I’m Back!
By Stovall Weems
I want to thank everyone for all the prayers and encouragement I have received over the past couple of weeks. My recovery has been going great and I am excited about being back in church this weekend. I wanted to update you on a few things that I am really pumped about:
First of all, this weekend is going to be awesome. Don’t miss it! I can’t wait. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.
Also, stay on mission and keep the spiritual breakthrough that you received during the fast. Remember the Awakening: Total Life Challenge, this is going to be the best year of your life if it is your best year spiritually!
REMEMBER:
• Stay faithful in your personal devotions.
• Prioritize your family.
• Plug into a small group or serving team.
• Make it a goal to invite someone to church or bring a friend to church every weekend.
Next weekend we are kicking off a brand new series entitled the Kingdom of God. We will be in this series the entire month of March. Bring your Bibles and get ready to dig deep into the Word of God. I think this series is going to be a defining moment in the life of Celebration Church and your life personally.
To all the men of the church: this Monday, March 1 at 7pm my personal discipleship group is meeting and this is your last chance to join. After this Monday the group will be closed until August. You will really hear about the vision this Monday night. Our first gathering last month was just kind of an informational meeting with Q and A and I was very preoccupied with my surgery so I wasn’t really able to get into the vision of what the group is all about. But, this coming Monday we will— and it is going to be intense. Hope you men can make it.
Book update: I am currently working on my first book entitled “Awakening”. The book is about how to experience a personal awakening with God and how to keep that as part of your lifestyle. It is about keeping your relationship with God new and fresh and walking in a state of personal revival with God. A lot of the book is about understanding grace, prayer and fasting, and putting God first. It shows people how to hit the reset button when necessary and experience continual newness in their soul. The book is being published by the Christian division of Random House (WaterBrook/Multnomah) and will be in bookstores in the late fall. My prayer and my hope is that God will use this book to encourage the body of Christ in the areas of personal renewal and prayer and fasting. That the message in the book will ignite a passion in believers to seek and experience God like never before. The first draft will be finished in a couple of weeks. But any thoughts you have or anything that you have heard me preach that you would hope that I would include in the book please let me know. You can leave your comments here on my blog or on my facebook page and I look forward to reading them!
Thanks! See you this weekend.
Stovall
The Romantic
By David Branker
Over the years, I have come across a few people that I believe were great role models for an excellent marriage. Interestingly, I’ve noticed something in common with these romantics – somehow, even after years of marriage, the husband still refers to his wife as his bride.
After years of ups and downs, children, grandkids, hair-loss, clothing that have seemed to change and no longer flatter her, or even dental loss, she’s not just his wife – she is his bride. You see, the term “bride” describes relationship, whereas the terms housewife, mother, grandmother, etc, describe function and responsibility, even though these roles are just as important. The people I know didn’t limit their view of marriage to a ceremony but made it a lifelong romance.
Jesus Christ – the Ultimate Romantic, doesn’t just view His church as a “missional” bunch of people, or simply his hands and feet extended (though that may also be true), He is coming for a bride. A bride that is without spot or blemish – made pure by the blood He shed on the cross for her.
THREE TAKEAWAYS:
To the leader/preacher: Don’t let what began as a love encounter with the Savior to become relegated to duty or obligation. Let your passion for Him always trump your passion for ministry.
To the Husband: I realize that this may be a bit of a stretch for us get-it-done, told-you-I-loved-you-at-the-altar kind of guy. However, perhaps you can ask God today, to help you to always see her as a bride and not just someone who serves a function. It may help to keep your marriage new and full of life. It is in this place that her beauty will always overshadow her flaws.
To the believer: Whether you are content with your service to God or not, please know that He doesn’t love you for what you do, but for who you are. Don’t ever allow anyone to convince you otherwise. Choose to give your heart entirely to Jesus Christ, the Lover of your soul, the Ultimate Romantic.
Revelation 21:2
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
David
Three miracles that have already happened
By Stovall Weems
First, it was a miracle that I even felt led to go at the age of 40 to fly halfway across the country (at a very busy time) to the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX to get a thorough physical that included heart scans that regular physicals do not perform. I have never had any health problems and have been in great shape all of my life. I even had my heart checked earlier last year in the spring when it felt weird because I pulled a muscle in my ribcage near my heart when I went waterskiing. I couldn’t tell if it was my heart hurting or the muscle near it I pulled. Anyway I went to the hospital and they found nothing, no murmers, etc. I did a follow up with the doctor and he found nothing also. He did want to do some more tests but I was so busy I never got around to it. Also, I constantly exercise and eat well and was experiencing no symptoms whatsoever. I even did P90X this summer! But all of a sudden I just thought hey I’m turning 40, I think I will go get one of these types of physicals. I knew a couple of guys who had gotten one (they were older than I) so I just did it. This condition I have with my aortic root has gone undetected all my life until this physical. The very fact that I went and they found it is a MIRACLE!
P.S. – I went to this physical in the middle of a 21 day fast and never broke my fast even after I got the news. Thank you Jesus for your grace!
Second, the fact that I have had this enlarged aortic root all my life basically means I have been at risk for a possible fatal rupture probably most of my life. The doctor told me that there are 2 things you don’t want to do as a young person if you have this condition I have. If you do these things you elevate your risk in a major way. Don’t play contact sports like football and don’t lift heavy weights. I said, “Are you kidding me? These are the 2 things I have basically done almost all of my life!” I played football for basically 10 yrs as a kid and in high school and have lifted heavy weights for all of my life. Then you compound that with my crazy drug usage in college that elevated my risk for rupture even more! The doctor said, “Stovall, it’s like basically your whole life you have been running around on a busy freeway not really paying attention and it is just a miracle you have not been hit. You were an accident waiting to happen.” The truth is the hand of God has protected me my whole life even when I was running from Him. It is a MIRACLE that nothing has happened to me. Proverbs 2:8 says “The Lord preserves the way of His saints.”
Third, it is a miracle how quickly they were able to hook me up with a great team of doctors who specialize in this type of surgery. It has only been 16 days since we found out about this and I am headed to Mayo in Minnesota on Tuesday for the surgery. I am so grateful to God for all He has done and His favor and protection in this entire situation. I am so grateful for all the love, support and encouragement me and my family have received from so many of you. Thank you for all the letters, emails, texts, calls, and comments. I receive and read all of them. I read all your comments on my blog and facebook.
Thank you Celebration Church for being such an incredible church family. I love you so much.
Stovall
Another update from Stovall
By Stovall Weems
Well, it’s on! My surgery is scheduled for February 9 (this Tuesday) around 9am. I am so grateful to God for Him bringing this to light and I look forward to a speedy recovery. I want to thank all of you for your continued prayer and support. My family and I are just overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and encouragement we have received from so many of you.
I am really looking forward to church this weekend and will share some additional news about my surgery and what the next few weeks will look like here at Celebration Church. It is times like these where I am so glad that we have such a great staff and team here at Celebration Church. We will not skip a beat and February is going to be a great month and this year is going to be the best year ever!
Actually, I was going to be out for a couple of weeks anyway this month speaking at a couple of great conferences. I was scheduled to speak at the C3 conference this month in Dallas, TX hosted by Fellowship Church and Pastor Ed Young. It is an amazing conference and I encourage every leader and pastor who has a passion for the local church to attend. This conference has had a tremendous impact on my life and Celebration Church as well. I was also scheduled to speak at the Corazon Conference this month in Lima, Peru. This is another great pastor’s conference hosted by Pastor Robert Barriger and Camino de Vida Church. Obviously I will not be able to make these due to my surgery and recovery but look forward to being part of those again in the future.
I will try and send out as many updates as I can from the hospital via Twitter and Facebook. I should be out of the hospital in about a week and will hopefully be fully recovered in about 4 weeks. My goal is to be back in church the last weekend of February and back to preaching soon after that.
I pray for a safe and successful surgery. I pray for a quick and speedy recovery. But most of all I pray that I glorify God during this time of rest and repair and make the most of knowing Him in this difficulty. I humble myself under the hand of the Almighty and know that He will lift me up.
Keep God First! (Matthew 6:33)
Stovall
Mission. Vision. Strategy.
By Stovall Weems
Personal update from Stovall
By Stovall Weems
Dear Church,
This weekend at church was amazing—what a strong finish to the Awakening fast! Kerri and I are so excited about all the things God has in store for us as a church. 2010 promises to be full of God’s strength and grace!
If you missed church this weekend, I would like to take a moment to fill you in on some personal news that has come to me recently. A couple of weeks ago, during a detailed physical, a heart murmur was discovered. After more tests were run, it was discovered that I have what is called a bicuspid aortic valve. The condition is an abnormality in the valve that pumps blood through the aortic root into the heart. Although my valve is in good shape and does not need to be repaired, a side effect of this condition is an enlarged aortic root, which I have. The more the aorta enlarges, the thinner the wall becomes. As the wall grows thinner, it risks rupturing. This has found to be a condition I was born with and have lived with all my life.
Upon examination, my aortic root was discovered to be enlarged to a state of high risk. Because of this, the cardiologist recommended that I go in for surgery to repair this problem as soon as possible. By the favor of God, I’ve connected with one of the nation’s top surgeons in this field. After prayer and planning, I will be visiting the surgeon this week for consultation and plan to follow his best recommendation for surgery. The surgeon may recommend immediate surgery, postponed surgery, or discover that God has intervened in some other way. One way or another, I am confident that God has it all under His control.
“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:8
I count this all joy and gladly endure any trial that my Lord has allowed me to experience! (James 1:2) Jesus is my Healer and I trust in Him and Him alone!
Although this surgery is serious, as is any open-heart procedure, Kerri and I have tremendous peace. We feel that the Lord brought this condition to light so that it can be addressed. Thankfully, it is a mechanical condition that can be completely repaired with surgery. I can go on to live a very active long life and I am very grateful for this. I would appreciate your prayers over the next few weeks. It is a joy to pastor Celebration Church, and I am looking forward to being at church this weekend (Feb 6-7th) to further update you on my progress.
All for JESUS!
Stovall
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