My husband, Jeremiah and I are the directors of our school of ministry called Fulfill the Call.  I wanted one of our first year students to share some of her thoughts on one of the greatest things God has been teaching her and this is what she shared.  Her name is Jenna Peterson and she is incredible person who has a passion for God and holiness.

“The godly are directed by honesty…” -Proverbs 11:5 (NLT)

“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.” -Psalm 15:1-2 (NIV)

It is so easy to lie about where you are at and without realizing it, you end up believing that lie. Sometimes in the process you lose who you really are.

I have found myself in a state of complete complacency. I thought I was saved because I went to church every weekend and I was living what I thought to be a “Christian life”, but it was completely based off what I had seen other people do and say and not the presence of the Lord working in me.  I did not have an intimate, consistent relationship with my Creator.

I had to ask the Lord to erase all my ideas of what I thought a relationship with Him was supposed to be like, what my prayers were supposed to sound like, what I thought my worship was supposed to look like.  I had to start back at the beginning, learning to base it on truth.  Having everything that I thought my relationship with the Lord was pulled out from under me has been hard and I am left to realize I’m not where I thought I was. My prayers are different, my worship is different, and my conversations are different.  Truthfully, being honest with the Lord has given me moments of disgust, because of what I would discover.  Everyday I am finding myself more unworthy of His love, yet feeling more loved than ever.  It seems so simple, but once I grasped it, it turned my life around.

I want to challenge you to be honest in your relationship with God, so that you can truly walk with Him.

Anyone who steps behind the scenes of church ministry quickly realizes that it takes the time, talent, and resources of many dedicated people to serve a community. At The Church at Chapel Hill we are blessed to have some of the greatest Servant Leaders in the world! Tonight, January 29th, we will honor those who have committed with us to do whatever it takes to see the spiritual transformation of West Atlanta. We’re hosting the 2010 Servant Leader of the Year (S.L.Y.) Awards. It will be a black tie, Grammy’s style event, red carpet and all. This special evening will be our way of saying “Thank you!” to a high class of quality volunteers.

All Servant Leaders of The Church at Chapel Hill are invited to attend. Dress in your best (whatever that may be) and we’ll see you there!

Not able to attend in person? The event will be streamed live on our Internet Campus.

It all starts at 7:30PM EST.

Experts say that if you want to change a bad habit, or start a new one, it will take approximately 21 days of intentional action. For example, if you’d like to become a person who exercises, it will be 21 days before getting up early, strapping on your tennis shoes, and heading to the gym starts to feel natural. Let’s suppose that one of your goals for 2010 was to read the Bible and pray every day. If you’re new to this, it may feel forced at first. But keep at it. Pretty soon it will become a healthy, God-honoring, habit.

PS. It just so happens that The Church at Chapel Hill is participating in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting… keep at it!

I hope you are joining us on this 21 day Fasting & Prayer journey as we have launched into a new year and a new decade.  God will do amazing and powerful things for those who are willing to humble themselves and pray.  There is a humility aspect to fasting that enables us to “get down low” so God can lift us up.  It is also a time to slow down, and get quiet before God.  Maybe you haven’t joined with us yet, so why not start now?  Maybe you’d like to slow down and fast one meal a day or even one day per week.  God answers the prayer of the righteous (1 Peter 3:12).  Find below helpful reminders for your time of fasting and prayer by Dr. Bill Bright.

• Begin your day in praise and worship.
• Read and meditate on God’s Word.
• Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.
• Invite God to use you.  Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country, and beyond.
• Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.
• Take a short prayer walk.
• Spend time in intercessory prayer for your community’s and nation’s leaders, for the world’s unreached millions, for your family or special needs.
• Get alone for an unhurried time of “seeking His face.”  Longer periods of time with our Lord are often better spent alone.
• If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer.
• Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus.
• For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord.

Remember, the Worship Auditorium at Chapel Hill is open Mon-Fri. from 6AM – 7PM for you to enjoy quiet times in the presence of God through January 22nd.  Maybe you should shift gears, slow down and fast.

“There is a suffering element in true passion.” -Pastor Dave Divine

Pastor Dave’s message this past weekend challenged me in a different way when it comes to passion.  I’ve always known that passion should show.  My life’s enthusiasm should be an accurate reflection of my passion.  One commitment I am refocusing on is learning to be passionate (willing to suffer) about what is important to the heart of God.

May we be people that are willing to go through it all for the sake of Christ.  I have found that there is more peace in the sufferings of Christ than the comfort of the disobedient.

I know some people who withdraw from the celebration of Christmas because of the de-bunkers.  De-bunkers are those who try to influence you not to celebrate Christmas with fun, gifts, partys, Christmas trees, and festive things because they can’t be sure Jesus was born on December 25… or because some of these activities have pagan roots from centuries ago.

No, we don’t know exactly what day Jesus was born but we know He was born!  And yes, the Christmas Tree may come from traditions that are less than Christian in it’s origin….but not at my house.  See, the Christmas tree and ornamentation at my house are symbols of Christ is born. It’s a symbol of Christ worship… because I choose to make it that for me and my family.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us. That’s it!  Praise God.  Christ came… and lived… and died… and lived… for me.  Don’t de-bunk my celebration of Christmas.  If you do, I’m just going to ignore you and celebrate Jesus more.

Finally, ignore the Christmas de-bunkers and join us at The Church at Chapel Hill for Candlelight Worship, Christmas Eve at 4PM & 6PM.

I have already heard people counting down the days until Christmas!  Can you believe that it is right around the corner?  Wow, this year has flown by!  I want to take a moment here before it gets too crazy with decorating, gift buying, making travel arrangements, and all the other holiday things to remind you to keep your focus on Jesus, because He is the reason for the season.  I know that sounds so cliche’, but it is so true and if you can just take a moment and thank God for sending His Son to earth to save us… to save me… to save you…

Father, thank you for sending your only Son to save me from death.  You are truly good in every way.  Keep my eyes focused on You throughout this season and help me to be a light that shines Your light.

I’ll leave you with a great Scripture to meditate on during this season: Hebrews 3:1 – Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

Black Friday, while not a recognized holiday, marks the 1st official day of Christmas shopping. Its said to be the time in which many retailers post their first profits of the year, moving companies from operating in the red (financial loss) to posting gains in the black. Well targeted ads promoting huge discounts draw people by the thousands out of their homes and into the stores. Often these shoppers are after one to two particular big-ticket items. They are willing to  line up hours before the retailer even opens, which by the way, is between 3-5AM. As they say, the early bird gets the worm. In cities across our nation, the traffic will be jammed and the shopping will be chaotic. Items will be crossed off Christmas lists and millions of dollars will change hands. Today is Black Friday.

I’m all for shopping, especially when its a great deal on something that is needed. But let me encourage you to have a written budget as you are buying gifts this Christmas season. This will certainly help your dollar go further and keep Black Friday from putting you in the red.

Here’s some suggestions based on how my wife and I create our Christmas budget and shopping lists.

1. Before anything else, write your reason for the season on the very top of this list. In all the chaos, this will help you remember it’s really about God’s gift to us through the birth of Jesus.
2. Establish a budget: determine how much money you’ve saved or can afford to set aside. Put that number in bold and embed it in your mind.
3. Create a list: write down the names of everyone you intend to buy for.
4. Allocate your cash: divide your budget up over each person on your list. Of course you may want to allocate more money for some. i.e. your parents or kids. Reality check here. Though you love her dearly, you may only have $15 bucks to spend on your Aunt Penny or Uncle Gary.
5. Know what you’re after: its helpful to know what you’re shopping for. It minimizes random purchases. Write down the item(s) you plan to buy for each person.
6. Stick to the budget: Keep your list handy & only purchase gifts that fit within the allocated amount.
7. Don’t Over Buy: once you’ve made your purchase, write down the amount spent and cross it off your list.

These are simple steps that will help you stay out of the financial red this holiday season. One last thing, leave the credit cards at home. Some gifts are just too tempting.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus healed ten leperous men simply because they asked Him.

Luke 17:11-16  Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.  15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

We often read the rest of this passage and point out that nine lepers failed to return and give thanks.  But today, focus on the one who got it right.  15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.

The aggressive tone of this leper giving thanks makes this account even more vivid.  He returned and praised God in a LOUD voice.  And in verse 16, He THREW  himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. His thanksgiving was overflowing that day!

This is a time to give thanks.  Thank God today for your salvation, healing, protection, family, provision, and more. Don’t worry about the other nine.  Let’s be like the one leper who got it right.