New Year's Resowhat?

As I sit writing what will be my last blog entry for the year 2009, I am struck by the fact that every year at this time, I tend to do the same type of thing. I spend no small amount of time thinking about the new year and trying to make a new set of commitment's, or resolutions to follow into the new year! One thing I have noticed over the years is how in many instances the same old resolutions continue to crop back up year in and year out: eat less fried food, drink less coffee, watch less cable, read more, exercise more, have more fun, etc. etc.!

So this year I am going to take a new approach - I am going to try and develop a 'greater desire' in key areas of my life, rather than accomplishing certain tasks or making strides, I am going to try to work on perspective in the new year (that ought to be fun!).

It might look something like this:

Rather than saying I am going to read the Bible More, Give More Money to the Church or attend services more faithfully,
I am going to try and develop a 'hunger' for God in my life that cannot be quenched apart from His presence!

Rather than telling my wife I love her more, or calling her more from work, or doing the dishes more (thought she would probably love all of those things)
I am going to try and develop a deeper relationship with my wife and to grow in my desire for her companionship and love!

Rather than buying my kids all the latest gadgets or getting them the best coaches money can buy and the best equipment my credit card can afford
I am going to try and get to know them more and to grow in my knowledge of how God has designed them and explore the young men and women they are becoming

Okay, you get the idea - move it ought of the realm of what we can accomplish and move it into the realm of who we might become and how we might grow deeper into the relationships Christ has given us this year. Yes, you can try this at home! Take some time over the next week or so and see if you might come up with some resolve on 'being' rather than a new commitment to 'doing' (doing by the way the same things you tried to last year, an the year before that, and the . . . )

So, have fun with your resolution this year. My resolution for our church and community is that we will experience on deeper levels than ever before a close and rich intimacy with Christ our Lord! Do more, build more, grow more, attain more - that stuff is easy - grow deeper with Christ and others - now that takes the Lord and that is truly where I want to be. Besides, I am tired of trying to give up drinking coffee anyways!

From His Grace! For his Glory!
Biz

Merry Christmas to All

Symbols of the season - or traditions of Christmas has been our focus for the entire advent season. On Christmas eve our focus will culminate as we gather together at 7:00 p.m. for our Christmas eve service and light the Christ Candle in worship of our Savior. The Christ candle is at the center of the Advent Wreath as Christ is at the center of the Season of Advent. This service is annually one of our 'best' of the year as we spend a few final moments of the season focusing on Christ as our Light in this world.

As you plan out your family activities I want to encourage you to put your 'Christ family' first this year and join us - making Him central in your celebration of the season. Perhaps this year you can make our Christmas Eve Service a new Tradition that Points to Christ for you and your family?!? If you are a Westsider, then invite your family to join us with you! Our service is designed to be Family Focused, so plan on staying together as a family - yes, bring your children with you - they will be richly blessed and enjoy this service as well! We will have 'parent' rooms available for those of you who might need it, but let's plan on coming together as a family this year to celebrate our lighting of the Christ Candle!

I do hope and pray that you and your family are looking forward to and will have a very Merry Christmas this year! May you have a Christmas filled with the joy of Christ and may you and your family know His Love during this very special time of year. I hope to see you tomorrow night! If not, then maybe plan now to attend next year - begin now preparing your family for launching Christmas day by celebrating the Christ Child in worship on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas!


Biz

Benevolence Offering on Christmas Eve. Please remember that we will have our offering plates/baskets in the back of our sanctuary on Christmas Eve. All the funds gathered during this service will go to the benevolence needs that exist within our own congregation. I know that a family or two will be very blessed at the end of 2009 because of your giving!

Christmas Traditions, Pt. 3 - the Shepherds

I think my favorite of the Christmas Stories recorded in the Gospels is the one found in Luke 2 about the Shepherds! Here is my top ten reasons why I like this story over the others.

10. The Angels first announcement was to Shepherds - cool! We would announce this to dignitaries and 'movers and shakers' today - yet God announces his coming to a bunch of smelly shepherds - give us all hope, right?!?

9. The Shepherds were scared to death - who wouldn't be - an angel is speaking to them about God coming to the town next door.

8. The Angels took the fear they felt and turned it into peace - they said, 'fear not' even as Christ does today!

7. The Angles announce 'good news and great joy.' Boy, I sure wish we looked at Christmas through that lens today . . .

6. The announcement of God's Son took more than one Angel - yep, God calls out the whole 'Army of hosts' - how awesome is that?!? Puts our puny announcements in perspective, doesn't it?

5. Golden Rings - okay, just kidding. God let's us know that the most blessed of people are those of us 'on whom His favor rests' - nothing quite like being loved by God, Saved by His Son - that is truly the blessed life!

4. The Shepherds start talking about Jesus! When was the last time you and I talked about Jesus with people we know??

3. The Shepherds took off to find him! When was the last time . . . see number 4.

2. The Shepherds see him and they worship Him - they are drawn to Him and they praise Him! Hmm, worshiping someone other than ourselves - what a great idea!

1. Jesus' mother, Mary - pondered these things in her heart - just like a mom. Betcha she had a baby book somewhere in their wardrobe - now that is a baby book I'd love to see.

Okay, some are better than others, but what do the Shepherds tell you about Christ this Christmas season? The lessons are many - read it for yourselves and just live out one of them - might change your life forever!

Traditions that point to Jesus!
Biz

Christmas Traditions, Pt. 2

I cannot remember the last time I walked any distance further than a 1/2 mile or so. In fact, last night I had to walk a block to see Santa drive through our neighborhood. To be honest with you, any further than that and we would just have to catch him at the mall. My own resistance to walking only heightens the impact of the Story of the Wise Men. Several men (we don't really know how many) set out on a journey that could have taken as much as two years (not real sure) to visit a child - a savior child who was prophesied to bring deliverance to Israel (remember, the wise men weren't even Israelites - they were probably Persian). Simply Amazing! From His earliest of days, Christ always drew a crowd and often drew them from the least likely of places.

This text is rife, however with irony. The non - Jewish caravan of astronomers/astrologers come a great distance, yet we have no record of the Jewish authorities traveling even within the city to see Jesus. One would think that at least the Chief Priests would have followed the wise men to see the child. Even today, I am amazed at those of us who do and those of us who do not seek Christ! And, I think it all comes down to the simple fact that we must recognize who this child is before we ever consider seeking Him.

The Wise men recognize at least three truths about this Christ that point to the Hope we have for deliverance in Him. They first recognized Him as Sovereign - indeed a King! They brought gifts (at least three, maybe more) that were fit for a King and they laid them at His feet. Secondly, they recognized Him as Shepherd - the Old Testament term for One who protects, guides and deals mercifully with His sheep. This Idea of Shepherd King is not new, rather it is steeped in the richest traditions of the Old Testament and help us understand that the pre -Christian Jew would be looking for exactly this in the form of a Messiah. Thirdly, they saw Him as Savior. This is evident in the fact that they worshipped Him. We are not sure how fully developed their understanding of Christ as Savior was, but it is certain that they understood this child fulfilled more than just the role of a good earthly king or person. They were so sure that they crossed cultural barriers and land masses, intentionally undermined a corrupt and paranoid ruler (Herod) and brought untold wealth in the hopes that they would catch a glimpse of this Christ King. Who do you see when you look at this child? To what do your traditions point today? Do you see a Sovereign, a Shepherd and a Savior?

If we see Him as some ancient story of a good man who did some good in his time, then we will probably not leave the couch this Christmas season. But, if we see him as the Wise Men did in Matthew 2, then we would cross the wildest of terrain for the simple hope of being near him, if even for a moment. Here is the good part in all of that, though, we don't have to cross the wildest terrain - no, Christ has crossed it for us! He has come to us and the tradition of the Wise men helps us see that so clearly. All we need to do is recognize and receive him - and then only will we move to seek Him!

Traditions that Point to Christ

Biz

Christmas Traditions, Part 1

I love Christmas! Without a doubt it is my favorite time of year. I love the lights, the gifts, the grandeur, the seemingly kinder communities and people, all of it. Most of all, I love the traditions the come with Christmas. I will never wish you a Happy Holiday - not because I do not wish to identify with those who do not celebrate Christmas - but because for me a 'Merry Christmas' greeting is a tradition I look forward to and freely give and receive during this time of year. I love the tradition of getting the tree, putting the lights up, singing carols, being with family and friends - I even love the tradition of buying a gift that comes from my heart that I can give to those I love! But, in our home there are a couple of traditions that stand out as moments that define the season for me.

One of my favorite Christmas Traditions is our Christmas Eve Candlelit service. We have celebrated this every year of our marriage in some way or another and it is something I look forward to with much anticipation each year. In my mind is is just the right place to be the night before Christmas - gathering with friends and family at the church and joyfully thanking Christ for the gift He has, is and will continue to give us - the gift of Himself. A second, moment defining tradition is our families traditional reading of the Christmas Story each Christmas morning, BEFORE we do anything else. Every year I think the children will want to skip this and move right into the opening of their presents, but I am amazed year in and year out as they too look forward to this time and recognize that the greatest gift we have received is the gift of the Christ child, or God with us, as the prophet Isaiah said so long ago.

How about you and your family? Are there traditions you celebrate - one's to which you look forward with much anticipation this time of year? Even in the toughest of times, traditions can keep us grounded and give us hope. The remind us of a past that in some way helps us navigate the present and look with hope into the future. They help us focus in on what is most important in life and how we have changed, are changing and will continue to change even as we participate in traditions that rarely, if ever change! You know, Christianity was birthed into a rich tradition that we too celebrate today. If you read the Gospel writers you see that they quoted liberally from the Old Testament to clue us in that God was doing a new thing, a radically new thing, but this new thing was steeped in what He had been doing all along - claiming a people for Himself!

This Advent Season, we are going to spend some time at Westside focusing on three key traditions: Purification (this Sunday), Redemption (next) and then Celebration (the 20th). Join us each week and bring a friend with you - everyone, all of us, need a good reminder of the great traditions that have gotten us here!

Celebrating the Traditions that Point to Christ!
Pastor Biz

Personal Thanks to everyone who prayed for my family and Luke a couple of weekends ago. He is doing great and all is well - thanks to Pastor Pierre for doing such a great job on such short notice!!

Raise The Roof Update: As you know, we are in need of raising 20,000.00 for a new roof to put on the sanctuary, thankfully we have repaired the leeks and the job as been done really well so they are not, to my knowledge, recurring. Currently we have right at 6,000.00 which means we need 14,000.00 more. I am excited to let you know that we have a gift of 5,000.00 pledged to the roof fund IF we can come up with the other 9,000.00 by January 2010. While I know that times are tough, I am asking each of us to think and pray about a Christmas offering to help push us to that 9,000.00 mark. What a great blessing it will be when the roof is overhead and we can look back with thankfulness to the Lord and His faithfulness for providing! Please join us in this effort and let's 'raise the roof' funds together!

Making the Most of Our Life! Mistakes and the Miracle of Grace

Two sons. One leaves home, squanders his inheritance on reckless living and nearly starves before he wakes up and takes a chance on coming home. This son is easy for us to identify or to qualify - rebellious, inconsiderate, reckless, wild, foolish, lazy, self absorbed, and LOST. One son stays home, works hard, supports the family, tends the fields, kisses the babies and hugs the grandmothers. This son, too, is easy for us to identify or to qualify - loving, conscientious, considerate, hard working, supportive, caring, FOUND.

One father who loves two sons and sees beyond easy identification and past what glaringly meets one's eye. One father who sees into the heart of the boy and receives the pain the child brings, the mistakes the child has committed and remedies them with the miracle of grace. The Father defies and even challenges our identification of the sons. In fact, the father in essence sees both sons as lost. Both sons who are living mistake ridden lives and trying to do their own thing in their own way. One is committing the all too common mistake of pursuing a 'self focused' recklessness. Yet the other is pursuing a self focus all his own - a 'self focused' righteousness. In the end, they both fall short, because it is all about the self and all about pursuing life in their own way to their own ends. The only hope for them is to respond to the miracle of Grace that the father offers. Now, here is where it gets interesting!

In this story of self focused living, one son obviously sees the error of His ways and understands that he can make no claim on His father. No, he sees that he has caused his own pain and that he is responsible for his own mistakes. In fact, when he comes back home (to a father who by the way RUNS to meed him) he doesn't even expect to be treated like a child - the most he can hope for is a place in the servants quarters. And here is right where we see the miracle - the miracle of grace receives this sinner/child as a child of the king and restores him - forgives him and grants him the authority in the home that only a child of the home could have! He is restored because He came to the father broken and beaten - He came home and was received! After being received He was restored.

The other son however, the one we suspect should know better, comes against the father bearing a claim that is quite frankly impossible to bear and speculating on his brother's life in a way that reveals the sickness of his own heart. The one son has forgotten the grace of the Father in His own life and pursued a righteousness all his own. His father owes Him big time - how could he let this rebel back into the fold? Interestingly enough, Jesus leaves us hanging on how this son responds - we simply do not know. Will he stay focused in on his self righteous life or will he, like his brother, come to terms with grace and celebrate the things that the Father celebrates??

The glue that holds this story together is the miracle of grace! No matter where you and I are on our journey, God can and does make the most of our mistakes through His miracle of grace! Where are you? Are you on the side of self recklessness or self righteousness - both are wrong, both resist and reject grace and self righteousness actually resents grace. So, are you resisting, rejecting or resenting today? If so, join us this weekend and dare God to do for you what He is so good at doing for us all. You may be surprised!

Making the Most of this Life

Pastor Biz

Making the Most of My Money

Money, Money, Money, everywhere you turn these days that seems to be the central issue in life. Either we don't have enough of it, we can't get enough in return for it, it takes too much effort to get it, etc. I am convinced though, that as important as all those issues are, the single greatest issue with us and our money comes down to our refusal to submit how we use our money to the Lordship of Christ. We will give Christ all of our life, except that part - we want to hold on to that (of course if that dominates so much of our lives then our refusal there, really constitutes complete refusal does it not?).

We are much like the character/creature Golum in the last book of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, clinging desperately to the 'gold ring' even as the flames of the fire, which the ring took him to, engulf is body and end his sad existence. Yes, for many of us - no matter how much or how little we make - money controls and manages us rather than us controlling and managing money. I am reminded of the words of Christ when he said, "For where your treasure is (read money) there your heart will be also." In other words our commitmnets, our priorities, our life, our passions our HEART - always follow our treasure. So where is your treasure today? and is there a cure out there to help our heart sickness? Think of our impact in our culture if we could live our lives fully submitted to Christ in this area alone - if Christ were our true treasuer then where would our heart be at this moment right now!?!?!

So, if your struggling with money - if you are concerned about your heart - then this weekend is for you. I am going to lift up several key principles for money management right out of Scripture and then point out how we apply those principles in our own budget at Westside. The principles are Giving with Gratitude, Prioritizing Payouts, Investing in Eternity and Saving Room For God.

As I apply these principles I will highlight our budget proposal for 2010 to help better equip our 'voting' eligible members to vote in our short business meeting following the morning services. I will lift up the parts of our budget that fit the biblical criteria I listed above as we seek to move forward into God's preferble future for Westside Community Church and the lives He is calling us to reach! Our business meeting will be in the portable immediately following the service.

Making the Most of God's Money!

Pastor Biz

Making the Most of My Anger

I checked some statistics this morning. I found out that in 2005 over 16,000.00 Americans were murdered - yes you heard me right, sixteen thousand. After doing some more investigating I found that the number was similar in previous years and that when authorities were able to find out cause or motive they found that nearly 75% of the murder victims new or were acquainted with the person who murdered them and that the problems began with an argument. Yes, the murder was a result of anger that was out of control or rage that went unchecked.

You don't have to check the murder rate to suspect that something is off in this world. In fact, most often we need to look no further than our own hearts and the mistrust, anger, frustration that is breeding there. You wonder yourself sometimes, 'why am I so angry all the time.' Or, 'why did I 'blow' up like that again? Others of us wonder this not about ourselves, but about people we dearly love who are bitter, angry, frustrated and seem to have no end in sight. Well, if you have struggled with anger (as I have!!) or know those who do, then this Sunday is tailor made for you and God is ready to get control in a way that perhaps even today you do not even believe is possible!

The truth of the matter is that anger is a God given emotional response designed to move us forward in life. However, our experience with anger is often very different from God's desire. We often experience anger as an emotion that is either over exploited and acted upon or under used and ignored (tile it 'festers') in most of our lives. Some of us explode at the drop of a hat or can 'go off' often without any justifiable cause. Others of us, however, live in a 'comatose state of oblivion' where nothing bothers us and anger is never identified and or recognized in life. Wherever you or I may be, neither of these move us closer to Christ and His Kingdom or those relationships He has given us in life!

As I continue my Sunday series this weekend entitled, Making the Most of Our Life! I am going to focus in particularly on Anger and seek God's Word for some guidance on How we can make the Most of our Anger in this life! I am going to break our topic down into three main questions that I will try to answer. First, 'What is Anger?' The second question, 'Why am I so angry?' And the third questions is, 'Where will my anger take me?' I truly believe that God has a special word for you this weekend - whether you think you have an anger problem or not, this will be a time for you to come under the authority of God's Word and seek His will for your life. For surely you know people with an anger problem or you are impacted by a world that so often tends to gravitate toward anger rather than one that gravitates toward peace.

If you want to Make the Most of Your Life, then the place to start is by looking at your Anger and whether or not you are expressing it as God intends and then submitting to his control as you move closer toward Him!

Pastor Biz

Passions, Perspectives and Prescriptions, Part 3: The Prescription is Fasting and Prayer!

I have always sought to follow closely after God in my life and ministry. When I was being trained for ministry a professor once told me that you have three tools in ministry and they are the Bible, the Holy Spirit and Prayer. This weekend I am calling our congregation to a 24 hour prayer/fasting journey as a church. I am excited about how God will use this time in your life and thought I would spend my blog sharing with you some basic insights into fasting to help encourage you in this discipline. The particular information I am passing along is pretty well known and attributable to many places, but I am adapting a piece I found in a book by Nelson Searcy called Ignite that had a helpful Q and A style. I hope it will be used to Ignite your passion for Christ.

What is fasting? Fasting is abstaining from something, usually food, for spiritual purposes!

What does the Bible say about fasting? Both the Old and New Testaments speak to the spiritual discipline of fasting. Moses, David, Nehemiah, Ester, Daniel, Anna, Paul, Jesus and the early church all practiced fasting. Jesus placed fasting on the same level as financial giving and prayer (see Mt. 6:1 - 18) as well as stipulated that there is a time for fasting (Mt. 9:15). Paul says we should give ourselves to both time of prayer and fasting in I Corinthians 7.

What is the purpose of fasting? The primary purpose of fasting is to focus on God by 'centering' Him in all of our live and behavior. I call fasting a time of 'feasting on God' because we are focusing on God rather than our stomach. Fasting can help us see that some things are getting in the way in our walk with Christ - that there are things which have taken control in our lives that we need to remove. Fasting can increase the effectiveness of prayer (II Sam. 12:16) and bring God's guidance in the decision making process (Acts 14:23). There are many reasons why we may fast, but the most important is to focus on God and seek His guidance so that He may be glorified in our lives. I think a great opportunity is before us this weekend as we Fast for our fall festival - that God will help us focus on Him and that He will receive glory through our ministry and outreach to our community this weekend!

What are the different types of fasting? There are many types of fast. There is the absolute fast which would be no food or water for a period of time. There is also a normal fast which is only water, no food or other drink. Then there is what is known as a partial fast which includes juice, waters and sometimes fruit. There is also a seasonal fast known as the Lenten fast during which we give up something for the specific duration of Lent (Ash Wednesday through Easter). The final category of fasting would be called other which means we give up something like relationship, media, telephone, activities, habits, etc.

There are many places in Scripture where Fasting is seen as an opportunity to grow in our walk with Lord as we give something up that normally provides satisfaction so that we might be ultimately and fully satisfied in HIM! Join us this week - pick your fast and focus on Christ!

Fully Engaged!
Biz

Passions, Perspectives and Prescriptions, pt. 2: Perspectives

Perspectives is a word used to describe the way one sees and lives life! For instance, if ten of us standing in the middle of a field were asked to describe what we see, we would no doubt offer 10 different perspectives of what is seen. Now these perspectives probably would not be vastly different, but they would reflect several things that would cause us to see a difference. For instance, where we are standing, where we are looking, how well we can see, even how we are feeling would all impact our perspective and cause us to describe the same thing in several different ways, or from several different perspectives.

Now, take the same idea and think about the local congregation and/or community. Everyone in that congregation and community brings with them a different perspective - everyone. From the single mom who barely has time for herself, to the retired elderly couple looking for someone to work with or some way to make a difference, we all bring with us a different perspective that 'colors' how we see and live life!

In the Bible Jesus helps us see that while there are many different perspectives in life, they all fall under two larger perspectives. One is the perspective of someone who belongs to Christ - the perspective of a disciple. The other is a perspective of someone who does not belong to Christ - of one who is far, far from the Lord.

The basic difference in these two types of perspectives is what Christ calls our 'treasures.' In Matthew 6:21 he says, 'For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.' In other words, our hearts - our perspectives, our attitudes, beliefs and behavior follow and pursue our treasures in this life. A life that treasures self or the individual will have a 'self - centered' perspective. A life that treasures money will have a 'get rich' at all cost perspective - or my identity is found in my possessions. Conversely, a life that treasures Christ and Him alone will have the perspective or pursue the perspective of a 'disciples,' a follower of Christ.

What is your heart chasing today or who are you treasuring? Do you treasure, pursue and constantly seek Christ like you life depends upon His presence? Or, do you seek self, spouse, affirmation, money, (insert your own word here), etc.? This weekend we will be encouraged to pursue and treasure Christ above all else - you know I can honestly tell you that when we reach this point in our life - the point of a reckless pursuit of Jesus, then and only then do we truly begin to life - everything else is just killing time. Decide to live today and join us on our Journey this weekend as we become Fully Engaged in our Walk with Christ!

Fully Engaged!
Biz

Passions, Perspectives and Prescriptions for the Glory of God

My mind has been spinning around way too much these days (probably due to the fact that I have contracted sinusitis and am out of commission for a day or so). The primary thoughts that are driving me are in relationship to Passions that move God's people, Perspectives that have shaped God's people and Prescriptions from His Word that should form God's people - for His Glory in this world!

So, today I want to begin a discussion about the Passions that drive us as God's people, particularly the passions that drive a local congregation and its leadership. I believe the everyone, all of us, has a God given passion to be lived out in this life that we must discover to be fruitful in ministry and effective in life. You don't have to look far into the Word to see that God has created us and knows us intimately and that He has created us for good works in this world. The question I believe we all have to answer is what are those good works and how are they lived out within the context of the local church and the communities in which God has placed the local church!

Further, I fully believe that each local church will have a different set of Passions based upon several things, but primarily upon the perspective of the community and the prescriptions of God's Word. In my own ministry I have found that my passion begins around the concept that God's people must experience the richness of His Word on a daily basis and the challenge of living out that richness in life and ministry. As I look back over my ministry these days I understand that my heart conviction or passion is that those who sit under me are encouraged, challenged, equipped and empowered to 'live out' the richness of God in their life in a way that makes a difference - a significant difference in the relationships that Christ has given them. I have variously referred to this as 'incarnational' living or more commonly as connecting what happens on Sunday to life change on Monday.

I get excited when one of my church members calls, emails, texts, twitters (pick your poison) me with a testimony about how God is moving in their life, community, work, school, etc. I am deeply moved when I hear about our own folks who are living out the great commission and striving toward the great commandment and then seeing the blessing of God over both. So, I have learned that I have a passion in this area - the area of God's people living out His reality in their life in such a way as others notice and those who don't know Him begin to open up and receive His gift of salvation - that's is it - that is what life is all about. I love this when I see it in my home as well - when my wife lives out her passion through her gifts and when my kids notice things around them that aren't quite right (like brokenness, pain, suffering, poverty) and then ask, 'dad, what do we do about this as Christians.' That is Awesome!

On my white board in my office I have a list of four qualities that I look for in people that have really caught the heart of my ministry and how God has called me to conduct ministry. The first of those qualities is this: A Westside Community Church Disciple is a person who is ACTIVE and ENGAGED in 'market - place' ministry - they are living out the Great Commission and Great Commandment and taking their faith into Christ's world! I look for this, I long for this and I, quite frankly gauge the entire effectiveness of my ministry around this passion that drives me!

Now to some questions that follow: First, if you are not a 'westsider' and you are reading this blog, I want to ask you if you even know the Passions that drive your Senior Pastor and the Senior Leadership in your church. If not, take your pastor out for a cup of coffee and ask the question: 'what is it that drives you, your life and ministry.' Now, if you are a westsider let me ask you a question: do you see ministry that is being conducted from this passion? Can you see the mark of this passion in our ministries and are you, as a result of being discipled in this ministry, closer to this reality today than you were before you got here? If not, why? What can I do as your pastor and what can we do as your church to move you down the road that Christ has already laid out for you?

One step I want you to take is to get more involved in the life of Westside! This week we embark on new journey together. A journey of becoming Fully Engaged! We begin by looking at how we can be Fully Engaged with our Friends and Family. Then we will move to being Fully Engaged in our Walk with Christ, we will then wrap it all up with How we can be Fully Engaged in our Communities! Our new journey also begins with Pierre and Mikelann this weekend - what a blessing it is to have them on board. I am excited about getting to know not only them, but also the passions that drive them in life and ministry for as we experience their own passions for Christ and His Kingdom, I believe we might move closer to our own God given passions - wouldn't that be awesome - that you and I will grow closer to Christ because of their presence with us and their leadership journey in our midst at this time in the life of this great congregations!!!!

So, there you go for my 'Passions' Blog - next one will be perspectives that have formed us - that should be a fun one, because they are certainly varied and vast! Come Sunday - it's time, Westside, to get Fully Engaged and to beging that Engagement with discovering your God given Passion!

Fully Engaged, October 09!
Biz

Partnerships, Passions and Kingdom Priorities

I read an article this week in the Orlando Sentinel about a local food bank/outreach ministry that was going to have to close its doors due to the lack of funding it has received during this recession. In fact the close was imminent until a 'sister' ministry (which happens to be from Vero Beach) stepped in and formed a partnership that brought together similar Passions for Kingdom Priorities! In the article both ministries spoke of their excitment in joining forces together to do God's work in the Orlando area. They spoke of the obstacles that have come their way as opportunities for a new thing and a fresh approach to partnering together in ministry - an approach they would not have been able to (or willing) had it not been for the current circumstances which made moving forward impossible apart from joining forces, apart from forming a partnership around their similar passions for the priorities of God's Kingd0m.

While our situations are somewhat different, we are seeing a similar thing occur in our churches these days. While some churches are closing their doors, ministry is continuing at an even greater pace as ministers join together to form partnerships around like passions for Kingdom priorities! This morning we at WCC welcomed Pierre Bourque and Mikelann Renwick as new partners in ministry. It is uncanny to me how the Lord has opened this door of ministry together and brought to us two individual's who have a passion for the minsitry areas the Lord has been leading us to address for months - two areas I have been asking us all to pray for as well over these past couple of months. While I could never have 'scripted' this approach I am humbled to follow Christ and excited about leading us, His church, into this new phase of ministry life where we too are learning the value and experiencing the excitement of forming partnerships around like passions for Kingdom Priorities. God is moving and when God moves it means that if we are going to follow Him we have to leave where we are!

My question for each of us is how will we respond to this movement of God's Spirit in our midst? What will be our place here and how will Christ use us in the minsitry He is seeking to accomplish in our communities! The first step is to seek the Lord and trust the leadership that He has placed in our midst! If this is something he is doing than it will be like an unstoppable force in our community and will quickly become apparent to all! The second step is to continue to build relationships - stay connected to Christ, each other and the communities to which we have been called. I truly believe that when you get to know the hearts of Pierre and Mikelann and when you see their love for the Lord up close, you will find yourself saying, 'thank you Lord!'

One way you can get to know Pierre, Mikelann and their families is by joining us on October 18th right after our second service for a 'Carolina Chicken and Sticky Rice' meal (this is a homespun recipe that belongs to my dad - I am excited to share this with you). This meal will serve as a 'Lunch on the lawn' and will be a time of fellowship specifically designed for you to get to know them better and the minsitry passions and priorites they hold dear!

All Involved, All Accountable!
Biz

New Sermon Series to help us Engage at Core Levels of Life - Begins this Weekend!

I read an article this week that made me pause and think for a moment about the world we live in and the direction we are heading in as a country. The article spoke of the 'newly' established day of blasphemy which is coming up on September 30th of this year (just a couple of days from now). Yes, you heard me right. There is a group of people out there who want to have a contest to see just how badly they can blaspheme the name of God and, particularly Christ. So, they have gone public with this contest and expect it to be a great time of freedom of expression to 'expose' the hypocrisy of religion.

Now, before I got too upset about this whole thing, the author of the article reminded me that Christianity is not a religion of 'honor' and therefor we do not need to, as Christians, defend the good name of God or His honor. In fact, truth be told, one day He will defend Himself. What is or should be our course of action? To humbly take the way of the cross and endure suffering and shame in the same way that He did, so that people might see His love shining in and through us and respond to His grace!

As a church we have a unique opportunity in our community to respond to the discouragement of our time and 'reengage' in a Gospel living and lifestyle that opens up the door for conversations about Christ rather than creates walls that put up barriers between us and a world in desperate need of the love of Christ.

So, toward that end we are going to launch a new set of Sermon Series for the month of October called, 'Fully Engaged' the Power of a Committed life! We will deal with several topics that I believe will help each of us become more engaged than ever before and will help us live our lives to the fullest for Christ. This weekend I will kick us off by talking about being Fully Engaged in our Walk with the Lord. This is a great place to start for you and me! So, if you are feeling discouraged or disengaged then join us for the next four weeks as we seek to Fully Engage together and walk with Him into our communities!

I will also have the privilege to officially introduce Pierre Bourque and Mikelann Renwick to the congregation. These two folks are gifted servants and leaders in the Kingdom of God and will help us grow closer to Him as we Fully Engage in Worship and Outreach in the coming weeks and months. I am very, very excited about how the Lord is going to build us up, send us out and bring us others through their service with us! Please come out and take some time to get to know them and their wonderful families as we begin this new journey together!

All Involved, All Accountable!
Biz

Congregational Care Team On the Way to WCC!

For several months now I have been speaking with you about the need to establish a congregational care team here at Westside Community Church. Over the past years our church has faced many needs and handled them well, but as we continue to grow and see new families come into our midst it gets more and more difficult to keep up with the increasing need of caring for one another and building each other up.

As your pastor I simply cannot make all the visits to hospitals or homes that need to be made. But we as a congregation can and this is a great way to explore your ministry gifted-ness, calling and commitments! In order to help us effectively meet this need of caring for one another as a congregation, Pastor Rick Keaton is going to begin recruiting, training and leading a team of individuals who can carry the load of ministry in this area and share the love of Christ with our hurting, home bound, infirm and folks in need or a moment of crisis! I want to ask you to consider joining this team and becoming a part of this great ministry. I promise you that it will change your life. Whenever we give ourselves away for the cause of Christ we cannot help but be changed.

The really cool part about ministry is that as you connect with your life mission through ministry and you experience life change that only service to Christ can bring, then you will notice others gravitating toward you! You will literally be like a 'magnet' for the Lord! They will see the change and want to know more about it and the Lord will only increase your own ministry, growth and outreach to those around you that you have probably been praying about for years! Yes, Christ can use you! Yes, Christ wants to use YOU! He just needs a willing person - one who will turn the 'reigns' of life over to Him and say, 'here I am, dear Lord, just use me.' Won't you join Him actively today as He seeks to equip, empower and encourage you for the Life He has in store and the future He has already crafted just for you?

Over these past months I have been in prayer about the vision and purpose of this ministry and here is what the Lord has given me. Take a moment and explore it, you may find that this ministry effort is indeed your fit!

The Purpose of Westside Community Church's Congregational Care team is to
Engage our hurting, home bound, in firm and hospitalized with the love of God;
Equip them with the presence of Christ in their time of need;
Enlist others to join us in this cause and to increase our care and love for each other and others.

All Involved, All Acccountable!
Pastor Biz

All Involved Continues

All Involved, All Accountable - four words (really three) that I have been repeating in my head again and again this past week. I am asking the Lord for ways I can continue to encourage this congregation, His church, how we might become All Involved and All Accountable and I have also asked that He provide blessing to our people in the way of financial, spiritual, relational and emotional peace in our lives. Already I am hearing testimonies of how God's provision is coming our way at this time!

I know that the key way peace of this type is provided is through our 'connections' with Him and each other. There are several ways we as a church attempt to make this happen on a regular basis. One way is, of course our small groups - which are beginning the next two weeks! Another way is how we care for each other as a congregation. This is seen in how our love for one another is expressed through visits, gifts, encouragement, time spent, etc. And yet a third way is how we love strangers and how we get involved in ministry - I mean in ministry in a way that connects us to God's mission for our life. Pastor Amy (our children's pastor) calls this our M@M around here (next time you eat one of those chocolaty candies think about your mission).

In order for us to be effective in these three areas, though it requires leadership. So many people have stepped up recently in our youth ministry, children's ministry and worship ministry (among others). So many are reaching out like never before. I am so thankful for the volunteers who have made a renewed dedication to this ministry and I am excited about the fruit we will and ARE already seeing. Another who has stepped up is one of our elders, Rick Keaton. Rick has volunteered to help lead our small groups and our congregational care ministries. Rick's goal is to get you equipped and enlisted in these areas so that you might be connected to God's goal for your life. So, over the next few weeks you will begin to see us put some 'teeth' to some of the ministries we have been talking about and praying for these past weeks and months.

Our next step for you is to encourage you to speak with Rick about how you believe the Lord is leading you and then for you to get involved as Rick works with you to put you in the perfect 'fit' for ministry and life! Okay, okay, it may not be a perfect fit, but I hope and pray that as you take your next steps in ministry and life you will allow us to encourage, guide and at times even direct you toward what and where that might be. We have so much to do and I know that we will need everyone pouring in together if we are to get it done!

I am excited and enthused about what is next for us. I hope and pray that you are too! Please remember we are also recruiting our Bridges/Mentors for the new year - this would be a great first step for many of you . . . jump in with us, jump in now!

All Involved, All Accountable!

Pastor Biz

P.S. Don't forget, our new Welcome Class is coming up on the 13th and we have Baptism scheduled for the 20th. Maybe you have already participated in both, but know someone who hasn't - sign them up today!

Fall Focus - All Involved, All Accountable

In the book of Acts we find a young church fully committed to Christ and each other! What if this young church served as the model for you and me for the way we do life together now? Well, this fall, we are going to give it a try as God calls us ALL to become more involved and more accountable than ever before!


For the month of August I have asked each of you to be in prayer for how God might call you to Fearlessly Give to Him this Fall! We have a great oppportunity ahead as well as a great challenge before us! I have listed out and verbally addressed several of our focuses in the coming months and have specifically asked for both your prayers as well as your input! I have heard from many of you and I thank you for that and continue to ask for your prayer coverage as well!


On Sunday, August 30 we are going to launch this fall focus with a Call to All. This Call to All will be a call to commitment as a church. I have had a chance to reveiw our needs and opportunites, and I want to take a moment now to concretely present both of them to you.


First our needs: We have facility needs that must be addressed ... soon. Our primary and first goal is to meet the need of putting a new roof on our sanctuary. If we have to hire this out, our costs will run between $20k and $25k. If we can do it ourselves, we cut that cost in half. We also have some crucial sound and audio needs in the sanctuary as well as key storage and space needs to meet the growing demands of ministry.


Now for our opportunity: As we meet the needs we also have an opportunity to expand our minsitries as we look toward adding staff. My primary goal is to address worship/creative arts and outreach/easy steps (connections) that will help us grow deeper and wider as a church body. God is moving in some key ways and I am excited about what might be in our near future! Another opportunity is to provide a bucket of funds for our Benevolence Ministry that we would have to carry into 2010. As you know the economy continues to slump a bit and I want us to be as prepared as possible to live out the all involved and all accountable focus together!


Now for the challenge: In order to meet our financial goals we will need a couple of things. First of all, if we can hit our weekly budget goal then we will be well on our way toward meeting both the needs and opportunities. As I look at our finances we will certainly need to hit around $7300 per week in order to really advance these goals. Secondly, we will also need to have some larger contributions through the course of the fall.


So, here is what it will take. First, a renewed commitment to our tithe on a week-in and week-out basis. Next, we will need many of us (myself included) to be in prayer about what we can give above and beyond our tithe to get us to the figure of $1,000.00 per week for the ten week focus. The Lord may lead some of us to contribute a sum in the thousands of dollars. For others of us, he may call us to a smaller amount of $500. And yet to others it may be $100, $20, or $50 - who knows? What I do know is that God will lead us, if we will listen. It may mean advoiding eating out once or twice during these next few months or some other sacrifice that will help us get where God is calling us.


One thing is for sure - on August 30 we will launch our All Involved, All Accountable focus and my prayer is that it will truly, truly be a case of More than Before! On Sunday, November 15th we will wrap up our All Involved . . . All Accountable focus with an awesome morning of celebration during our worship services. Be praying now how you might be 'Involved and Accountable' this fall!


All Involved, All Accountable!

Pastor Biz

Connections happen in Small Groups!

Ever feel disconnected in life, like the world is going on all around you and though you are there you are somehow not a part of it? Somewhat like being on the outside looking in? I know that many of us in life feel that way from time to time - and it can even happen in the church. You just show up one Sunday after the next for weeks or even years only to feel like you are just watching life, worship, ministry happen all around you but you are not 'connected' to any of it.

If you have felt that way, or if you do now, then let me encourage you to begin exploring the small groups WCC will be offering this Fall! Small groups offer a great way and really the best way for you to get 'connected' and get plugged in at a whole new level. They give you a chance, week in and week out, to connect to God and others as you ready His Word and apply it to your daily life! And I am just crazy enough to believe that if you get connected in that way, you will also get connected to God's mission for your life and ministry. Then one day you will realize that you are no longer just watching life pass you by, but that you are living it at a whole new level - a level the is truly 'beyond belief.' Let me whet your appetite for what is coming - here are the small group opportunities that you will have this fall - show up on Sunday and contact the church office for more information - but here are some highlights!

Mixed Groups: * A Study in the Book of Hebrews * The Bilbe in 90 Days * Just Walk Across the Room * The Lord's Table (Our mixed groups are open to all of us and specifically geared toward the believer who is looking to grow in his/her relationship to Christ and each other. Whether single, married, young, or old these groups are for you)

Men’s Studies * Growing Closer to Christ * Monday Night Men’s Groups * Freedom In Christ for Men

Women’s Studies * Freedom in Christ for women * Falling In Love with Jesus * Friday Morning Women of Faith

Couple's Studies * The First Five Years of Your Marriage * Crown Ten Week Bible Study (open to singles)

More to Come! More than Before!
Pastor Biz

Prayer is Our Central Ingredient

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1:14

To join together constantly in prayer is the call and commitment of any local church or congregation! As we move forward and Westside into the awesome future that God has for you and for me, I want to call each of us together to pray diligently for this ministry and the expansion of the Kingdom of God in and through us!

As you pray I would ask that you include the following areas in your time with the Lord. These areas are ministry focuses that the Lord has placed on my heart. I would love nothing more than to know that we are praying together in this direction. So take some time and read them below and join me in prayer this month and beyond!

First, keep in prayer the continual development of our 'Find Your Fit' ministry here. This ministry is designed to be a 'culture changing' type of ministry. Basically myself or a leader sits down with our Westside Family Members and seeks the Lord in terms of direction in their life and ministry. These meetings have been great so far, but as we expand the ministry I need your prayers that God will revolutionize this church and we will be known as place that involves people in ministry that connects them to their God given mission in this world!

Secondly, keep in prayer our All involved, All Accountable Focus this fall. We will focus on raising money for our roof, benevolence and other ministry needs we have been unable to resource up to this point. I am very excited about where the Lord is leading me on this and looking forward to our launch date of August 30th. Pray that the Lord will bless us with an outpouring of giving. We are such a generous church already - I am excited about the vision of God building us to be the most generous church in the Orlando area!

Third, pray for our Staff hiring that will be made in these next two months. The two areas I am being lead to address are our Worship and Creative Arts and Easy Steps/Connections Ministry (assimilation). I am working with our state office closely and am very excited about what the Lord may be doing, but here is my prayer - that we will find the person God has already selected for us - join me in that prayer this month!

Finally, continue to life up our current staff and leadership. Pastor Amy has lead us well to the point of launching a preschool and VPK, but there is more to be done. Pray for her strength and endurance. Also lift up our Youth Team as they transition to the future of youth ministry here at WCC! Whew - God is on the move! Pray with me for His Presence to continue to lead and direct us - to draw us closer to HIM!

Pastor Biz

Westside Youth Ministry Moves Forward!!

I am very excited about the direction our youth ministry is taking and how the team that Pastor Josh developed while here and other new comers are stepping up to lead our youth ministry into the future. They are having some great meetings and I am planning a time to meet with two of our key youth leaders, Michael Pearce and Aaron Bergesen on a weekly basis. I do want to update you on the direction God is calling us to and the development of a new team of Parents to assist our youth staff as they minister Christ to our young people. We have listed out our overarching goals in accordance with the purpose of Westside Community Church. I ask that you pray fervently for these goals as you spend time with our Lord on a day by day basis.

Purpose of Youth at WCC
God has called us to Engage Teenagers with the Gospel of Christ, Equip Teenagers to grow in their relationship with Christ and Enlist Teenagers to go out and transform their family and friends with Gospel of Christ (sound familiar?)! The team has many ideas of how we can accomplish God's purpose for His youth ministry here in Apopka, but below are the 'key' ingredients or the 'core strategies' that we will focus on!

Engage teens with the Gospel will look something like the following:
Our youth staff will Develop a highly interactive and participative mid week gathering opportunity for teens in grades 6 – 12. This would include group games, interactive group activities, skits, music, drama, video, small groups and a Bible lesson. Secondly, we will also Develop a group of adults who will build significant relationships with our teens that will serve as a bed rock foundation for our kids growth. Thirdly, we hope to Sponsor 1 – 2 convention/retreat experiences for our teens during the year (state youth convention is coming up). And, fourthly, we hope to sponsor monthly age appropriate outings and activities with low cost involved for our 6 – 8 and 9 – 12 grades

Equip Teenagers to grow in Christ will look something like the following:
We will continue to develop our Sunday School Program for both our middle and high school students as we encourage our teens to bring their friends and study God's Word together. We have a great, great staff of youth Sunday school teachers and we hope to recruit, equip and deploy even more! Secondly, we intend to communicate and Practice Spiritual Disciplines/Habits with our teens. Disciplines such as prayer, bible reading, tithing and service are crucial components of Christian living and exciting adventures in life and ministry. Thirdly, we hope to launch periodic small groups (outside of Sunday School) for targeted ages and gender throughout the year

Enlisting Teens will look something like the following:
We would like to develop a ‘mentoring’ program for our older teens to give back to our younger teens. This is a dream of several staff members now and, with the Lord's aid, will become a reality that could literally change the face of our community. Secondly, we will be intentional by giving our teens tools that will equip them to share their faith. And thirdly, we will plan and coordinate quarterly service projects/camps for the ministry within the congregation and our community

A new aspect of parent involvement and opportunity will be the development and oversight of a ‘PIT’ (Parent Involvement Team) Crew (this team will function under the authority of our youth leader(s) and work together with them to be sure our systems and structures can support this thriving ministry

This team will assist in weekly ministry needs of Wednesday night from child care, to sign ins to snacks, food etc. They will also assist in developing fundraiser opportunities for our youth to aid in their expenses for trip. Thirdly, they will assist in communication devices and systems to keep everyone on the same page . Fourthly, they will assist in covering any ‘logistics’ pieces so that the ‘youth staff leaders’ can be freed up to do ministry.

As you can see, we are well on the road to the continuation and expansion of a great youth ministry driven by the purposes God has called this church to achieve. Pray with us and join with us in ministry as God seeks from you and me MORE THAN BEFORE!

Pastor Biz

What in the World Does a Senior Pastor Do?

Have you ever wondered what it is that a Senior Pastor does and how he spends his time week in and week out? Of course you have - even my kids ask me, 'dad, what do you do at the church all the time?' As I have considered and prayed about the transitions we are going through right now at WCC I have thought much on how I spend my time as your Senior Pastor and how I can most effectivley use my time in order to lead you to Christ and His purpose and vision for your life and this ministry.

During my thoughts and prayers God has lead me to two great Scriptures that pretty much form my approach to Pastoral Leadership. They are Ephesians 4:11 - 13 and Exodus 18:15 - 27. Ephesians gives me the overview of my role as one who 'equips' the saints (that's you) for God's work in this world. The primary tools I have for equipping God's people are the Word, Prayer and the Holy Spirit. These three form the very foundation for all that I do and really all that I am. I often tell our staff and leadership teams, 'if you are doing the ministry, then you are behaving un biblically, because we are called to 'equip' God's people for the Kingdom work in this world - not to do it for them.' I constantly encourage our leaders to help our teams and congregation understand that 'all ministry is mission' or as one of our own Westsider's has told me, 'all ministry is honorable.' So, there is the big picture of my role here - equip you to follow Christ and His calling/purpose and vision on your life and this church.

Exodus gives me some very practical ways I can be about doing this and really provided a great framework for how I spend my time week in and week out.

1. I must Pray on behalf of the congregation, individually and corporately.
   
2. I must Teach God's Word and encourage us as disciples to pursue godly living and to follow Him on mission in this world. This means that my teaching should guide us to fulfill His vision in our lives and congregation.
   
3. I must Select and Recruit Godly Leadership over the ministry areas of this congregatio
   
4. I must Equip the Leadership and Deploy them into the ministries they oversee and hold them accountable to the vision and purposes of WCC!

These four areas constitute the bulk of my time spent as the Senior Pastor of this great congregation. Over these next few weeks my own focus will be on selecting capable leadership to lead our Youth Ministry, our Easy Steps Ministries (outreach/connections) and our Small Group Ministries. As I do this I am going to be encouraging this church to actively pursue raising funds to build our roof.

The main hire God is leading me to pursue in the near future will be one in the area of worship and creative arts for our congregation. I invite your input but also your prayers as I seek God's direction and work with our elders and leadership to fulfill the biblical role God calls us to fulfill and to pursue His vision for this ministry!

More Than Before!
Pastor Biz

No Worries, Just Witness!

We always want to know more than we need to know while at the same time failing to recognize what has already been laid before us! This is common to us and really always has been. During His last days on the earth Jesus’ disciples asked Him when He was going to ‘restore the kingdom.’ They seriously wanted to know when the final question would finally be answered. When could they expect Christ to establish Himself, and derivatively them, as the rulers of all humankind? They basically sought relief, more than power. They simply wanted their anxiety alleviated and their century’s long search to come to an end. Of course, as always, Jesus’ answer gave them all they would need for centuries to come while pointing out a miserable problem in their perspective. This is what He said:

“It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest parts of the earth, Acts 1:7 – 8.”

In many ways their question is understandable and even expected. After all, our Lord had recently risen from the dead (no small feat to say the least). They no doubt remember all the words He spoke before His resurrection that directly indicated His Kingdom fulfillment. In many ways they are simply caught in really what could be called the greatest ‘transition’ in the history of human kind. As such, they are excited, nervous, confused, concerned, seeking answers and asking the questions that you and I would have asked then and, to be honest, ask even today in the midst of transitions!

Today our questions go more like this: ‘God, what are you up to?’ Or, "Lord, did you really mean this?" Or, "Would you just finally answer my prayer – you know the one I have been asking for years – the answer I have been seeking most of my adult life?" Or - closer to what we are experiencing here at Westside - it might be more like this. ‘Lord, what are you up to right now?’ ‘What are we going to do about our youth or our worship or our discipleship or our small groups or our assimilation or our . . . ?’ The list could go on and on and even I have found myself voicing some of those concerns and questions in these past weeks and months.


I think that is why the Lord has lead me to this Scripture and the series of Scriptures that will follow. In fact He want you and I to know that there are some things that only God knows the answer to and really we should not concern ourselves with. In fact, He does not even spend time trying to make us feel better about the situation, rather He reminds us of our vision and purpose!


As we go through yet another transition here, I am looking for a renewed commitment to the vision and purpose of this ministry. There are things that we do not need to know are not important in terms of the mission God has called us to. But the mission is clear - we are called to ‘transform our communities with Jesus’ and our purpose, the way we fulfill this vision is to 'engage unbelievers with the Gospel of Christ, Equip believers to grow closer to Christ and Enlist believers to reach their communities with Christ.'

As I meet with our leadership teams and focus in on some of the areas that we need to address I want you to know that we are not 'feeling' our way here nor are we 'wondering what to do next.' God's vision is clear for us and we will continue to pursue it here through this ministry.

I ask that you take some time this week and decide what piece of the vision God is calling you to 'own.' As you ask Him this question, He will lead you to 'step up' and become more involved!


Over the next few weeks I will be updating this blog on a weekly basis and informing you of the direction I am taking here and ask for your prayer and input into that direction. God is not done with us yet and, in fact I believe our best days are still yet to come! As you read my blogs, please, please respond and let me know your thoughts and how you might come alongside of this great ministry God has called us to lead!


More Than Before!

Pastor Biz