Enemies

Do you love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35) ?

Or do you just tolerate them?

Your answer is a good measurement of your Christ-like-ness.

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Perseverance

We have uploaded our first Celebration Champions Church teaching video to Vimeo! It is a teaching about perseverance and it is from our "According to Jim" series which is based on the book of James.

Here is the link for the teaching video:

http://www.vimeo.com/15361630

Check it out!

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New

Matt Maher has a great song called "Hold Us Together" on his 2009 CD "Alive Again."

In "Hold Us Together", Maher sings, "This is the first day of the rest of your life." It's a great line, and it reminds me of the newness and freshness that we wake up to every single day of our lives as Christ followers. Paul echoes this theme in 2 Corinthians 5:17 when he writes to the church of God in Corinth that "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

I love the "!" at the end of this verse. The "!" matches Paul's obvious enthusiasm for the newness that we have in Christ, a newness that is reborn every day of our lives.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Embrace its newness, its freshness, and its endless opportunities.

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Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky was one of the greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League. He scored 894 goals in his NHL regular season career, and his uniform jersey #99 was permanently retired by the NHL. Sports Illustrated selected Gretzky as its greatest hockey player of the 20th century.

Wayne Gretzky was once asked about the secret of his goal-scoring success. How was it possible, the questioner wanted to know, for him to score so many goals in his career?

Wayne Gretzky thought for a moment, and then he gave the questioner his answer. Gretzky responded:

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Wayne Gretzky scored 894 goals in his NHL regular season career because he took a lot of shots.

When you take a lot of shots, you score a lot of goals.

What shots do you need to take today?

You need to take shots before you'll score any goals.

Start shooting.

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John Wooden

John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach who passed away earlier this year, once made the following life observations:

1. Talent is God-given. Be humble.

2. Fame is man-given. Be grateful.

3. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

How humble, grateful, and careful are you being today?

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Jackie Robinson

The following words are carved on the gravestone of Jackie Robinson, the incredibly courageous Brooklyn Dodgers infielder who broke baseball's modern color barrier in 1947:

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

The words were written by Jackie Robinson himself.

What impact are you having on other lives today?

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Community Events

As we launch Celebration Champions Church, we are working hard to get the word out into the community about the new church, and so we are becoming involved in as many community events and activities as possible in order to spread the news about our new church plant.

We have attended a Celebration High School football game and we have placed an ad in the game program. We have attended an arts festival and we have passed out promotional cards. We have advertised on the local community cable TV channel and in the local community newspapers and magazines. We also have leveraged the Internet and various social media by means of this blog, our church webpage, Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo.

Does the community around you know that your church or ministry exists? Are you sure? What more can you do to spread the word about your church or ministry? Becoming involved in local community events and leveraging the Internet and social media are various low-cost (and many times even free) ways to reach your community with news, information, and promotion about your church or ministry. Give it a try!

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According To Jim

We now have kicked off Celebration Champions Church in Celebration, Florida, USA, and this Sunday we will be launching our first multi-week teaching series. The series is called "According To Jim." It is based on the book of James. James was the brother of Jesus, and he has many practical life lessons for us to learn, on matters such as perseverance, wisdom, trials and temptations, listening versus doing, favoritism, faith and deeds, taming the tongue, submission to God, and patience in suffering. This Sunday we will be studying James 1:2-4 and we will be learning about perseverance. We'll be showing video clips from the Boston Marathon and from "Facing The Giants" (the famous deathcrawl scene) as we learn how to persevere. If you're in the central Florida area this Sunday, then come and join us at Celebration Champions Church!

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Kick-Off

Sunday was a big day for kick-offs across the USA.

The National Football League kicked off its first Sunday of the 2010 season in sold-out stadiums across the land. I am a fan of the Miami Dolphins, and they defeated the Buffalo Bills, 15-10, so I was happy about that.

Sunday also marked the kick-off of our newest church plant, Celebration Champions Church, in Celebration, Florida, USA. It was an exciting morning as we kicked off our first service at the Thai Thani Restaurant Function Center in Celebration. We had a great time of worship and teaching, and we were very excited for all of those who attended our first service. We even celebrated with delicious Thai food appetizers, provided by the restaurant after the service! We will have the free Thai food appetizers each week after every service. It makes for a great time of fellowship!

Thank you to everyone who was praying for us as we kicked off Celebration Champions Church in Celebration on Sunday. Please keep praying for us as we go forward!

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Launch

This Sunday we will be launching our newest church plant, Celebration Champions Church, in Celebration, Florida, USA. Celebration is the town built by the Walt Disney Company in the 1990s. It is located right next door to Walt Disney World.

There is nothing quite like planting a new church. In Peru, we planted 4 churches, and Celebration Champions Church is our first church plant in the USA.

There is always lots of work to do when planting a new church: incorporating, opening a corporate bank account, obtaining state tax exemption, obtaining 501 (c) (3) registration from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, finding a locale, starting a website, and promoting the church in a host of different ways, including the new church website, plus Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, TV, print advertising, and promotional cards and flyers.

Earlier today we were at the Thai Thani Restaurant Function Center, where we will hold our first service on Sunday. We were performing some A/V tests and deciding how to configure the seating. Because it is a restaurant function center, we have the option of having tables in addition to chairs, and I like that, so we will have tables available for groups that want to spread out their Bibles and notes in front of them on a table.

By the way, we have never "done church" in a "traditional" church building. All of our church plants have been in apartments, hotels, cinemas, and restaurants. It has worked out very well. You'd be very surprised at the number of people who might never darken the door of a church in a traditional church building, but who are willing to visit a church located in a "non-church" venue. Try it sometime.

Please pray for us as we launch Celebration Champions Church. It is all very exciting, just as any birth is.

Matthew 18:20 (TNIV) - "For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them."

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Limits

National Basketball Association legend Michael Jordan once observed:

"Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."

Michael Jordan never went to seminary and Michael Jordan never pastored a church, but his words should ring forth from every pulpit, for they are downright biblical.

Ephesians 3:20 (TNIV) - "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us ...."

Philippians 4:13 (TNIV) - "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

There are no limits to your ministry when it is God-powered.

www.celebrationchampions.com
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Sunday Dinner

Do you know what many Christians have for dinner on Sundays after church?

Roast pastor.

Many Christians smile sweetly at their pastor when they greet him at the door after the service, and they may even tell him how great his preaching and teaching were, but then they hightail it to the nearest restaurant or back home and proceed to roast him like he was a duck or a chicken.

Such a Sunday dinner is not pastor-honoring or God-honoring.

What's on your menu for dinner this Sunday? Roast pastor? Again?

1 Timothy 5:17 (TNIV) - "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching."

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Sodomites

Question: What do you think was the worst sin committed in Sodom and Gomorrah?

Answer: It's probably not what you expected.

In Ezekiel 16:49 (TNIV), God states, "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

Surprised?

You're not alone. Many Christ followers are unaware of this verse.

Or at least try to avoid it.

Many Christ followers believe that sexual immorality was the worst sin committed in Sodom and Gomorrah, yet right here in Ezekiel 16:49 God Himself says that the people of Sodom were arrogant, overfed, unconcerned, and did not help the poor and needy.

Many Christ followers would never equate themselves with the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, but many Christ followers would do well to take a second look at their lives with the words of God in Ezekiel 16:49 in mind. Many Christ followers are quick to point judgmental fingers at others they deem to be sexually immoral - Sodomites - without closely examining their own degree of arrogance, gluttony, unconcern, and lack of care for the poor and needy.

Too many of us are Sodomites.

We just didn't know it.

www.celebrationchampions.com
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