Thankfulness
By Stovall Weems
I have a lot to be thankful for, but I’m especially thankful for Jesus and my family.
I have 3 very important “success” goals for my life:
- That Jesus would remain as my first love.
- That I stay happily married to my wife.
- That my kids grow up and serve God with all their heart.
Stovall
Tune In…
By David Branker
This weekend the worship was “on” and the distortion pedal on the electric guitars were functioning beautifully – you just gotta love the raw energy it adds. I noticed just how many times the guitar player was tuning up… tightening the strings… getting it back to where it belongs. At the risk of sounding ignorant, I asked the audio engineer about it and discovered that in the course of playing and strumming, the strings are stretched so often, and so far the instrument must be tuned, reset even after each song. Why the lesson in guitar tuning? It reminds me a little of life. Just in the course of daily existence, we too are pushed, pulled, dragged and sometimes driven to distortion. I believe God has set up a way for us to find our setting again, our center position. God helps us regain balance through thankfulness.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
18Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Whether it’s a good day or a not so good one, regardless of the work day, the people I ran into, I can always find something and many times, someone for whom I can give thanks to God. It serves as a big reset button. No wonder our ability to trust God with the cares of life requires that we find that place of gratitude. It’s also the key to staying in tune with His will for our lives.
Yes it’s the season of Thanksgiving, but you know, for those who believe – we live in Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for God, family, and friends and also for the distortion pedal!
David
Speechless
By Stovall Weems
What an incredible weekend this past weekend. Kerri and I are just speechless at the awesome faithfulness of God and the incredible commitment from the people of Celebration Church. It was great to share just some of what God has done through Celebration the last 4 years. Our hearts are full and we are so excited about the future. We are so thankful and grateful to God for His goodness! Remember we won’t be announcing the miracle offering totals until the weekend of December 13-14 so you still have time to participate!
Book Update
Well- as you might have figured out my new book release has been delayed. We have been working very hard and feel good about the book being released sometime next year. Communicating ideas in written form is a lot more difficult than I expected and I want this first book to really have an impact. I would appreciate your prayers on this. Thanks so much.
Stovall
An Open Heaven
By David Branker
Sometimes, we do not understand God’s process, but I have resolved that I really don’t need to. You see, we do not need to trust in a process, or the way we feel circumstances need to change; we place our trust firmly in Jesus Christ and His ways. Check out this account in the Bible of a man who was not only deaf, but also had a speech impediment and was brought to Jesus to be healed.
Mark 7:33-35 NLT
32A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.
33Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. 34Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” 35Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!
On that day, he not only heard the word “Ephphatha” for the first time which means “be opened,” he discovered an open heaven upon his life. Notice along the way, this man could see everything Jesus did, as nothing was wrong with his sight. He didn’t pull back, run away, or reject Jesus’ method. He submitted himself to it. This man discovered that heaven is indeed always open; he just chose to not close his life to God or His methods.
As you seek God for your breakthrough, know that you may not comprehend His method – you don’t have to. He may not choose to respond conventionally (I know spitting is a bit much), but the truth is He responds. He knows how to open the heavens and restore what is broken. He knows how to swing open what was once closed, and to bring clarity to the sound of our lives.
What are you seeking His help with? What can we agree with you in prayer for? I pray that as you seek Jesus’ help in your life today, you too will discover an open heaven.
David
Miracle Offering Weekend
By Stovall Weems
We cannot wait to see each of you this coming Saturday and Sunday for the big Miracle Offering Weekend!
For the past several days, we have been praying, preparing, planning, fasting, celebrating and believing God that He is going to do a miracle in Celebration Church and in all of our individual lives as well as we give sacrificially to the Lord. This weekend is going to be a powerful time as we prioritize God’s House and declare the greatness of our God through our giving.
Together we can change the world and impact eternity for generations to come!
See you this weekend!
Stovall
Vision Night Service – Tonight, Wednesday at Midtown
By Stovall Weems
We’ve had an incredible time so far with our dear friend Christine Caine, from Hillsong Church in Australia. I want to remind you that tonight, we will all be coming together at our Midtown Campus to share in a special evening and Christine will be speaking. It’s going to be an exciting night as I also get to share the vision for the direction of our church in this next season and we reveal the latest architectural renderings of our new facility, including the plans for our sanctuary.
Don’t miss out as we take this next step in the history of our church. These are exciting times for us and as we move closer to our Miracle Offering Weekend coming up, we’re believing God is going to bless our church in an incredible way. Pray that God show our church how to participate. It’s not about the amount, it’s about the heart and the willingness to carry the baton, as Chris said this weekend, to the next generation to reach the people that need to hear about Jesus.
To wrap up the night, we’ll break our fast together with grilled hot dogs and dessert! It’s going to be a great evening. See you then.
Stovall
Divine Moments
By David Branker
Can you look back on your life and remember moments that would have changed your life forever had had you made different choices? Every moment is priceless, unique and unrepeatable. Within the countless numbers that make up our lives, there are always divine moments awaiting us. We don’t always recognize them, but they are moments of significance that warrant a response that only we can give. For the purpose of simplicity, I tend to think of them in two broad categories: moments of divine choices and moments of divine invitations.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! 20Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey Him and commit yourself to Him, for He is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
At times God places choices before us – choices between life and death, blessings and curses, heaven and earth. At other times, he presents an invitation – an invitation to obey, follow, go, love, or to bring others to Him. The truth is that every one of us who enjoy a relationship with God did so out of a response to a divine invitation. No doubt our Creator has given us a beautiful gift of choice, or free will.
God sets before us life and death, and just to be sure we get the answer right, He encourages us to “choose life.” No matter how many bad choices we may have made in the past, the next choice is waiting to give birth to new life. Today, as you pray, ask that God will help you to recognize the divine moments He presents… and pray for the courage to choose well.David
Christine Caine This Weekend!
By Stovall Weems
Get ready for the fireball from down under. We are so excited about Christine Caine from Hillsong Church being with us this weekend. Christine is a world class communicator and speaks at several major conferences around the world every year. She is the type of speaker that you definitely want to bring your friends to hear. Every service is going to be absolutely phenomenal so bring your friends and family and get ready to have a blast. We are believing God for great things!
Stovall
FAQ’s of Life: Questions About Finances and Stress
By Stovall Weems
Tonight, we’re continuing in our FAQ’s of Life series as we answer your questions about finances and stress.
There have been several great questions submitted on this topic. I’m looking forward to answering those tonight, but it’s not too late to still submit your questions. What specifically would you like for me to answer in regards to finances and stress?
In addition to Q & A tonight, we’re going to be sharing some useful information on budgeting, how to exercise wisdom in our finances, and providing you with some tools to take home and help put some of this into practice.
Don’t miss this one and remember, send your questions in!
Stovall
Remember to Vote
By Stovall Weems
I pray that all Christians honor God with their vote today and keep in mind what is really important.
Stovall
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