smiling on us yesterday as we set out to do the work that He has called us to do, for His Glory, and For His Honor.

Jake

Launching Out

We are getting excited about moving into our new location at 769 N Houston Levee Rd. Cordova, Tn. We have been working around the clock and getting things ready for the church to move in. The new building is going to be such a blessing, as it will now allow us to implement so many of the dreams and ideas that God has placed in our hearts to do as a church. If you are visiting our web-site or reading this blog, I would like to personally invite you out to our first service in the new location 2/15/09 @ 10:15 a.m. I look forward to being able to meet you. If you have small children they will have a great time in Kid Connection where they will learn about God in a fun inviting atmosphere. Also,a nursery is provided for your infants.

Hoping to see you there,

Jake

Pure and Undefiled Religion

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: To visit orphans and widows in thier time of trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

I have often said that you don't have to go to seminary to understand the majority of the Bible. God is very good at relating Himself and explaining His desires for us in practical ways. The above scripture is a great example of this. This has always been one of my favorite scriptures because it helps me to put into action the kingdom of God that is inside of me in a real world setting. Some people need to only hear the Gospel, others need to see the Gospel in action.

This Sunday morning we closed the doors of the church house and actually went out into our community and became the church by going over to an elderly widows home in our community and cleaning up her yard. This has been a dream of mine for years to have a Sunday morning when we would shed our Sunday clothes and pews for a little bit of hard work to make a difference in someones life. I was so proud of our people as everyone showed up for the event and worked extremely hard. What a blessing it was when the elderly lady came out after we were finished with tears in her eyes. I thought to myself. This morning we truly had church!

Jake