We are all so blessed today to have the freedoms that we have in America.  Be sure to thank all the veterans in your life.  Our church has many men and women that have served or are currently serving in our military.  I just want to send out a heart-felt THANK YOU for all you have done and continue to do for us!

Great day at LCC!  After 16 months, it was amazing to be back in the auditorium today…

• Everyone enjoyed the comfortable seats and awesome atmosphere for worship
• Loved preaching from James 1:2-6…such an incredible practical book of the Bible to preach from!
• Really nice crowd!
• Sound was perfect…acoustics are incredible in there
• Band was awesome…our new drummer is doing great!
• No A/C or Heat fans going on and off!
• Real or Fake game was a lot of fun…it’s coming back next week!
• we extended our worship service from 65 minutes to 70 minutes in length…with no complaints
• preschool and nursery went smoothly back in the cafeteria…so much better!
• thankful for several first time guests

The morning set-up time did have its’ own set of challenges…our church administrator, Ed took a hard fall on some stairs thatare in the dark coming in the side door of the auditorium.  We had to call for an ambulance and he had to be carted off.  Last report is that he is still at Potomac Hospital with torn ligaments in the area that holds his knee cap in place and orthpedics surgeons will decide tomorrow on surgery.  Please keep Ed in your prayers.  He is a faithful servant at LCC who took one for the team big time today.

Don’t miss next Sunday at LCC…be sure to invite a friend.

2 weeks left to turn in your shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child!

Yes!!! Finally…after 16 months!!!

We’ve gotten approval to move back into the school’s newly renovated auditorium.  This means our nursery and preschool will be out of the hallway and back into the cafeteria as well.  We are excited about the possibilities to have the space to reach more people.  Don’t miss Sunday as we move in and kick off our new series – GENUINE.

This Sunday, I‘m going to answer 6 miscellaneous questions in 6 mini-sermons…it‘s going to be a completely different worship format…so don‘t be late! We start at 10:30 am.

Here are the 6 questions (as submitted by the congregation)

• Can you extend your life by the way you live your life?
• Why are we considered Christians and not Jewish?
• What is the deal with the Year of Jubilee?
• How do I know when God is trying to say something to me?
• Is it wrong to fall asleep while praying or reading the Bible?
• How come termites did not eat the ark?

Great weekend!

Yesterday was a great Sunday at LCC.

• 2 new families attended…both of whom are looking for a church home
• incredible worship led by our band…they were rockin 2 new songs: “No Not One” and “How He Loves” Awesome!
• awesome interview with Nathan Havasy, new area Young Life director…great to hear his passion to reach students…glad LCC can support them monthly
• love to watch the interaction and fellowship of the people
• appreciate the servants on the ORANGE team…way to make the kid’s ministry GO!
• enjoyed hearing the various theological dialogues taking place after yesterday’s message…
• proud of our kid’s ministry and all the supplies they collected for the PWC head start program

Other weekend misc…

• The weather was nasty, but it gave our family a “day off” on Saturday.  All 6 ball games were rained out and we almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves.  Truth is…we thoroughly enjoyed having the day!
• How about those Redskins!
• Glad to turn in my 15 page theology term paper…one week off then I start my next class next Monday…

Ready or not…the Fall weather is here.  I love the changing seasons, but it seems like it came quickly.  I hope everyone had a good weekend.  We had a great service on Sunday at LCC in spite of all the families out traveling with the 3-day weekend.  Thanks to Mick for filling in for Josh and doing a great job of leading the Worship service.  Great to see some new faces as well.

I appreciate Diana Brayman sharing her story and plans for her Spring Break missions trip to Uganda.  Diana is a college student at Liberty University and she is going on a short-term trip with a missions team from LU.  I appreciated her passion as she shared the burden God has laid upon her heart.  Keep her in your prayers and consider supporting her as she has to raise $3,000 for the trip.  She’s about half-way there.  You can give through our church’s website egive link…just mark it for “Diana Brayman missions.”

I’m anticipating a great service this coming Sunday.  Josh and the full band will be rocking the house with a great worship set…including a brand new song for LCC.  I will be continuing my October Q & A series by answering  the question that is hotly debated in theological circles…”Predestination or Free Will?”  Also, on Sunday I will be introducing to the congregation the new area directory for Young Life, a ministry that we support each month.  Don’t miss this coming Sunday!

Some other miscelleanous thoughts on my mind…

• Jim Zorn needs to go…I personally like the guy, but he is stinking it up as the head coach.
• I think the Yankees are going to win the whole deal this year…and it’s painful to say that…and I will continue to route against them.
• Can’t believe how fast my 1 year old is growing up and changing daily.
• I’m blessed with a great church staff…Josh, Donald and Sherri are amazing!
• Feeling a lot of relief…just finished my 15 page term paper for a seminary class
• Still praying we get in the auditorium soon!  It’s so ridiculous and makes me crazy…the school completed the project 2 months ago and there is 1 little electrical/lighting issue that is holding up the occupancy permit…I can’t believe how long it had dragged out.  Meanwhile…we continue on in the cafeteria…

What a gorgeous weekend!  I hope everyone got to spend some time outside in the sun.  This is simply the best time of the year.

Just a few notes of recap from this weekend…

• We kicked off our life group on Friday evening at our home.  We are doing the study by Dr. Gary Chapman, The Marriage You’ve Always Wanted.  We have a great group of 5 committed couples and room for 1 more.  It’s going to be a great study and lots of fun with this group.
• Saturday was filled with kids activities: gymnastics, 2 baseball games, 1 softball game, and 1 homecoming dance…long and full, but lots of fun.
• We had a good start to the new Q & A series.  It’s a little different for me…more serious teaching oriented than my normal style…a few less jokes   I could see people taking more notes than usual.  Some heavy, but important topics.  If you missed it, listen on our website or on iTunes.
• Our Sunday morning prayer team is now meeting each week from 10:05-10:30 in the school library.  If you are interested, just show up and join the team as they pray for me, the service, the church and other requests.
• I’m so thankful for all the great committed servants we have at LCC.  Did you know that every Sunday morning requires about 50 dedicated individuals just to make all the ministries go?  Some serve every week, some serve on a monthly rotation, but all are making a difference in so many lives.  I am blessed as a I walk around the building and see the dedication each week!  THANKS!
• Missions Emphasis…we are currently emphasizing several opportunities to get involved in missions…
  • Our youth group is currently setting up a weekly display in the lobby with the opportunity to “adopt” and support a child through World Vision.
  • On October 11&18, our Kids Life ministry is collecting donations for the Early Head Start Program of Prince William County.  We are gathering items like crib sheets and new baby toys for those less privileged in our county.
  • This coming Sunday, October 11th, I will be interviewing one of our own college students who is embarking on a short-term missions trip to Africa next Spring.  Our church has the opportunity to support her and reach people who need to hear the Gospel overseas.
  • On Sunday, October 18th, I will be interviewing the new area Young Life Director.  We support the local chapter of Young Life which does a great job of reaching teenagers in our local high schools.
  • Then in November, we’ll be doing the annual Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Drive.

This Sunday kicks off a new series at LCC – Q & A.  The series is based off of the questions submitted by the congregation during the month of September.  I’m looking forward to the challenge!  Here’s the rundown…

October 4

• Is there a sin that cannot be forgiven?
• Am I a hypocrite for doubting my faith at times?

October 11

• Why do bad things happen to good people?
• Why does a good God allow children to get cancer and die?
• What happens to children who die at a young age?
• Why does God allow wars?

October 18

• Predestination or free will?
• Is it true that God doesn’t hear sinners’ prayers unless it is the prayer of repentance?

October 25

• Can you extend your life by the way you live your life?
• Why are we considered Christians and not Jewish?
• What is the deal with the Year of Jubilee?
• How do I know when God is trying to say something to me?
• Is it wrong to fall asleep while praying or reading the Bible?
• How come termites did not eat the ark?

My Monday morning post usually is recapping Sunday at LCC.  We did have a great day yesterday at church.  A great new family worshipped with us, great music, atmosphere, fellowship.  I was especially impressed with the dedication of our servants.  I noticed so many who were fighting sickness, but still showed up to fulfill their jobs…I really appreciate the effort.  I also notice the families that rush in at the last minute with kids in soccer uniforms and then have to rush out…but they make the effort to make it to worship!  I love to see the dedication!

Last night while celebrating my daughter Lexi’s 9th birthday, we got a phone call the my grandmother who was in the hospital with pneumonia had taken a turn for the worse.  My parents left immediately and made the 2 hour drive home straight to the hospital to have some moments with her.  She passed away this morning (Monday) at 10:35 am.

My dad’s mom was 98 years old!  She was born in 1911.  Kind of hard to imagine living that long.  She lived a good life.  She was a hard worker and faithful servant of the Lord in her church.  She and my grandfather were married more than 60 years before he died about 7 years ago.  She taught kindergarten Sunday school in her church for 65 years…can you imagine that?  She started when she was a teenager.  I remember how much she loved to play cards and dice games…I remember many night at their kitchen table playing games…lots of great memories.

I’m thankful that we were able to see her on Labor Day…just a few weeks ago. (picture below)  We had a nice conversation.  She would always ask me “are you still a preacher?”  I would say “yes, mommaw I’m still a preacher”  She will be missed, but we are all glad that she is no longer struggling, but in the presence of Jesus.  I look forwarded to participating in her funeral service later this week.  Thanks for your prayers for the family.  Everyone knows the Lord and has great peace at this time.