CenterPoint Church

As we pause for a day of Thanksgiving, let's not forget to whom we should give thanks!

"Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods. . . .
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand."

(Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7)

Last week we pulled together a Temporary Advisory Group to discuss some things that have been on my mind and heart.  One of those things has been to start up, once again, a weekly day of prayer and fasting for CenterPoint Church.  The TAG Team agreed....so here we go!!

Believing in the incredible power of prayer, Tuesdays are being designated/dedicated as a day of Prayer and Fasting.

Here is a brief explanation of fasting:

Fasting is simply abstaining from food for a period of time, whether a meal, a set number of hours, a day, or several days.  Fasting began in the Old Testament on the Day of Atonement as a sign of humility and repentance and focusing one's heart on God.  Later some Hebrews began to look at fasting as a way to earn more of God's favor and it beame a ritual.  God desires action, not ritual.  Fasting is useless unless it is motivated by a sincere faith, repentance, and obedience to God.

To reinforce your understanding of the power that there is in prayer, I encourage you to take half an hour to listen to the audio presentation by John Piper on prayer that can be found under the topbar About Us.  Click on Importance of Prayer.  Piper teaches, "If you don't understand that life is war, then you don't understand what prayer is for!".

Let's keep praying!

Pastor Dick

Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan, is a book that I would recommend everyone read as we look at the book of 1 Peter.  It is a great fictional story where all the characters have biblical names, either representing good or bad.  The heroes of the story go on a pilgramage that represents the Christian life.  It is the most compeling description of the Christian life that I have ever read.  This book is widely known as the second most influential book ever written in the English language...the Bible being the first.

Here are a couple of links to the books on Amazon.com.  The original version in the King James style of English:  Pilgrim's Progress Classic Edition , and  Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English Edition.

I would recommend starting with Today's English Edition as the classic edition is difficult to follow if you are not accustomed to the old English style.  However, after reading it in today's English, you may want to re-read it in the classic edition as there is a certain beauty in the original text.

Enjoy the book!

Pastor Dick

Sunday, November 15th, kicks off a new message series from the book of 1 Peter.  When Peter wrote this book, the recipients of the letter had been suffering various trials and afflictions, and the possibility of greater and more severe difficulties was very real.  He called the readers, "aliens and strangers in the world" (1 Peter 2:11). 

1 Peter touches on various doctrines and has much to say about Christian life and duties.  It has been characterized as a letter of separation, of suffering and persecution, of suffering and glory, of hope, of pilgrimage, of courage, and as a letter dealing with the true grace of God.  The letter is composed also of a series of exhortations focusing on the call to holy living, especially in anticipation of the end times. 

Special Thanks to all those men and women who have died and are still serving for our country and our freedom!

Come As You Are ... Be Tranformed!

Our mission statement breaks into two parts which are equally important. 

"Come As You Are" expresses our desire for people to leave their facades at the door and to interact authentically with Jesus.  We want to communicate that God knows us just as we are and that we can best develop a relationship with Him if we don't try to get "cleaned up" to interact with Him, but rather to come to Him with all our sins, our worries and problems and let Him begin to change us.

"Be Transformed" expresses our understanding that we are all in process.  Some of us are just coming to an understanding of Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  Others are in process of growing in His likeness.  All of us need his transforming power in our lives to make us whole.