new life ramblings (11/20/09)

Sit back and relax.  I love writing the New Life ramblings.  These are just random thoughts on life, church, my family, God and faith.

• Bring canned food in two days. Let’s fill up the lobby.  We want to provide 500 turkey dinners to families this year.  Working with Maple Valley Food bank.
• We are 18 Sundays from being in new building.  Countdown has begun!
• Tonight our youth are planning on having 400-600 students at Amp’d.  Unbelievable!
• Follow me on twitter.  Keep up with regular updates!
• We begin a new teaching series this week called “Our Father” on Sunday.  My challenge:  Pray the Lord’s Prayer every day from now until end of the year. 
• Did you know last Sunday we had 491 kids and 257 youth on site?  Wow!
• I love our Elders. We meet the third Tuesday of the month.  Great men and woman of God.
• We had 25 people show up to talk with Alan Johnson about the Mission of God last Sunday. 
• Recently we have updated our core values.  Click here to read.
• In 2010 I want to see everyone attend the New Life Orientation.  Plan now to attend New Life Orientation in the next 12 months. The next three are:  December 13, 2009, January 24, 2010 and February 28, 2010.
• Pray for my niece Kara Brown. Her blood counts are very low.  She needs a miracle. 
• Our Big Give offering continues to grow. Currently we are at $650,000 between cash in hand and firm commitments cards.
• Currently we receive communion together 5 times a year as a church family.  We are considering changing this to monthly.  Love to hear your thoughts?? At the Well we receive communion weekly.
• In ancient Rome, it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose.
• We put together some final plans for our Christmas Eve Services this week.  I love this tradition we have at New Life.  Join us Christmas Eve at 5, 6:30 or 10 PM.
• Relentless Compassion:  Demonstrating Christ’s redemptive love to the helpless and hurting in our community and broken world. 
• Click here to see the Tribute to Pastor Tappero, Confessions of a Pastor and Cardboard Testimony videos.
• My prayer-God break my heart for what breaks yours.  Give us a large scale unpredictable spiritual awakening in this community and broken world.
• Read Matthew 6: 5-15.  Part one of “Our Father” called “Stop Rambling”.
• Many people give monthly or even quarterly to support our career missionaries.  Thank you for your giving! Our missionaries couldn’t do what they do without finances.
• Did you enjoy Chris Ness on Skype last weekend?
• Jana and I are pumped about what God is doing at New Life.
• Invest and invite.  Great phrase. We relationally invest into relationships with people far from God.  We invite them on the journey to discover Jesus.  Invite a friend to church with you this weekend.

new life ramblings (11/13/19)

Sit back and relax.  I love writing the New Life ramblings.  These are just random thoughts on life, church, my family, God and faith. We are doing a blood drive at the church today.  Stop by and give blood.  Alan Johnson speaks on Sunday.  I love his passion for people groups who have never heard the name of Jesus. Pray for my niece Kara.  Her blood counts are very low.  She needs a miracle.  We had 470 ladies at our UNITE gathering last week. We are partnering with Maple Valley Food bank to provide 500 dinners to people…pick up a bag on Sunday and fill it up.  Dolphins sleep with one eye open. Our Big Give offering continues to grow. Last Sunday we had a couple of people make $20,000 gifts. This last week someone gave a $100,000 gift.  Amp’d is in one week—attention all Junior High and Senior High—-this will be an amazing night  for you. On Sunday we are trying something for the first time…we will Skype in a missionary and talk to them in our services. God-break our hearts for the marginalized, the poor and the broken of this world. Relentless Compassion:  Demonstrating Christ’s redemptive love to the helpless and hurting in our community and broken world.  We are baptizing people this Sunday.  If you want to get baptized at New Life click here. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is a few weeks away. I am still in awe at our Big Give Offering.  Click here to see the Tribute to Pastor Tappero, Confessions of a Pastor and Cardboard Testimony videos. Click here to communicate your Big Give commitment between now and December 31. My prayer- God break my heart for what breaks yours.  Give us a large scale unpredictable spiritual awakening in this community and broken world. In a couple of weeks we begin a series over the Lord’s Prayer called “Our Father”.  We are going to challenge everyone to pray the Lord ’s Prayer everyday for five weeks.  Life changing.  Lord, teach us to pray! This Sunday, November 15th, Missionary Alan Johnson is speaking in the morning.  Then he will be available at 5:00 PM for a question and answer time with a missionary.    The Big Give offering was over 10 times larger than any previous building offering ever received on a given Sunday.

new life ramblings (11/6/09)

 Sit back and relax.  I love writing the New Life ramblings.  These are just random thoughts on life, church, my family, God and faith.

• The ladies event tonight will be incredible.  They have 400 preregistered.  Wow. Yes—you can show up at the door.  Eileen Hunter is the guest speaker.
• This has been one of the most powerful weeks of my life.  To watch New Life stretch their giving muscles. After I left the service on Sunday I felt a supernatural strength words can’t describe.  Just an amazing day.
• Sunday we begin a two week series called “Relentless Compassion”.  I am so pumped about these next two weeks at New Life.  God—break our hearts for the marginalized, the poor and the broken of this world.
• We are doing a blood drive at New Life on Friday, November 13.  Sign up here.
• My favorite moment last Sunday—I had some parents say, “Our kids want to give you the money for our Big Give.”….three kids had saved $100 and wanted to give it directly to me.  I couldn’t help but think about the impact this would have on these kids.
• We will celebrate the “Big Give” offering on Sunday. We received the largest offering in the history of New Life on Sunday.
• In August we announced our Big Give goal of $800,000. As of Sunday we are at $600,000.  (this includes cash, commitment cards and some verbal commitments).  I am confident in the next 8 weeks we will bring in the remaining amount.
• We gave the green light to the general contractor to finish the chapel. Very exciting moment. Some trust in chariots and some in horses…but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.
• In a couple of weeks we begin a series over the Lord’s Prayer called “Our Father”.  We are going to challenge everyone to pray the Lord ’s Prayer everyday for five weeks.  Life changing.  Lord, teach us to pray!
• Strawberries have more vitamin C than oranges.
• On Sunday, November 15, Missionary Alan Johnson is speaking in the morning.  Then he will be available at 5:00 PM for a question and answer time with a missionary.   
• The chapel will be used for Softer Sundays, The Well, Senior High Axis, Simply Worship, Renton Christian School, Funerals/Weddings, Community events, etc. 
• I love Simply Worship.  Something breathtaking about spending an evening in worship and prayer. The next three Simply Worships are: February 3, 2010, March 3, 2010 and April 7, 2010.  Mark these on your calendars now.  This means we only have two more Simply Worships in this current building. 
• Last weekend we had a church plant in Vancouver, Washington receive an offering for our Big Give.  Their lead pastor Mark Newell is a great friend of mine.  We helped plant their church.  They brought in $1,100 for us. Amazing.
• The Big Give offering was over 10 times larger than any previous building offering ever received on a given Sunday. 
• Someone even gave some jewelry to the Big Give….I am not sure of it’s worth…but amazing.
• Read Luke 6:27-38 to prepare for Sunday.