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!!