Live... Without a Net!!!

Five Things You ABSOLUTELY MUST KNOW about Christmas!

1. It is a time to JOYFULLY give and receive... There is no joy in either giving or receiving when we do so out of obligation.
2. It is a time of TEACHING... Part of the reason we are selfish as adults is that we never learned (or were taught) generosity as children. Involve your children in projects that encourage generosity, AND lead by your example. After all, should you ever expect to get generous children when you yourself fail to model it before them?
3. I'm not downplaying the season when I say this, but remember that Christmas is a time to bring EMPHASIS to attitudes that should be part of our lives throughout the year. If we lose the 'Christmas spirit' after December 25, we never really had it to begin with.
4. Jesus LOVES the atheists that attack public nativity scenes much more than we love our plastic light-up Marys and baby Jesuses. Christians celebrate His nativity (and His priorities), and He never forced Himself on anyone. Why should we? Our culture will never be the same when Christians become more concerned about the way we keep Christmas in our own hearts and less concerned about the world taking "Christ" out of Christmas.
5. Christmas is a time for RECONCILIATION. Christ came to bring peace between God and mankind. And as a result, peace between fellow human beings. There's very little we can do to bring world peace, but we can do infinitely more to model peace in our own intimate relationships... with our spouses, children, parents, siblings, extended family, and friends. If Jesus is the "Prince of Peace," in our lives, why do we find it so hard to ask for forgiveness, extend forgiveness, receive forgiveness, and live in the resulting peace with those closest to us?

 I hope your Christmas is EVERYTHING God wants it to be for you this year!!!

If I'd Only Known...

A few days ago, I finally 'broke down' and bought myself a pair of reading glasses... Had I known years ago what I've learned in the past couple of days, I'd have bought them much sooner!

The day you can see things clearly is the first day you realize how blind you've truly been AND the first day you truly appreciate the gift of sight (John 9:25)! There's a sermon in there I think!

Better, Better, Better

A few weeks ago, we began implementing a new element into the listening guides we publish for each week's messages. This element is called an infographic. The rationale behind it is that you will--more effectively--retain and recall information that engages more than just your sense of hearing. We have an awesome design team that makes these infographics appealing, engaging, and complementary to each week's message.

For those of you who listen to Gateway's messages via podcast, we thought you might like to have finished copies of these infographics, as well. From now on, all our infographics from our weekend messages will be available for download on our podcast site!

Here's a preview of what you'll be getting each week!

It's just one more way to better deliver the message of Jesus Christ in our community and beyond!

See you tomorrow at Gateway Community Church!

RACK update!!!

Gateway's participation in "Random Acts of Christmas Kindness" (RACK) has really taken off this week! Here's just a few of the things we've seen so far...

• People paying others' utility bills
• People buying strangers' meals at restaurants and drive-thrus
• People treating SJAFB gate guards to B0 Berry Biscuits
• People paying for strangers' groceries at Wal-Mart
• People buying gasoline for strangers at the pump
• People picking up the tab for others' conference fees

... and a whole lot more!

Now there's still a week to get in on the RACK and witness the power a little card (and a generous heart) can unleash in someone's life, especially yours! Pick up your RACK cards at Gateway this Sunday, and let's get busy RACKin'!!!

Christmas Time Is Here!

We'll see you here at Gateway on Christmas Eve at 5 PM!!!

Painful, but True...

I couldn't help but laugh when I ran across this the other day; unfortunately, I know it to be all too painfully true about fighting in churches.

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!"

He said, "Nobody loves me."

I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes."

I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?"

He said, "A Christian."

I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?"

He said, "Protestant."

I said, "Me, too! What denomination?"

He said, "Baptist."

I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Baptist."

I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist Conservative Baptist or Northern Baptist Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Baptist Conservative Baptist."

I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region."

I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879 or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912."

I said, "Die, heretic!" And I shoved him over the side.

- Emo Philips as quoted in Reader's Digest (October 2011)

Ever been among the 'shoved?'

Ever been a 'shover?'

After reading this, do you think Jesus died for any of us to be either in His church?

And don't worry. If you disagree with me and say, "yes," I'll pray for you... I won't shove you!

If not now, when?

Not too long ago, Amy ran into a well-meaning lady in Wal-Mart who just happened to be buying tickets for the NC Education Lottery. Well, the lady apparently felt guilty and, feeling the urge to explain herself to the "pastor's wife," told Amy, "You know when I finally win the lottery, I'm gonna make sure that I give 20% to the church!" But she continued, "Then I'm gonna give 10% to you!"

Now, don't get me wrong... If anyone chooses to donate lottery winnings to the church, I won't find myself in a moral dilemma about whether or not we should accept it. We'll take it, and we'll use it for God's Kingdom. And if God wants to bless our family through others so that we can pass along the blessing ourselves, I'm all for that.

BUT... HERE'S THE BIGGER ISSUE!

Why do we ask God to give us opportunities to serve Him in the future, when we fail to take advantage of the opportunities we have to serve Him now?

This dear lady is not so different from a lot of people in our churches. So many people I know talk about the day that they will "finally be able to do something great for God." They promise themselves that one day, when they have plenty of money, they'll make some great financial contribution to the Kingdom of God. On a day when they have more time on their hands, they'll truly be able to "learn how to number their days" and use their time wisely for God's greater glory in their lives.

But it's oh so rare to find someone who says, "God, take what I have and use it now. Let me be faithful in what You've blessed me with now before I presuppose to be faithful in what I hope You'll bless me with in the future." Those people are rare, but they are the ones God uses to change the world!

A few years back a British pastor named G. Campbell Morgan wrote, "No man is fit for the great places of service who has not fitted himself by fidelity in obscurity." What that means, people, is that if you're not being faithful NOW, you won't be faithful in the future. And think about it this way: if God can't trust you to be obedient in the small things, why should He expect you to be any better in the big things? If you can't manage your present 'poverty' well, how could you ever hope to manage future wealth any better? If you permit other priorities to keep you from serving God with your time now, you'll most likely permit different priorities to keep you from serving Him with your time in the years ahead. You see, our problems aren't related to the amount of resources or time that we have; the problem lies in the way we manage the resources or time that we've been given.

Now... think about that the next time you make any promises about the future to God (especially if you're buying lottery tickets!)

You've Been RACK'd by Gateway Community Church!

This Christmas, we're rolling out something special at Gateway Community Church! God gave us the ultimate gift in His Son when we were "strangers" (Ephesians 2:19), and, in that spirit, we want to do the same for the "strangers" among us! We're asking you to help us share the true gift-giving spirit in our community (and further flex your servant's hearts!) through "Random Acts of Christmas Kindness" or RACK, for short.

The way it works is this...

1. From now through Christmas, get your "Random Acts of Christmas Kindness" (RACK) cards at Gateway Community Church.
2. Use some of the ideas below (or come up with some on your own) along with the RACK cards to spread the true spirit of Christmas cheer in our community. Also, and this is very important, if you have children or grandchildren with you, take them with you to involve them in the RACK. This is definitely one of those "teaching moment" they should be involved in!
3. When appropriate (usually before anyone has noticed your "Random Act of Kindness"), take a pic of the card. (i.e. - if you tape a candy cane to the RACK card on an ATM machine, take a picture of it!)
4. Finally, upload your photos to our Facebook Group Page along with a brief explanation of what your RACK involved and where/when you did it.

Now, let's fill our community with "Random Acts of Christmas Kindness..." Here are a few ideas to get you started!

• Tape candy canes to ATM machines around town
• Tape quarters to vending machines around town
• Grocery shop for the local foodbank
• Donate stockings with treats, candy and/or a craft for an elementary school in need
• Hand out $5 Starbucks gift cards in a department store
• Visit a nursing home or assisted living center to sing Christmas Carols
• Let three people cut in the check out line in front of you.
• Pay the tab for the person in line behind you (or the table beside you) at a restaurant.
• Return stray shopping carts in a parking lot
• Take home-made cookies to a fire station
• Leave an extra generous TIP at a restaurant (FYI - "extra generous" is more than 25% of the tab)
• Tape a $5 bill to a gas pump
• Take a dozen doughnuts to the office workers at your child's school
• Give a $5 Starbucks card to your mail carrier (or your UPS or FedEx delivery person)
• Rake your neighbor's yard
• Pay a random person's library fine
• Hold the door open for a stranger wherever you shop
• Take enough Christmas candy (in its original packaging) for an entire class to an under-privileged school. Let the office staff give it away.
• Pick up and throw away obvious trash on sidewalks, in the mall, or in department stores.
• Buy a dozen doughnuts for the car in line behind you at the Krispy Kreme drive through.
• AND MANY MANY MORE! BE CREATIVE!!!

Finally, BE SURE TO USE A RACK CARD EVERY TIME. We'll have plenty to go around!!!

Merry Christmas, and Happy "RACKing!"

Thinkin' about 2012? We Are!!!

A New Year always brings a sense of anticipation, at least for me! It's a natural time to assess the past, re-align your priorities, and set your heart and mind on new goals.

As we get closer to Christmas and the end of 2011, there's a lot of reasons to be excited at Gateway in the New Year, and one of those reasons is our upcoming message series! Here's a snapshot of what's coming up in 2012...

"Forward" (January) - We'll look at new beginnings from God's perspective from the book of Joshua. Four weeks, four powerful verbs you NEED TO APPLY in 2012!

"Signs" (February-March) - According to John, there's no question that Jesus is the Son of God. We'll spend 8 weeks looking at the 'proof!'

"Why Believe?" (April) - At some point, all of us must confront the reality of sin, death, and despair in this world. We're doin' that at Gateway in the weeks before, during, and after Easter!

"Re-Align" (April-May) - Our church has three core values.... We are KINGDOM-MINDED; we are DILIGENT; we have a SERVANT'S HEART. In "Re-Align," we'll re-visit, re-emphasize, and live out these most important congregational values.

"Prodigal" (May) - The story of the lost son in Luke 15 is about a lot more than that one son! Beginning on Mother's Day, we'll look at this most amazing story from several practical and powerful angles!

"Wasteland" (June) - The subtitle of this series explains it well: 'Finding God in the Desert.' There's a lot to be learned (and applied) in the tough times in our lives. We'll explore those lessons in this five week series!

2012's gonna be a great year at Gateway! Hold on tight, and get ready to experience an AMAZING year along with us!!!

Let's Get RACK'd!!!

Hey ya'll!!!

Here's a great holiday idea we're gonna roll out this Sunday morning at Gateway Community Church!!!

More info coming VERY SOON!!!