Category Archives: Fellowship

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Northwood – Great Place Because Of Great People!

Great People, At A Great Place, Serving A Great God!

 

 

The Church Is People Not A Building! This morning we had two things going on at the same time.  We had a group doing a fund-raiser for our Ladies Banquet and another group cleaning up and helping to get our Recreation Center ready for Basketball Season!  It’s events like these that always help to remind me of what a very special fellowship we have at Northwood.  It reminds me of a reality that I know, but often get distracted from.   That reality is simply this:  The church is not a building, it is people, and God has blessed Northwood with some very special people!

Church People Really Like Each Other? We actually like each other and we have fun doing things together!  Getting up early on a Saturday morning is a big deal for a lot of people, but it is not near as big a deal, when you are getting up to do life with people, who you love and appreciate!  Doing something that in no way serves you on a Saturday is not always easy, because most people live for Saturdays, so that it can be all about them, but it’s made a lot easier when you know it’s going to be fun because of the people who you get to do it with!

SHOUT OUT! I just want to give a shout out to the Lord and my spiritual family.  To the Lord, for His awesome idea of church and to my spiritual family for being so very special.  I love the community that He allows me to be a part of and I pray that He helps me not to mess it up, but build it up for His glory and everyone’s blessing!

Hope to see everyone tomorrow for a great day of blessing at the place we know as Northwood with the people that we know as Northwood!  G3!

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A New Lesson In Friendships!

A few months ago, I started a series of messages on Friendship!  We focused on friendship with God and friendship with others!  I love and appreciate all of my friends, but realize that I have not and I do not always show this in the way that I should.  It’s not that I don’t care or that I am not interested.  It’s just that, if I am your friend, then I am your friend and nothing is going to change that on my part.  (This is how I think in my head and heart and feel that if you know me, then you should know this about me!)  What I am learning is that while I may have an expectation that my friends accept and believe that, some of my friends need continuing reassurance.  (They may know it, but not believe it or understand it!)

When I first began to realize this need that some of my friends had, my first thought was that they are not much of a friend if they don’t know me and believe me as I am.  (I have other friends that get it and it’s not a problem for them!)  And then I slowly began to realize that everybody has their on perception.  I should be able to expect that they would work to give me the benefit of the doubt, but if they don’t or won’t, then I still have the responsibility and obligation as a friend to try to help my friend see, know and experience the real me.  Some would say:  ”They are not really your friend, if they have that attitude!”  But the issue is not their being my friend.  The issue is my being their friend.  I am not responsible for their actions or reactions!  I am responsible for my own.  And even when people who say they are friends are not friendly, I have a responsibility and obligation to continue to be friendly, because that’s what friends do!  (Many times all of us think we are being or doing, but we are fooling ourselves and that is why someone in the friendship has to be willing to go the extra mile or the friendship will die!)

God is our friend and we don’t always treat God the way that He should be treated, but He patiently gives us time, space, knowledge and wisdom to figure it out!  He does this because He is our friend and wants us to be a friend back!  So, before you write somebody off, make sure that you are doing your part as a friend.  It’s a blessing for you, them and everybody.  And the best part is that it brings glory to God when we get this right!  And it is really cool, when you get to travel that extra mile together!

Thank you for being my friend and for reading this blog!  I hope it challenges, encourages and blesses you!

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Sunday Rewind!

Today was a great day!  It should not amaze me, but it does!  Each Sunday God continues to show up at Northwood and do an amazing work!  I am excited about what God has done, but even more excited about what He is doing and I almost can’t wait to see what He is going to do in our future!  Below are a few of the highlights from this weeks new beginning!

-Kid’s Ministry had a great weekend during their “Overnighter!” and it was great seeing them sitting together this morning is worship!  Thanks to Sammy & Tyler for coming and sharing with them.  And thanks to Mr. David and all of our volunteers who helped to look out for them and helped them to have a great and memorable time!

-The Worship Team and choir did a great job leading us in worship and reminding us of the Power Of The Cross!  They plan at least a month ahead, but the music is spot-on week after week.  Thankful to have a team that listens to and obeys the leadership of the Holy Spirit!

-The message flowed freely as I had hoped and prayed for!  God continues to teach us some amazing things.  If we are getting it, then get ready, because God is going to do some incredible and amazing things through our lives!

-We really have a great opportunity to get this thing called church right.  Every now and then, I catch a glimpse of how God is building and growing this community of faith, so that we can work together to really make a difference and have an impact on this world!

-It was great seeing all of the new faces!  New people keep showing up!  Thanks to everyone who invites family, friends and co-workers.  Glad that God is bringing these folks and allowing them to experience what is so special to each one of us – a community of faith, a church called Northwood!

-I love you all and I am thankful that I get to be your Pastor!  Thanks for helping the dream that God has given us to become a reality!

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Memory Lane

I am back after an amazing weekend journey back down memory lane.  This past week I finally took a Sunday off from the Northwood pulpit to return to my first church pastorate – Shamrock Bapitst Church in Bethune, South Carolina.  Shamrock was celebrating their 100th Anniversary and invited me back to deliver the “Homecoming” message.  Joy and I had a blast showing the girls were we used to live and remembering some of the funny stories of our beginning days of ministry and marriage.  It was really great to see everyone and I was amazed at how so many of the folks had not really changed a bit.

It is amazing to be gone from a place for over twelve years and get the opportunity to go back and feel as if you never really left.  The love, lessons and life that Joy and I were blessed with in our ministry to that first church family is something that words cannot even come close to explaining.  The most exciting part for me is seeing that a church that I had the joy of serving is continuing to grow and be effective for God’s glory!  I thank God for that congregation of Believers and for all that they have meant to so many, especially to me!  Every where I go, I will always take some of Shamrock with me!

It is great to be back at Northwood!  It is nice to get away and enjoy memory lane, but I sure do miss the family of Believers and community of challenge that God has given me to pastor in Greer.  I love living, teaching, sharing, growing and becoming together.  God has some amazing things in store for us and I can’t wait to see Him accomplish some of the things that He has put in my heart and head.  So with that said – I’ve got lots of work to do, so I’ll get busy and talk with you folks later!  May continue to bless, as we keep it real!

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You Are Something!

God is good!  And when I stop and take a moment to think about it – I can’t help but realize that God has been so good to me!  He really is – so much better than I could ever dream that I deserve!  I love serving Him as a pastor of His Church!  There are days that the politics will threaten to make you crazy, but even with all of the mess that we people can make of a good thing – God is still in control and still manages to accomplish amazing things for His glory and our blessing!

 I believe that Northwood has ahead of it – it’s greatest days of ministry and community impact.  I just can’t wait to see what God is going to do next!  A few weeks ago I was preaching from Acts 2:44-47 (one of my favorite scriptures)  It’s where about three thousand where added to the church that day, because they had received the Word!  It then goes on the tell us that those that made up the church – devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and fellowship!  The result was that everyone kept feeling a sense of awe, as many wonders and signs continued to take place!  The Believers were together and had all things in common, so they started to look out for each other an take care of one another’s needs.  They loved being together, they loved giving God the praise, they had the favor of God and the people and they grew everyday!

This is a beautiful picture of the church – working as it could and as it should.  A picture of the church without all of the junk of personal politics!  This is a picture of fellowship – people coming together with all of their differences because of the great thing that we have in common – our relationship with Christ!

Our relationship with Christ allows us and even motivates us to have relationship and ongoing fellowship with each other!  When we allow God to bring us together and keep us together, we will get past ourselves, our small agendas and personal politics.  When we get past that stuff, we can really enjoy God, each others and the difference that Church can and should make!  I am glad that I have a realtionship with God, because that means that I can have a relationship with you!  And you really are something special!