God Cares.

Listen as Pastor Rick examines the disciples' anguished cry, "Master, Carest Thou Not...?"  Be uplifted as you realize how much God really does care for you and everything about you.  God sees.  God understands.  God cares.

The Warrior

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Listen as Pastor Rick ends the Warrior Saints Series with a message titled, "The Warrior." This uplifting and challenging conclusion motivates us to develop a warrior mentality and participate in the brotherhood of arms.  Finally He closes with a reminder of Whom we serve!

The Armor

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Listen as Pastor Rick describes the armor in detail listed in Ephesians 6 and how it applies to us today.  Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand!

The Enemy

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Listen as Pastor Rick continues the Warrior Saints series with this introduction to the enemy, his origin, his current status, and a reminder of the ultimate victor in this fight, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Be encouraged!

A Garden Heart

In the beginning God created man and woman in His image, stamped with His likeness, possessing pure hearts.  They were made perfect without flaw.

Yet, when they chose to sin, they marred forever the perfect creation gifted them by the Creator.  From that day to this, the world has tended to chaos and mankind to decay. 

Many still believe there is no hope of restoration until eternity comes.  But I want to encourage you all.  It is true we cannot restore creation (though we should work to preserve it as best we can).  We cannot restore our bodies (though we should take care of them as God’s temple). 

However, God can restore our souls to the same status they had when created: pure and whole – perfect.  The same sacrifice which Christ made for our justification also provides the means for our sanctification – restoration of a Garden Heart.

This does not mean you will be perfect in every action, but it does mean you may be guided by the Holy Spirit in every motive.  Thus, though cursed with a dying body in a fallen world, we may live with Heaven in our hearts.

          How about you?  Have you met Jesus Christ and surrendered all you are to all He is so you may be all you can be until you reach the gates of Glory?  Do you have a Garden Heart?

Moments of Eternity

Last week, I met Tyrone in a parking lot.  He was homeless.  He was looking to score a buck off an easy mark like me.  Well, I didn’t have much, but I promised I would give him what I had if he would let me pray for him.  He consented and there in the parking lot of Golden Corral I put my hand on his shoulder and lifted my voice to Heaven on behalf of Tyrone.  I gave him a few bucks and our ways parted.   

As I drove home though, I was burdened.  Can those brief moments really change eternity for Tyrone?  It doesn’t seem like enough!  Is that how Christ felt as He walked this earth? “These moments are not long enough; I can never touch them all!” I think He understands my emotion.  That is part of why he invested so much in His disciples so they would continue across the centuries to spread the love of God and power of the Gospel into the lives of men and women across the globe.

            I may never see Tyrone again, but, for a few moments light was splashed across his pathway and the love of Christ was shed abroad in his heart.  I don’t know what he will do with the money I gave him.  That is not my concern.  My only duty was to give and love and sow the seed.  Perhaps his eternity will be changed forever by a moment in the presence of Christ: a moment of eternity.

Who Jesus Is
Click on the link (or right click and "save as") to listen to Pastor Rick as he questions whether Jesus is truly knowable.  If He is knowable, have you been introduced?

Monday Report - 20120206

Good Afternoon!

Another busy week has passed and we continue marching onward.  Though we faced some adversity with life circumstances, we do not complain because God is bigger than all those things and gave His perfect peace in the midst of all.  In addition, we were privileged to see God do something wonderful!

After our visit to the Crisis Pregnancy Center last Monday, Wednesday I received a phone call.  They said something like this, "Pastor Rick, we haven't seen God do something like this for a long time, but we have a new mother that is truly in need of the care you and your church can provide.  When you were here on Monday, we had no one in mind, but today a woman came in who is truly in need.  Would you like to help."  of course we were very excited to do so and that is how we me Shirley and little Salome (and Shirley's two other teen children).  Little Salome is barely ten days old and Shirley has no resources and little to no support network.  How exciting it is then to step into their lives and provide meals and groceries and extend the love of Christ!  (And how I wish I spoke Spanish - anyone feel a call to come begin a Hispanic ministry here?) :-)  So we added four souls to our steadily increasing "impact counter" which measures lives touched with the love of Jesus by our congregation in 2012.  Additionally, the CPC was greatly encouraged to see God open a door right in front of them!  Continue to pray for this exciting alliance and pray with me this week for Shirley and her household, that somehow, their eternity will be changed forever - helped perhaps by our love.

We are looking forward to what this week will bring in our pursuit of Christ in our community.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

In closing, may I remind all of you of my blog at http://excellenthighway.blogspot.com  where you may listen to sermons I share each week and interact with lots of encouraging content of various types.  Currently this serves in lieu of a church website which I have encountered difficulty designing.  When the web site is complete, we will let you know, but in the meantime, the blog will substitute.  I hope you visit often and enjoy your time there.  Comments are welcome!

Thank you again for your interest in our mission here and your kind support in prayer.  May God richly bless you in your labors for the Kingdom!

By God's Grace & For His Glory,

Pastor Rick Alexander
(757) 641-5955
pastorrick.alexander@gmail.com
http://excellenthighway.blogspot.com/

 "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them."
(1Samuel 2:8)