Rockin Roller Coaster

O.K. I have been seriously slacking on my blog posting but I am going to recommit to the blog world for 2011 and try to do a better job of blogging. So please forgive me blogging world for my blogging neglect. LOL!!

Recently I was on vacation and had the thrill of riding a very fast roller coaster called Rockin Roller Coaster in Disney world; Oh and by the way, did I mention that I really love roller coasters. This particular coaster starts out launching you from 0-60 in just under 4 seconds then proceeds to twist, dip, dive, and toss one upside down while being in complete darkness for about 3 minutes. The object being to scare an individual half to death worrying about where the coaster is going and whats it's going to do next being that you cannot see. It's really a lot of fun however, if you just learn to embrace the unknown and enjoy the ride.

We can learn a lot from the roller coaster, because roller coasters are a lot like life. Life does a really good job of twisting, jerking, dipping, diving, and taking us to the brink of crazy but we must always remember that there is one (Jesus) who holds us on the rail. Yes things may get crazy, and seem to spin out of control but to me the beauty of the Christmas story is that Jesus came to save my life that was spinning out of control without Him.

I want to encourage you during this season and throughout your life to hold onto Jesus even during the out of control, crazy moments of life. Christmas can be a busy time, or it can be a time to enjoy family, friends, and take up the spirit of giving to others less fortunate than yourself. However, many times our perspective on things depends upon our perspective of God, the bigger God is to you the smaller your problems become. The Bible declares that God is the Bright and Morning Star, and He is able to shine brighter than any darkness you will ever go through.

Wishing you and yours a very merry CHRISTmas,
Jake

Dream the Impossible Dream

7/1/2008 is a day that I will never forget, not only was it the day we moved here but it was also the day that I began to realize that this dream God had placed in my heart to plant a church in Memphis,TN was what many people may call an impossible dream. Impossible that is with men however, I am so grateful every moment of my life that I serve a God that makes all things possible.

In July of 2008 we held our first small group introduction meeting at our house with 5 people in attendance. Two of which were me and my wife, the journey has been full of it's ups and downs but most of all it has been amazing. Amazing to step back and watch God do His thing. God is always faithful, He is always True.

We have now completely outgrown our small facility and have been given an incredible opportunity to move into an awesome new 12,500 sq ft facility that will give us room to grow and do so many of the things that God has placed in all of our hearts, we have set a goal to move in and hold our fist Sunday morning service there on 9/5/2010. I have had so much fun these past several years being able to meet so many new people and form so many new relationships, Eagle Heights is full of some of the greatest people I know.

Great things are happening in our church God is on the move, love is in the house and house is packed so much that we leave the back door cracked (Literally) It has always been my firm opinion that Church should be made up of three major components:

1. Gods presence is felt
2. Gods Love is demonstrated
3. Gods people are challenged

In my opinion if we major on these three things we can't go wrong, and if God be for us than who can be against us. So I ask of you if you are reading this right now, to believe God with me for even greater things to come, Lets dream the impossible dream together and then step back and watch God make the impossible possible.

Just His,
Jake

A bath a day keeps the devil away

Once when I was a teenager, my youth pastor told me that "a bath a day would keep the devil away" I remember thinking to myself this guy has lost his mind. But then as he began to explain himself I began to realize what he was talking about. I suppose that as I have become older that quote has become even more real to me.

Recently I had to give my dog Vinnie a bath, he is an English Bulldog and I have to bathe him quite frequently because of his sensitive skin and large skin folds that will accumulate dirt and cause skin diseases if left unchecked. Vinnie doesn't particularly care for the baths, he fights me all the way to the shower, and honestly I don't really care to bathe him either because of the mess it makes. However, as his master I know that he must be bathed or else he could grow very sick.

As Christians we can easily find ourselves in the same shape as Vinnie if we aren't careful. It is so easy just to take our salvation for granted and simply go about with our busy lives leaving Jesus behind. Someone has said that Jesus has become like a spare tire to many people, they use Jesus when they are out of options and flat in life, but as soon as things get better they replace Jesus with something else and put Jesus back in the trunk of their lives so speak, only to bring Him back out when they need Him again.

The reality is without Jesus at the forefront our lives we are destined for breakdown, we become sick with the filth that we have picked up from the world, and sooner or later if we continue down this path the world will literally choke away our relationship with God. I want to challenge you today not to allow the cares,concerns,and attitudes of this world pollute your mind and relationship with God.

Keep God first in all that you do, spend time with him in prayer and through the reading of His word, listen to his voice for He desires to speak to you. Remember that God has you here for a reason, stay tuned into Him and get ready to be launched into your destiny.

Just His,
Jake

Into The Deep

This morning I was meditating on Luke 5:4 - And when He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a Catch" Of course, you know the rest of the story. On that night they caught a catch like they had never caught before to the point that their nets were breaking due to the massive weight of all the fish. They even had to call over their friends in other boats because they ran out of room in their own vessel. Now most of you know that I love to fish so naturally passages like this in the Bible tend to grab my attention, recently I was bass fishing at a local lake and we were really having a banner day however, we began to notice a pattern that when we fished in the shallow waters we tended to only catch the smaller fish, but when we could find the deep channels and deep underwater creeks we seemed to catch larger fish. When I was reading over the Luke 5:4 passage this morning God spoke to me and said don't settle for being a shallow water Christian, but dare to dive deeper, love greater, dream bigger, and give more. As I reflected on this I began to realize that Jesus was teaching the disciples a far greater lesson than just about where to fish. He was more importantly trying to teach them to stay out in the deep things of God, to dive deeply into His word and discover the depth of God's Greatness and love. I encourage and challenge you today to not settle for being a shallow water Christian, but dare to dive deeper with God. Yes sometimes the deeper you go the stronger the current, but remember that those who swim in the fast current are those that become stronger because of it. Be willing to launch out into the deep and get ready for God to blow your mind.

Your Friend,
Jake

Clash of The Titans

I am really pumped about the upcoming sermon series that I am going to be starting this week called -Clash of The Titans-. You will want to make sure and be here for this one, as we will be exploring the different clashes and struggles that so many are facing in the current day and age. We will also be taking an interesting look into the Word of God to see what it has to say about this topic. Make sure and dont miss this weeks introduction message to the series, I look forward to seeing you there.

On another note this Sunday was another historical Sunday for our church as we have had another record breaking attendance at an estimated 130-140 people (this is counting men, women, and children). Great things are happening as new folks are visiting every Sunday and many are making a commitment to follow Christ either for the first time in thier lives or in a recommitment to follow God. We have had over 25 decisions to follow Christ since January 1, 2010 and we have doubled in size as a church since October 2009. God is so awesome!!! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the coming months.

Just His,
Jake

1 Year Old and Still Rockin

Wow!! I am so pumped as of late. So much is happening at Eagle Heights lately, we recently celebrated our one year anniversary and I stood in amazement in all that God has done over the past year. This time last year we had just moved into our current facility and we had an average of about 25 people in attendance on a good Sunday. For the past month we have averaged over 100 people in attendance and it is growing every Sunday. New people are coming, and coming back. Kids are everywhere, young people abound, young couples, young families, middle aged folks, and even a WWII veteran. We are now in the process of building a new auditorium that will accomodate 225 people, and we will be turning our current auditorium/childrens building into a first class childrens/youth facility.

We launched our connection groups (Small groups meeting in homes) on Feb 15th with almost 70% of the church in attendance. We have been active in supporting missions in all three areas of local, national, and international missions, and we have served our community through several community service projects.

I could go on and on, but I simply want to say thank you. Thank You God for your faithfulness, thank You to every member of Eagle Heights for giving, serving, and believing in the vision that God has placed in our hearts. God has done so much this past year, but I assure you that the best is yet to come, I know that this year God will once again blow our minds with His greatness. No one could fathom, no mind can imagine, no man could comprehend His wonder, He is the master of all creation and we are His masterpiece. That should make you feel great, you are the awesome creation of Gods hands.

Just His,
Jake

The Fathers Business

I am really pumped about 2010. I know that God is going to do some amazing things in our church and also in my life. I have vowed to go to another level in God this year. To dig deeper in His word, be stronger in prayer, be more compassionate in my approach to others and more diligent in my quest to have a heart like His. One of the things that I am doing this year is breaking away from my traditional devotion plan and really devoting much of my time to studying the life of Jesus.

Recently, I have been meditating on the early life of Jesus. Particularly on the passage of scripture in Luke 2:41-50 the story tells us of a time when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus along on thier annual trip to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. However, this trip would become somewhat of a blemish to Joseph and Mary's parenting skills as they found themselves a days journey having left Jerusalem and on the way back to Nazareth without Jesus anywhere in sight. I have often found myself asking the question, how does anyone loose the only begotten Son of God, The Lord of Glory, The King of Kings, The Prince of Peace, and what was it that The Son of God was doing that was so important that he would'nt try to reunite with his parents? But the answer reveals itself when Mary posed the question "Son, why have you done this to us? Look your father and I have sought you anxiously." The reply of Jesus is one that we should never forget "Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my fathers business?" In one sentence Jesus officialy blew His parents mind, and in one sentence He officially taught all of His followers then and now that our number one priority should always be to be about our Fathers business . I have learned that it is the business of the Father that really matters, it is the business of the Father that really counts for something in the end, and I am determined to make the Fathers business my business this year. I challenge you to go deeper in God this year, allow Him to do surgery on those areas that need healing, to comfort in areas that need comforting, and to convict in those areas that need convicting.

God has great things in store for you, no matter where you are in life He has a plan, a purpose and a destiny for you. In the words of the song - Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so, little ones to him belong we are week but He is strong-

Just His,
Jake

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