Miracles Of Christmas

Clovis Hills is currently going through the series called Miracles of Jesus. It's an awesome look into the miracles performed by Jesus...many opportunities to explore the Scriptures in a growth group and learn more about God and the saving grace that can only be found in Jesus.

Today, the opportunity to serve as a growth group on mission began with the Miracles of Christmas! Through the churchwide study of Miracles of Jesus many people will begin to realize modern day miracles of God throughout this study. Thus the vision is to begin praying about where God would have your growth group serve. The Missions Team at Clovis Hills has put together many ways to serve. It is our hope and prayer that as a growth group you will seek God's plan for the mission that He intends for your growth group to participate in. Then sign up and expect to experience God as he performs miracles in and through you on mission!

Sunil Sardar's Stop Caste Now

In about a month Clovis Hills has a team of 3 people who will join Sunil on mission in India. They along with others from around the U.S. will join pastors and lay leaders in India who are working towards caste reconciliation. View the video and prayerfully consider joining the team next year during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Vacation...God's Gift

I try to blog every week...mostly on Sundays when I get a moment. Blogging does not come naturally to me however, I'm beginning to appreciate the value in sharing some of my thoughts.

Well, I did not write anything last week because I was on vacation! Woo, hoo! It was a great time of relaxing, regeneration and just plain catching up on stuff around the house. I'm so busy most days that I don't spend a lot of time shopping for personal stuff much less household stuff. Then there is the car maintenance stuff that usually has to be squeezed into my crazy schedule and I get more stressed by it all. So, I decided that this vacation was to be a low key experience and I ended up catching up on a lot of "maintenance" in my life.

My last vacation I ended spending a lot of time dealing with some of my dad's needs - he has Alzheimer's and is living in a facility for now. So, needless to say that one was not very restful...in fact, I couldn't wait to get back to work! Certainly, I'm still dealing with dad stuff but I intentionally decided to focus on some time for me amidst everything else. It worked! I did get some "me" time and returned to work this past week rested and renewed...God is good! I also was able to travel for the weekend to the Grand Canyon with my old friend that I've known since the 3rd grade...we go wwwwway back! It was a great time with an old friend exploring an incredible creation of God. Awesome!

If you have not had a vacation in a while...schedule one ASAP and let God be your "travel guide"!

Lead: Going Global

Leadership is essential in the church. God has called all of us to lead in some capacity. The good news is you only need to be one step ahead to be a leader. So, I encourage you to:

• Maximize your serve.
• Become a leader.

Who me?!? Become a leader?!? Yes, YOU! Pastor Steve shares with us today as he completes the current series with LEAD - the last of the four areas of discipleship.

Jesus gave the church a mission to complete. The only way the church will complete the mission is to build a solid foundation of godly leadership. Leading as a disciple of Jesus reflects the value of Joyful Authenticity: Living from the heart. To lead our lives in such a way as to reflect the image of Jesus through our ability to live with joy even amidst adversity reflects a value of Clovis Hills.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus said:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Clovis Hills is a part of a global plan to care for people who face the difficulties of spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and crippling illiteracy. We do this in conjunction with local churches worldwide. The first step is to become a "witness" of Jesus. Being a witness of Jesus is simply sharing what God has done in your life by sharing with others or through acts of compassion.

Now, as it applies to missions the vision is Going Global which is going on an international mission with your growth group. As a leader of your growth group you have an awesome opportunity to help lead your growth group on an international missionary journey. So, in your growth group begin praying about where God wants your group to travel on mission somewhere around the world. Then watch and experience God at work through your growth groups willingness to take the next step! It's an incredible experience with God!

Serve: My Community

Serving is more than volunteering. It's investing in eternal things, making an impact in people’s lives and serving from a grateful heart. SERVE is the third of four areas of discipleship being discussed in the current series. An amazing thing happens when you get connected to God through serving in an area that uses the gifts and talents that God has equipped you with...then add passion - watch out world...God is at work! It is truly awesome to encounter God through serving...try it - you won't regret it!

Serving as a disciple of Jesus reflects two of our values at Clovis Hills. One is Grateful Service: A generous heart and the other is Open Acceptance: A heart for the lost. To serve in a ministry of the church AND to be part of a growth group on mission is the way to reflect the values of Clovis Hills. I appreciate and agree with Rick Warren when he states that there are really two essential parts of serving: ministry - service to believers and mission - service to unbelievers. The important balance to maintain is to find where God wants you to serve in ministry and mission. Not sure where to begin? Pray and think about the following outline as you discover your place of service:

Submit to God’s service
Experience God’s blessings
Reflect God’s son
Validate God’s calling
Expand God’s kingdom

Jesus stated in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, 20:

"…Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Making disciples begins at home, in our church and in our community. Now, as it applies to missions the vision is My Community which is serving on mission in our local community with my growth group. So, in your growth group begin praying about where God wants your group to serve on mission in our local community. Then watch and experience God at work through your obedience!

Grow: My Life Mission

Pastor Steve's message today continues with GROW - the next area of discipleship. It is a strong teaching about what it really means to live the christian life. I highly recommend it!

Growing to be a disciple of Jesus reflects two of our values at Clovis Hills. One is Devotion: A heart for God and his word and the other is Healthy Relationships: A heart of humility. To attend weekend services AND to be part of a growth group is the way to reflect the values of Clovis Hills.

Now, as it applies to missions the vision is to realize and own My Life Mission which is recognizing the need to be on mission and being part of a growth group. This is the beginning point of being on mission for Jesus...it's as vital as traveling overseas on a mission trip. In fact, it is foundational to building the character of Jesus.

So, if you are not in a growth group...my encouragement to you is to take the leap and trust God to grow you in ways you've never imagined.

Connect: God's Mission

Today, Pastor Steve's sermon was about connect which is one of four areas we've identified as essential for the Christian life. The others are grow, serve and lead which will be discussed over the next three Sundays...you won't want to miss it!

Connecting to God is the most important thing we can do...especially to accept Jesus and "connect" with him in our heart. It's God's mission to reach out to every lost soul and to bring them to himself. That's where we get to participate. The Holy Spirit lives in each one of us that have accepted Jesus and we get to be God's hands and feet in the world. This past July Pastor Dave MacNeill shared during the "Heroes" series on Ordinary People, Supernatural Power - it was pretty amazing...worth listening to again. In fact, I intend to use the sermon for mission trip preparation in the future. How cool is that?!?

There is no greater mission than to help people connect to the living God...it's a great responsibility, honor and privilege to participate with God. Have you connected to God? Are you connecting at Clovis Hills? Don't wait any longer to connect to the experience of your lifetime...ready, set, go!