My finish line for this ministry season  (vacation) starts July 5th!  The Hibbard family is ready! We are not taking laptops or any email device.

After that teaching, many of you told me that you too needed to set some finish-lines in your life!  We need one, each week and each year.  Our bodies function better when we are not living in over-drive mode.

Another finish line I have done for the last 3 years is to NOT BlOG during the month of July.  None, Nada, Zippo!I BLOG everyday during the week except during July!

So…..this is it until August!

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we celebrate the birth of our country! Also, I hope you are looking forward to the summer with your family and friends! We have a great series planned for July as Brad Saab takes over for a few Sundays with his great teaching!

Bring a friend this Sunday!

One of the great things we have instituted this past year in our Kid’s Ministry is more and more high school students serving with them. They run sound, help teach lead in the kid’s Home Team groups on Sunday morning and the like. Camp is no different……I saw our high school students doing the same type of things with the kids at camp! What a great way for them to spend a few days of their summer……having fun serving others!

Please pray for Mr. Clint and his leaders as they are at camp until tomorrow afternoon.

Make sure you invite a friend this Sunday as we celebrate July 4th during both services! When is the last time you sang the great American songs of our heritage? This Sunday, you will have a chance! When was the last you stood to say the Pledge of Allegiance…this Sunday you will have a great free choice to say it AND to use the phrase “Under God!”

When was the last time you celebrated July 4th by reminding yourself it is about Freedom and giving thanks to God who granted such divine grace on our great country! This Sunday….before you head to the picnics and pool…….join us for a God honoring celebration of our godly American Heritage.

Also, by the end of today you can email your friends the video of the service from this past Sunday. This will help them get ready to celebrate with us!

Here are the three Heritage Truths I gave you yesterday. These are documented facts and are indisputable when you research the truth and do not rely only on revised history books that date only back to the 1920. We must go back to the original documents and court cases to discover original intent and truth.

Heritage Truth: The Phrase “Separation of Church and State” is not found in the Constitution, the First Amendment.

Heritage Truth: The Founding Fathers where Christians and not deist or any other religion. They represented different denominations but they were Christians known for the their leadership in the churches.

Heritage Truth: The Founders believed biblical principles should be taught and followed in public schools and government.

Here are some of the quotes from the Founding Fathers, congress and supreme court that people said shocked them the most:

“By our form of government the Christian religion is the established religion, of all sects and denominations of Christians, where we were all placed on the same and equal footing!

1^st Supreme Court in 1796

“Had the people during the revolution had any suspicion of an attempt  to war against Christianity, that revolution would have been strangled in its cradle.

“At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the Amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged just not any one sect, in this day and age their can be no substitution for Christianity, that was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected it to remain the religion of the their descendants! The great and vital conservative element in our system, is the belief that our people have in the purest doctrine and divine truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” -

• March 27^th 1854 the house Judiciary Committee went public with this statement after a year long investigation.
  

“I believe no one can read the history of our country, without realizing that the “Good Book” and the spirit of the savior Jesus Christ, have from the beginning, been our guiding Genius!”

Supreme Court Justice, Earl Warren, told Time Magazine  February 15^th, 1954.

“Why may not the Bible, and especially the New Testament be read and taught as a divine revelation in the school, its general precepts expounded and its glorious principles of morality inculcated? Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or perfectly as from the NT.”

Justice Joseph Story, US supreme court ruling 1844

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and our second     President.

For more information go to:

www.wallbuilders.com There you can order the book: Original Intent by David Barton and other helpful smaller booklets.

Once again, no one is dying from lack of connection to the internet or the ability to text or update their facebook!

Pray for our leaders and the teenagers who are there for one more night! Pray that God will continue to impact their lives in meaningful ways.  They will be heading home on the bus tomorrow…..pray for them as they make the drive home.

“Let government take care of the government and people’s everyday needs. Let the church take care of the souls of men?”
At first glance this almost sounds good. However, this is a very clear desire for the separation of church and state.  Meaning……let the government take care of people’s physical needs and rule the land. Moreover, we don’t want morality or any kind of godly values to define our governmental rule and policies.  We want people practically dependent on the Government for their “real” needs…..let the people go to church for spiritual needs.

So……who said this?     Adolf Hitler

The people got exactly what they voted for……a government run “nanny” country that met their needs and left God out of all leadership and rule.

I can assure you…….the Founding Fathers of our Christian nation did not have that kind of idea in mind! In 1854, after an exhaustive study was done about the beginning of our country a case  was settled….here is the statement that was made from the congressional report.

“At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the Amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged just not any one denomination, in this day and age there can be no substitution for Christianity, that was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected it to remain the religion of the their descendants! The great and vital conservative element in our system, is the belief that our people have in the purest doctrine and divine truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

–   Congress 1854

This Sunday……..I will reveal more stunning information that would make our Congress blush in embarrassment for how far we have fallen from that statement in 2010.

We will learn that many of us learned from History books that were not fully truthful and at times were purposefully disingenuous about our Christian Heritage. We will uncover simple facts like how the state of North Carolina leaders called for all people living in Mecklenburg county to fast, pray and attend worship services a month before the Deceleration of Independence was signed.   You will be shocked to learn what state leaders of Delaware, Massachusetts and other states had to pledge and sign before they were allowed to hold public office.

Today, we are told that it is unconstitutional for kids to pray or read their Bible in school. The Ten Commandments are deemed unconstitutional to hang in our public schools……you will learn the truth of what happened everyday in public schools in the 1700’s, 1800’s, and early 1900’s!

The next two weeks are going to blow you away! If you love your Country and if you believe that it was founded and blessed because we are a people who have a Bible based and God honoring Heritage…..then you will love the next two weeks.  Moreover, if you are not sure why everything seems to be changing over the last 60 years from what our constitution seems to say…..then you need to be here!

I promise most of you will hear things that you have never heard before and it will shock you how completely different our beloved county is governed now over how it clearly was started.

Our band has developed a beautiful blend of classic patriotic and new worship songs that will have your heart in tune with God and very proud to be an American!  Invite a friend……these messages will be talked about for some time!

(Here is something ridiculous……when typing the phrase Founding Fathers the Blog grammar check underlined this phrase and suggested I change the term because the phrase was improper and offensive to those who are not males. My computer suggested that I simply use Founders or that I use a phrase that was gender neutral.  That is exactly the kind of garbage that has slowly altered our Heritage.)

I do hope and pray that message got  across in a meaningful and helpful way!

I know the Tru Stories we shared on the video were very helpful and inspirational.  If you were not here yesterday…you can watch those and all the videos from this series.  I am praying that more and more people will decide to Trust and Obey God with their finances.  It is the best way to live and have God’s best life possible for YOU and our family.

As I taught yesterday….here is what Money is:

• It is a Testimony : A story of what we believe about God and our ability to Trust and Obey.
• It is a Tool:  Ministry happens and the church runs on money given by the people who call it home.
• It is a Test:  It is a Pass or Fail obedience and love test.

Pray for our high school students as they travel to the beach today for a great summer camp all week!

This week we received a letter from Playmore, the company we are using for our playground, telling us that the recycled material company they use is behind on orders and it will be the the first of July before the playground is up and functional.  Playmore apologized and stated that in 10 years of doing business here locally in Charlotte…..”this has never happened.”

So……we will patiently wait.  Of course, the various kid’s ministry things we were going to do this summer on our great new playground……will have to be rescheduled.  We will keep you posted on when those will happen! I promise you this….when the playground finally goes up, it will be awesome!

Pray for our Middle School students as they get on a bus and come home today from a GREAT week of camp!

I asked the nurse to slip me a sleeping pill….she said no.

Anyway, I think I am in more pain a 7am than Kelly! However, I was glad to stay here with her….the beeping of the machines, the every hour nurse check and the Bed/Couch made for a great night sleep……

While sitting in the waiting room I was able to get my message for this week done! I am excited about the conclusion of our Tru Stories series.   This Sunday is Father’s Day and it is a great day to talk about the principle of Giving. We have some great stories and you do not want to miss the special song KC is singing for Father’s Day.

Last Sunday we had a bunch of people turn in a volunteer “First Serve Card” . All of those people will be hearing from a staff person this week or the key volunteer that is over the area they marked that they were interested in! If you took one home to think more about it……then bring the card back this week and place in the receiving box.

Middle School camp is going really great. Brad Saab said it was the best experience he has ever seen Middle School students have at a camp.  They will come home of Friday…..continue to pray.  Also,  say a prayer for my wife……she will be waking up soon and going home.

I have talked to Brad Saab a few times today and last night. Middle School camp is going very well! Please continue to pray for safety for our kids AND that God will touch each of their lives in a special and meaningful way.Lets pray that God will use this week to make a lasting impact on our kid’s lives. As we all know……these are challenging times for our kids and teenagers to be living in as they seek to honor God with their lives.

• A Stowaway: Does not pay to be on. Does not take a whole lot because they are trying not to be seen. They stay hidden in corners and out of the way. They are not big takers or givers to the purpose of the ship.
• A Passenger:  Paid to be on the ship. Expects all the amenities of the cruise….but expects not to lift a finger to help. They want to be waited on constantly. They are takers but not part of the work. They don’t hide like a stowaway……they are always seen….just don’t help with the over all purpose of the cruise.
• A Pirate: Wants to thwart the fun and the purpose of the ship. If they can cause a mutiny or get large numbers of Pirates to come aboard…..they will achieve their goal.
• A Crew Member: They know the purpose and goals of the ship. Each Crew member has a role and they fulfill it while getting to enjoy the amenities of the ship. The purpose of the cruise is up to each crew person and how they fulfill their role.

The parallel to a church is very easy. Read back over the simple description and see which category you would fall into?

Like a huge cruise ship…..the local church must have solid and dedicated Crew members! Do you serve on a regular basis at Team Church. If not, I hope yesterday you took time to fill out the First Serve sign up sheet and will try a few opportunities out. As I said yesterday…..at Team Church, we do really well at serving. So, this is really more about you being all that God wants you to be and enjoying an obedient and fulfilled Christian life.

Today our Middle School Student leave for camp! This is the largest group of Middle School students we have ever taken! Pray for them as they travel to the mountains and while they are there.

Here are the verse from Sunday with the Biblical truth that followed:

Romans 12: 1-8

¹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Serving is an act of Worship!

³ Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

Serving is a n act of godly Humility!

⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Serving is a command of God to all Christians!

It is great to know that we have so many families at Team Church that have stayed the course, weather a few storms, enjoyed many great times together and now we celebrate with them in a highlight of their kids lives. There is nothing like real relationships over a long period of time. It is easier to jump from church to church to church every time you don’t like something……but their is nothing like a lasting commitment to each other and the Purpose of a church family.

We also will be hosting the Queens Grant High School graduation here in our auditorium this Saturday. This new public school does not have a large enough facility to hold everyone…….so Team Church is here! If you were wondering what we are charging them to be here…….Nothing.….it is free! That is what Team Church is the community is all about!

Team Church is about many relationships all moving toward the same One Purpose.   The One Purpose of Team Church is to Reach people where they are and lead them to full devotion in Jesus Christ. OneNite is always the evidence of that One Purpose.

Another great thing happened last night. Over 40 leaders from Team Church met in our kids auditorium at 9pm and had a great time of focused prayer. For 45 minutes we prayed directly for the church. We prayed for the Personal Devotion of each person who comes to Team Church and then we prayed for each aspect of our Shared Responsibility as a church. We prayed for our church to always reflect the Love that will accept people and also to be a Place that Loving relationships flourish.   We prayed that we would be a place where everyone knows the joy of Serving in their gifts and passions.  We prayed that each person at Team Church would commit to Give as God directs through a tithe.  We prayed that each person at Team Church would take serious the command to Share our faith with others.

Then we prayed for Middle School camp, High School camp, Kid’s Camp and out High School Mission Trip.

It was a great night from start to finish!

James 2

¹ My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

² For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. ³ If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, ⁴ doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

⁵ Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? ⁷ Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

⁸ Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁹ But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

¹⁰ For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. ¹¹ For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.”^[e] So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.

¹² So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. ¹³ There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

¹⁷ So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

¹⁸ Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

¹⁹ You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰ How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

²¹ Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. ²³ And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. ²⁴ So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

²⁵ Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. ²⁶ Just as the body is dead without breath,^[i] so also faith is dead without good works.

In our Tru Stories message this coming Sunday we will be sharing a video story of a great couple in our church who uses each Friday as a way to use their passion, gifts and life experience to serve in the church.  Without their dedication many people who have a huge void in their life and would not be able to pursue full devotion to Christ in a way that they specially need.  What is their story? You will have to come and see on Sunday!

Our Playground will be here soon. The materials are being put together and the ground is being prepared! Be looking for a date in June that we will have a grand opening celebration for the younger kids and their families for a fun afternoon. Also, if you would like to help volunteer to put the playground in please email thomhibbard@teamchurch.com

OneNite is Tonight!   7pm…….for a great night!

James 1

¹ This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad.

² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

⁹ Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. ¹⁰ And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. ¹¹ The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

¹² God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. ¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

¹⁶ So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. ¹⁸ He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. ²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

²⁶ If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

While I was there…..Clint Newton, our Kid’s Pastor, was the teacher/speaker at Team Church for our main services.  He did a great job.  As you know, sometimes when I am gone……Brad Saab our Student Pastor speaks in my absence.  Both of these guys do a great job and bring a different feel and style to the service.  We are so blessed to have both of these gifted guys leading our kids and teenagers.

I am so glad that we do not have to bring in a “special guest speaker” whenever I am gone. Moreover, I am glad that we have two great speakers/teachers that can teach along with me……so that I can go do other speaking engagements and of course go on vacation.  I have always wanted the ability to have others on our staff who can teach on Sunday along with me and have a quality teaching team.

As parents we should be very grateful that we have these quality men leading our kids and teenagers.

Don’t forget that tomorrow is OneNite!  Let’s pack the house with kids, teenagers and adults all worshiping together. Moreover, we will celebrate communion and baptism. Once again we will be joined by Champion Christian Center for a great night of Oneness!

Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

My power cord to me laptop broke! My back up battery has not worked in a few weeks!

That means that this morning…..I could not post my daily BLOG.

Be back on Tuesday!

My policy has always been…..if a kid/teenager wants to go to camp….we will find a way to get them there! No one gets left behind!

Once again, the great people of Team Church have stepped up and given so that others can go to camp. Here is an email I received today:

There are no words to express how grateful we are that our children will be going to camp this summer. As disappointing as it was, camp was not going to be an option for them this year. In a world like ours, where at times it feels like you’re the only one fighting the Good fight for your children, it is a huge comfort to know that there are families willing to support one another and foster the spiritual growth of the Team Church children. Finding Team Church has been life changing for us and it continues to be as we watch God’s hand at work over and over again. We are so moved and humbled by the love and support shown to us by our church family and are deeply grateful!  Thank you really doesn’t say enough.

Another family said; “Thank you very much for allowing my daughter to go to camp! We were able to pay only a portion of the camp fee.  Knowing that the she could still go was a huge help to us….she is very excited!”

It does not matter how large a church gets……..the local church is about loving relationships! At our deepest core we need to be in healthy and encouraging relationships. For those of us who have kids…..it is vital that we lean on each other to help raise our kids/teenagers in this crazy culture. We need Kid’s Ministry and Student Ministries to help us navigate the storms of life and to better enjoy the calm waters of parenthood.

I have recently talked to some folks who have not had these things present in their family life the last few years and they now see how this has adversely affected their family.  As a parent, I don’t have all the answers….nor do I think that I can do this parenting thing on a Island.   I love the fact that my son has a Home Team leader. He has a great youth pastor. He has a bunch of other caring leaders who have his best interest in mind. Moreover, he has the opportunity to grow in his faith in various ways through out the week.  Sunday morning only church attendance is not enough! I don’t care how great the band is and how wonderful the teaching may be!  It takes a Team approach to the Christian life to help our kids/teenagers be all God created them to be and to side step the many pitfalls that lay in their path.

This Sunday when you are walking through the crowds ……take a moment to whisper a prayer of gratitude for the hundreds of people who give and serve so that we can continue to be a great church….24/7.

Philippians 1  (I like Paul am very grateful…..for the Church)

¹ This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.

I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons.

² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

³ Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. ⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, ⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. ⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

⁷ So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. ⁸ God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

⁹ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰ For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. ¹¹ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

I meet people all the time that have attended Team Church for a few years and only in the last few months have they finally engaged in building solid relationships……real godly Love relationships. They make comments like: “I finally get it…I finally understand why you are always encouraging people to get into Home Teams and Service Teams. I have finally found Love At Last!

This Sunday….you will see the video stories of people who have discovered one of the greatest things about being a fully devoted follower of Christ.   Invite a friend who needs to know what grace filled and authentic relationships are really like!

Playground Update: The Materials will be at the builder’s place on Friday! That means we should have a playground in 2 weeks!

Matthew 22:37-40

³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

This weekend, the money you gave toward our operating budget and then we set aside 10% each month for missions…..will go to support local high school coaches. These coaches will get to spend a weekend with their spouse at a Christian conference  designed with their special needs in mind. High school coaches work extraordinary amounts of hours and as we know…..don’t get paid as much as teachers should.  These coaches face unique challenges in their marriages because of their profession. Moreover, they have a huge responsibility as teachers and athletic coaches who work with teenagers each day ….all day and sometimes into the night. These coaches see your kids more than you do. Surveys show that after a certain age….they have as great and sometimes greater influence on your kids than you do.

CTO is designed to reach coaches with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ and then to help them in their devotion to Christ as they influence our kids. (Purpose statement is very close to ours!) The conference this weekend is designed to reach and teach the coaches and spouse in way that appeals to them as athletes/coaches.  I have the privilege of being the last keynote speaker and will give a message that will challenge non-christian coaches to give their life to Christ AND for the those who are Christians to use their influence in a way that really leads their players to know who Jesus Christ wants to be in their personal life.  I know as the Butler High chaplain that our weekly football diner & devotion is the only “church” many of those players get each week.  I will also be leading two workshops on how coaches can legally carry out their Christian faith in the schools and make an everlasting impact on these kids lives.

Pray for me and the many other speakers that will spend the weekend with these coaches! I am so proud to be a part of a church that gives 10% of our budget away for mission causes that impact our city. Just yesterday a member from Team Church shared with me that they were sending a family in need over to the Matthews Help Center. They of course get monthly support from Team Church and would not be able to survive in these hard times with our direct monthly support.

Great job Team Church!

One last thing…….Summer has started. Please be faithful in your giving over the summer. Last year, June and July were very ow months of giving and it hurt our efforts in the fall. As a member of Team Church….please commit yourself to regular giving……each month.

Jude 1

¹ This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

² May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

³ Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. ⁴ I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵ So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. ⁶ And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. ⁷ And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

⁸ In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. ⁹ But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) ¹⁰ But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. ¹¹ What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

¹² When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. ¹³ They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

¹⁴ Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones ¹⁵ to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

¹⁶ These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

¹⁷ But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. ¹⁸ They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. ¹⁹ These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, ²¹ and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

²² And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. ²³ Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

²⁴ Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. ²⁵ All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.