New Year Bible Reading Plans

Many people have New Years resolutions - a chance to change something for the New Year that they did not like about themselves in the previous year. The most common resolutions are; lose weight / get into better shape, quite smoking, save more money, and get out of debt. These are really great things to strive for. I am not a person who make "resolutions" for the New Year, but I do want to challenge you to do something better. To allow the Lord to change you from the inside out. The best way to do this is to get into the Bible each and every day. It is only when we strive toward knowing His Love Letter to us more each and every day - He will transform your life! To kick start this for you, here are some bible reading plans you can start any time. The main thing is that you should not get discouraged, just keep plugging away at this. I am convinced that at the end of 2010, your life will be more like Jesus' than it is right now. You cannot go wring with that!

5x5x5 reading plan (I strongly recommend this plan)

Every Word of the Bible 3 Year reading plan (I strongly recommend this plan)

Book at a time reading plan 

Discipleship Journal reading plan  

Zondervan reading plans (there is quite a few here to choose from - all really good) 

Other sites that have great reading plans:

Blue Letter Bible (this is a great study site - I use it all the time)

Purpose Driven Life (this site also has other great tools you can use)

You Version (this is a very interactive site that has a lot of great devotional tools and reading plans all can be downloaded to your phone or email)

There is a lot here! They main thing is not to get overwhelmed! Just pick a plan that works best for you. Pray about what you want to read and allow the Lord to lead you there. On these sites, there is something for everybody. My prayer is that you learn more about the Character and Goodness of the Lord through His Word in 2010.

One Short day

OK -
Most people I know do not like the winter. No matter where people are from, winter is the most disliked season of them all. Of course there are people who love the winter and everything that it brings. Winter is a fun season, but it is cold. The main reason I have found out that people dislike winter is because the days are shorter. The sun sets at an earlier time and rises later. People really do not like going to work in the dark and then coming home in the dark. This is a pretty good reason to dislike the winter more than the other seasons,

But I want to encourage you right now. Today is December 23. Everybody is getting ready to celebrate Christmas. But today is also the shortest day of the year. Starting with Christmas Eve, the days start to lengthen. Personally, this takes the bite out of January and February (and sometimes March). Be encouraged as you get ready to celebrate the Saviors birth - That days are getting longer!

One Prayer 2009 Series

Throughout the whole world, churches participated in One Prayer 2009. We looked at different aspects of “God Is…” This is a time when all of these churches are unified; learning the same topics, serving their communities, and seeing people come to Jesus. Grace Church participated in this and on June 14, we conducted our worship service in the park. We broke bread as we had a potluck picnic and also shared in communion. It was a special time and a great opportunity to get out into our community. Click HERE for the One Prayer 2009 web page.

June 7, 2009 God is… HOLY

June 21, 2009 God is… ABLE

June 28, 2009 God is… UNSHAKABLE

Journey of Jonah Series

Our journey began at Grace Church as I shared my story as it relates to Jonah. The challenge of this whole series is that we all run and hide from the Lord. My running and hiding forced me to run right into my God. The sames is true for all of us, we can run and hide but we will eventually run right into Jesus - the very one we are trying to run from.

May 10, 2009 A Place to Hide

May 17, 2009 A Place to Think

May 24, 2009 A Place to Change

May 31, 2009 A Place to Grow

Fanatic Sermon Series

Here is the first sermon series I preached at Grace Church. This is a series about worship; What God Desires and True Worshipers. This series represents the beginning steps on the Journey with the Hunt family and Grace Church.

April 20, 2009 What God Desires

May 3, 2009 True Worshipers 

Rockbridge Seminary

I have been reading several articles and seeing a bunch of ads in magazines and web sites advertising getting a seminary degree online. All the institutions look like they have a lot to offer and my guess is that there programs are great for learning. I want to take a minute and explain to you my education journey.

I was praying for a long time regarding a seminary. I did not want to leave ministry because I was learning in that context and I also had a family to support. After much searching and prayer - I came across Rockbridge Seminary. It was a huge answer to my prayer. My wife and I knew that this was the right school for me (us). I can still be in ministry; learning ans supporting my family. I also did not to take time away from the family as I went to a classroom for lectures and learning. I usually did my seminary work after the family went to bed and after I spent quality time with them. There were times when I did have research and work to do during the day and did not spend with the family, but most of it was done without sacrificing time with my wife and children. In fact, my oldest son did not even know I was going to school until I showed him.

If you are looking for a seminary, Rockbridge just may be your answer. As of right now, I only have two more classes until I complete my Master of Divinity. Even though I am looking forward to completing this accomplishment, a part of me is saddened because I have enjoyed this journey that much. Check out Rockbridge here:

Rockbridge Seminary

Sermons Podcast Test

OK -
I think I figured this out. Here is a link to an old sermon given at Believers Church several years ago. Now I will be posting a link to my sermons.

How to Capture God's Heart

Pacing ourselves

Several weeks ago, we went to a family birthday party at an establishment that had several “jumpies” for the kids. You know those large air inflated slides, mazes, and well… jumpies. I had the task of taking our two year old daughter around while she plays. I was also there in case she gets stuck in one of these toys.

We had about an hour to play before we had cake and ice cream and the birthday boy open his presents. All the kids starting to run all over the place and I was chasing our little girl. She went from jumpy to jumpy giggling and having a great time. After about a half hour, I started to get tired – but my daughter was still going with full steam. Of course the rest of the family thought this was funny and was laughing at me. To be honest with you it was funny and I was laughing with them. It must have been a sight; a two year old girl running at full steam giggling and yelling “come on daddy” while her daddy was lagging back just wanting to rest.

This last about another 10 minutes, when all of a sudden my daughter ran out of steam too and ran into her mothers arms for a rest. I was happy to sit down only for a couple of minutes before we went into the party room for ice cream and cake. After that, all the kids were ready for more playing and running.

Kids have so much energy! But this time with my daughter made me think about our journey with Jesus. Some people start with a full sprint in this journey and after a while we wonder why they are not in church, or reading their bible, or in small group, or even serving. They just run out of stream in their journey and before you know it, they are burned out and frustrated.

Then there are others who pace themselves in their walk with Jesus. They grow consistently, the discover where their fit at the church is at and serve faithfully, they are learning more about the character of Christ, and they get more excited each day about Christ is doing in and through them. These people are effective for the Kingdome.

Because of this time with my daughter, I am reminded what it says in 1 Corinthians 9: 24 - “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” We are to run to obtain the prize. That will require us to pace ourselves. There will be times when we need to sprint, but this is not for prolonged periods of time.

This journey with Jesus is meant to last for all eternity. We pace ourselves now so we can be effective in building the Kingdom of God. We will one day hear Jesus say the words we all long to hear – “well done good and faithful servant.”

Experiencing God

This is going to be a pretty short post. All I can say is that I am learning more about Experiencing God preaching it than I have in the past when I studied it n depth. God is teaching me new things about Him and His character. He has gripped my heart before I preach a single word on Sunday morning.

He is working...
He is pursuing...
He is inviting...
He is speaking...
He is leading to a crisis of belief...
He is leading to make adjustments...
He is requiring obedience...

Praise the Lord!

Cold Weather

Ohh blog sweet blog! It has been a long time, too long. This has been a very busy ministry season that is for sure. But I am back for now 

The last couple of days, it has been pretty cold here. I was hoping to wait to pull my leather jacket out of the closet, but yesterday I put it on. I am always excited to get this out and wear it. Why you ask? It is one of the best gifts I have ever received. Kelly gave this to me for our fist Christmas. It always reminds me of gifts given out of love without any other motivation. Sometimes we give something in order to get something in return. We are humans and we do this all the time; in big things and small things. This jacket thought there was no ulterior motive, it was given because Kelly loves me: plain and simple.

It also reminds me of the gifts God gives each one of who follows Jesus. In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 Paul gives a listing of some of the gifts the Lord gives us to build up the body of Jesus. These gifts are given after salvation as we are on mission for Jesus. My gifts are leadership, teaching and faith. What are yours?

You do not need to take a bunch of gift surveys on line and else where. The best way to discover your gifts is to get involved in serving. Then these gifts will affirm what you already know in your heart. My challenge is to you is to jump in and serve. Experience the Lord in new and amazing ways – you will not be sorry

Good Times

Recently I had the privilege to go to my 20 year high school class reunion. It was a blast! Seeing people that I have not seen in 20 years was amazing. It was kinda weird to hear of stories of people that I have known since elementary school with children. As a sign of growth – I had a chance to talk about life to people mere acquaintances in high school but now who are my peer’s in life and also, in some cases, my brother’s and sisters in Jesus.

It was completely amazing to hear the stories of people who have had the most amazing experiences in life. Some have seen the world, others survived death of a loved one, still other’s are cancer survivors, and most are in the adventure of raising a family. It was refreshing to me to put life on the shelf for a brief moment and to reminisce about childhood. It reminded me of Peter Pan’s Neverland. We had a chance to reflect on the memories of high school through the eyes of an adult. Now some of these memories were good and some bad – but they did have a part to play the mother’s, father’s, and adults that went to the reunion.

We also had a chance to remember those who are no longer with us. In high school we could not imagine any of our classmates entering into eternity, but several did. Like other classmates, our hearts had a moment to grieve the loss of our friends, wishing they were there with us at that banquet hall on M-59 and Milford Road.

The most encouraging aspect of the whole night was not seeing all our childhood friends but to hear their stories. To hear that they are pursuing their passions in life; coming to the understanding that nothing stood in the way of us as we pursued and continue to strive after what we are meant to do in life. Some of us are business owners, others are chefs, some teachers, others professors, some have the unique privilege to shape their children as stay at home parents, and some of us living out our Divine Calling in full time service to Jesus Christ. Whatever it was – we are not just in jobs to put food on the table, we are living life and reaching into the future with the heart and talents that our creator has given us.

Till next time Milford High School Redskins Class of 1989…

Journey

As I continue to think and discuss vision at Grace Church, I have come to the realization that vision is not the destination but the actual journey. Now, when I talk about vision I am talking about God’s desired future for His creation. This includes you and me as individuals and also us together as a community of faith.

I was reminded about this journey of vision when I had a chance to watch sailboats coming in and going out on Lake Michigan last week. As the boats where going out they were using their engines to go through the channel leading to the lake and when they hit the open waters, the engines were cut, the sails were tightened and then they moved by the power of the wind.

As the boats were coming in, they were filled with people. Most of which had smiles on their faces. They enjoyed their trip or journey – they had fun! Now, this is how I see vision is similar –

1. The wind is the Lord and there will be a time when we cut our engines and allow the Lord to lead us where He desires us to go.
2. The people on the boat is you and me. This is also the ministries of Grace Church. We are in the boat together being driven by the winds of the Holy Spirit. There is not one of us in a dingy of another boat – we are all in the same boat.
3. We should be enjoying the ride the Lord is taking us on. It should bring joy to our heart and a smile on our face. Knowing that He is Lord over His creation!

So, the next time you see a sail boat remember – God has a vision for you and there will come a time when you need to cut the engines and allow to be led by the Lord. When you do, it will bring you so much joy and excitement in life knowing that you are right where the Lord wants you to be at – enjoying the journey toward His desired future for us.

Vision

I am intrigued with this concept of vision. It is the difference between the status quo and excellence! For company that has a clear vision- they are focus and growing. For the company who does not have a clear vision – they muddle in mediocrity.

I was reminded of this during the Today Show this morning (July 13, 2009). They featured a company who’s vision was clear – “to caffeinated the world.” This company is the largest fast food chain in Canada surpassing McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s. This company is also the fasted growing fast food chain in the United States right now. I am speaking of Tim Hotons. In the 60’s Tim Horton was a Canadian hockey player who started this restaurant with this simple vision. He died in 1974, but the expansion of his vision continues in 2008. That is the power of vision!

Now translate this to a community of faith – a church. Vision is elusive in most churches in North America in the 21st Century. You can tell what churches that do have it. Look at the list to the right – these churches have vision and they stand out above the rest of the churches in this country. Sadly, most churches would rather remain in the status quo because this is a safe place to be. Frankly, churches need to be safe places they do not need to play it safe. Ironically, churches that play it safe are not really the safest places to be for a hurting world. Huge difference but definitely a defining mark in the life of a church.

This is also hitting a mark for me as I start to lead Grace Church in the vision process. My prayer is for wisdom and also that we continue to lean into excellence and that we stand out as we make a difference in the Downriver Community and beyond. God is up to something amazing – I am privileged to be a part of it. BTW – I write this while drinking an extra large, double cream, best coffee in the world. I am being Caffeinated, now lets have a vision to share Jesus.

Michael Jackson

OK – I can’t resist this. This has been in the media for a couple of weeks now. Jocko is all over the place. I will add that I have not really been a fan or am a fan. I am the product of the 80’s hair bands so Michael Jackson has really never appealed to me. But there is one thing that really rubbed my yesterday (the day of his memorial service).

On the local Christian radio station, the afternoon host took the opportunity to share his feelings about Michael Jackson negative side of his life. Now I did not necessarily disagree with the radio person, I just thought it was inappropriate and the timing was done horrible! This host even wanted his listeners to debate a youtube posing by a certain congressman. His question was whether or not this congressman was wrong or right or that his timing was on or off. After listening for about a half hour and then the radio host introducing the next segment of debate of this congressman – I turn the radio station. I thought the whole conversation was not appropriate for the day and was a 100% poor witness to somebody is a fan who happened to be surfing the radio and came across this conversation.

Here is the deal. If the radio host would have said, “there is so much surrounding the life and death of Michael Jackson that I do want to discuss. But for today, we are going talk about other issues and pick this conversation up tomorrow. We are doing this out of respect of the Jackson family on this day that they are laying their father, son, and brother to rest.” Then this radio host would have earned my respect and I would have tuned in and listened to the conversation. But instead he chose to discuss and debate the controversial issues surrounding Michael Jackson on the day that the Jackson family was burring him, has left me to lose respect for this leader in the Detroit Christian community. Now I do not know if he pressed the issue even more after I tuned out or not. I just thought that this was not good timing.

I am also not naive to think that he was the only radio or TV personality talking and debating the negative aspects of Michael Jackson on the day of his burial. I just think it was inappropriate for the day. I reinforce the fact that I am really not a fan – never have been and probably never will be. But I am respectful to families that are mourning a loss of some sort.

Bottom line and I will not talk about this anymore and this applicable to all of us. No matter how talented Michael Jackson was and how much good he did for the world or how much sin he needed forgiveness for – if Michael Jackson did repent and bow his heart and life to the leadership or Lordship of Jesus Christ, then he is not eternally separated from God the Father and Jesus Christ. But if he did not do these things while here on this earth, sorry to say this, but he is eternally separated from the Creator of the Universe. That’s the bottom line not only for Michael Jackson, but also for each of us to. Where are you spending eternity?

One Prayer

One Prayer is an opportunity to see what can be accomplished when the Church works together. Beginning the first weekend in June, we'll come together for four weeks as we go out into the world to share resources, serve our communities, and give to a meaningful cause. Gifted pastors and communicators will contribute messages that explore the theme, God Is... and churches all over the globe will select the teaching that best prepares their community to live out what we're learning together.

I am excited as we look at: God is... Holy (June 7), God is... Faithful (June 14), God is... Able (June 21), and God is.. Unshakable (June 28) here at Grace Church. These topics really stuck out to me as things we need to celebrate and learn as we move into the future for Grace Church. This next Sunday is Church in the Park and so we should invite as many people as we can to hear the Good News of Jesus.

Remember - God is the God of Downriver. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done. Amen...

The most common myths about Purpose Driven

“It's just for churches following the latest style."
Purpose Driven does not mean chasing after quickly fading fads. PD is about being biblical and eternal. The five purposes, rooted in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, will never go out of style. The five PD purposes are based on the commands Jesus said were essential to the church.

"PD is limited to boomer seekers.”
Purpose Driven is not about a particular style; rather it’s about balancing the purposes and establishing a target group to evangelize. There are literally thousands of varieties of PD churches: post-modern, ethnic, language group, cowboy, singles-focused, artists, surfers – and even traditional. There are PD churches targeted for the Builder generation, Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennial Gens -- and these congregations are located all around the world.

“It's a ‘seeker-sensitive’ approach.”
Purpose Driven is not a seeker-sensitive approach. It does use a seeker-targeted strategy for evangelism (one of the five New Testament purposes), but PD does not require any specific method for evangelism or even a seeker-oriented worship service. There are thousands of PD churches that DO NOT have seeker-oriented services. It is a very flexible church health model that allows congregations to employ a variety of formats for evangelism.

"It's not my worship style."
Purpose Driven is not about a particular worship style. Your church can be liturgical, traditional, contemporary, country, charismatic, multi-sensory, or casual. The Purpose Driven model supports you as your church matches the worship style of those you are targeted to reach in the community. In other words, if your congregation is targeted for senior adults, then you might offer a very traditional worship service or a Big Band-styled ensemble to lead worship.

"It's only for bigger churches."
Purpose Driven is one of the most effective church planting strategies being used today. And that means that many, many PD congregations are very small in the beginning. But our research shows that successful PD churches come in all shapes and sizes. The Purpose Driven strategy focuses on balance, health, and strength, not size. There is no correlation between the size and strength of a church. PD is a church-health emphasis, not a mega-church program.

"It only works in a locale that. …"
Purpose Driven churches are located in all sorts of settings: rural, small town, suburban, urban, inner city, jungle, war zone. It is not limited to a Southern California setting, either.

"It needs to be denominationally approved."
Purpose Driven’s strategy dovetails easily into the polity of many denominations. We often describe it as a computer chip that can be used in any form of computer. Purpose Driven churches exist in more than 100 different denominations and associations.

Purpose Driven congregations have 12 essential characteristics

We’ve seen church after church dynamically transformed by simply adapting Purpose Driven methods into their overall strategy. Since every congregation is unique, there are always a variety of factors that contribute toward the health and growth of any given church. However, we’ve found that there are always 12 essential characteristics present in successful, balanced Purpose Driven congregations:

1. PD congregations create a purpose statement describing (in their own words) their commitment to building the church around the five New Testament purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.
2. PD congregations are intentionally purpose driven in their strategies to fulfill their purpose statement. Although different terms can be used, a Purpose Driven strategy is designed to introduce non-believers to Christ, encourage them to join his family, guide them toward maturity, equip them for ministry in the church, and then send them out on a life mission in order to bring glory to God. The PD strategy is based on two assumptions: people grow best when you allow them to make gradual commitments, and you must ask for those commitments in specific ways.
3. PD congregations organize around a Purpose Driven structure -- keeping a balance and equal emphasis between all five New Testament purposes. PD churches are team-based rather than hierarchical in structure. They organize around purpose-based teams, (at least five -- one for each purpose) composed of lay leaders and staff, with each team responsible for a specific purpose and target group (such as the community, the crowd, the congregation, the committed, and the core).
4. PD congregations develop ministry strategies by purpose. They have at least one game plan for fulfilling each of the five purposes: they evangelize the community, gather the crowd for worship, fellowship in the congregation, disciple the committed, and equip the core for ministry and mission.
5. PD congregations staff by purpose. Every purpose has its own champion. PD churches begin by finding volunteers to lead and serve on each purpose-based team, and then they develop full-time, paid positions as needed.
6. PD congregations are led by pastors who preach by purpose. Sermons, including series, are planned so that the congregation receives a balanced emphasis on each of the purposes.
7. PD congregations form small groups on purpose. The Purpose Driven DNA is implanted in every cell of the Body of Christ. Each small group helps members live out the five purposes, so that every member is encouraged to live a purpose driven life.
8. PD congregations calendar by purpose. The purposes are the determining factor in deciding what events are scheduled. Every event must fulfill at least one of the five purposes or it isn’t approved.
9. PD congregations budget by purpose. Expenditures are categorized by the purpose to which they relate.
10. PD congregations build by purpose. Church buildings are seen as ministry tools not monuments. They must serve the purposes and never become more important than the purposes or the people a congregation is trying to reach through the purposes.
11. PD congregations evaluate by purpose. They regularly ask: “Are we balancing all five purposes? Is there a better way to fulfill each purpose?”
12. PD congregations are best built from the outside-in, rather than from the inside-out. It’s far easier to turn a crowd into a core than it is to turn a core group into a crowd. You build a healthy, multi-dimensional ministry by focusing on one level of commitment at a time.

PDC - A Balanced Process

Purpose Driven brings balance to your congregation

We believe a congregation must have an intentional process for bringing the lost into relationship with Christ and to encourage its members to purposefully move deeper into their relationship with God. The Purpose Driven process establishes a clear and deliberate structure that makes it easy for every visitor to see how to take further steps toward God and helps every member to consistently measure personal progress in his or her own spiritual growth. Our research reveals that to create a healthy, balanced, growing congregation, it takes more than explaining the purposes and more than writing a new mission statement; you must have a deliberate plan to help your members incorporate the five purposes (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, missions) into their lives and to keep those purposes balanced. Healthy, balanced members are foundational to a healthy, balanced church. We use the "concentric circle" model to explain the core Purpose Driven process for bringing people in your community into your congregation and then developing them into core members involved in ministry and missions. In addition, we use a U.S.-styled baseball “diamond" to show the steps, or bases, toward spiritual maturity for each individual and the congregation as a whole. Purpose Driven draws attenders into membership The concentric circle model helps you identify the different levels of commitment within your congregation. It also helps your leadership team quickly see how people's needs differ at each level and what level members should next move toward.

In a sense, you have five different people groups related to your church:

• Community: Those living around your church who never, or occasionally, attend.
• Crowd: Those who attend your church regularly but are not members.
• Congregation: Those who are committed to both Christ and membership in your church family.
• Committed: Those members who are serious about growing to spiritual maturity.
• Core: Those members who actively serve in ministry and mission in your church.

Each group has unique needs, motives, challenges, and POTENTIAL! Our goal is to support you as you turn an audience into a work force for God.

---

Purpose Driven offers an intentional discipleship model

The Purpose Driven process moves people -- from being unchurched and uncommitted -- to a deep level of spiritual maturity and commitment, where they are involved in ministry and living out their God-shaped mission in the world. We use a U.S.-styled baseball “diamond" to show these steps, or bases, toward spiritual maturity. It is a strong visual reference any church can use, regardless of size or denomination.

Purpose Driven helps your members move deeper in their walk with Christ through:

• Fellowship: Your members will learn to love each other and to love the lost.
• Discipleship: Your members will have a consistent focus on growing deeper in their faith.
• Ministry: Your members will understand their God-given SHAPE and be motivated to serve within your congregation.
• Evangelism: Your members will begin fulfilling Christ’s command to go into all the world, telling and teaching about Jesus.

Biblical Foundations of PDC

Purpose Driven is a biblically-based church health model

The foundation for the Purpose Driven model is the Bible -- with an intentional emphasis on the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Jesus gave the Great Commandment when he was asked to identify the most important of God’s commands. To paraphrase his response, he said, “Here is the entire Old Testament in a nutshell. I'm going to give you a simple summary of God's commands: ‘All the Law and all the Prophets can be condensed into two tasks: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Later, as Jesus said goodbye to his disciples, he gave them a Great Commission that included three more tasks: go make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything Jesus taught.

These two passages, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, combine to create the essential elements of a healthy, growing, biblically-based church: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.

How balanced is your church related to these purposes? Purpose Driven provides a simple, effective strategy and the necessary tools to bring these biblical purposes into balance.

(copied from www.purposedrivenchurch.com)

Purpose Driven Church

Well, here we are. After a long journey and running from God - I ran right into God and HE has placed me at Grace Church in Allen Park as the Senior Pastor. We are truly thankful and excited to see what is going to happen over the course of time. In one sense, it is an end of a journey and a beginning of a new one. I was installed as the Pastor on May 3, 2009. So for the next couple of posts, I want to share the principles of the Purpose Driven Church - a philosophy that both Grace Church and I are committed to.

What is The Purpose Driven Church?
Purpose Driven is a church health model that provides your pastoral team with a unique, biblically-based approach to establishing, transforming, and maintaining a balanced, growing congregation that seeks to fulfill the God-given purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.

The simple approach of Purpose Driven helps your pastoral team lead the members of your congregation toward a common focus that includes a foundational understanding of the Bible and a clear method for measuring their own spiritual growth and the church's overall growth.

The Purpose Driven model is used by congregations around the world, including those large and small, denominational and non-denominational, charismatic and non-charismatic, new plant and well-established, urban and rural. More than 400,000 church leaders in 22 languages have been directly trained, and there are now Purpose Driven congregations in every country of the world.
Purpose Driven helps church leaders:

* Establish or re-establish the core purposes of their church
* Design an intentional discipleship process
* Build an "outward-in" perspective to growth and evangelism

(taken from www.purposedrivenchurch.com)

Link??

Scientist claim that they have found the missing link. The above was found in Germany last week. The "experts" say that this is the missing link, that proves evolution, and they have been searching for over 200 years. OK - I have a couple of questions:

1. If this is true - where are the offspring? Why was only one found? They say that this is a female - where is the male?
2. The reason why that this is the missing link is the hand - why is the thumb protruding 90% from the other fingers? I though that the missing link was suppose to have hands and feet that "in between" a monkeys hand and a human hand?
3. If monkeys are a part of the evolution of man and that there are monkey's existing today, why isn't this animal in existence today?
4. Lastly, what in the world is coming out of the back end? Is that a tail? I do not think monkey's and humans have tails. I do not even have the evidence of a tail. Well, I guess we can - it will become the latest fashion statement.

This is really reaching. I personally believe that scientist and "experts" reach and try to discover and prove something that is basically a figment of human imagination so that they will not face a loving, merciful, gracious God here in this life. The ironic thing is that they will face HIM eventually - at that time HE will not be merciful, gracious, and loving - HE will be just, though. So, place your trust in Christ and not modern science, we will better off if we do...

God of the City

This version of this song is amazing! As I watched this video over and over - only one thought occurred to me: God is the God of Allen Park and Taylor and Dearborn and Lincoln Park and Southgate and Wyndotte and all of Downriver Detroit. There is no one like our God and there are greater things to be done and yet to come in these cities! I just have the privilege of being a Pastor of Grace Church in Allen Park (www.graceallenpark.com), and HE is not done with us or these cities> The Lord of creation WILL use us to reach these cities and greater things are yet to come.

With that said, I believe that this song can and should be our rally song and HE give us HIS vision! Amen.

Cake

OK – I just realized something. April will be the month of “cake” in the Hunt household. With Abigail’s birthday on the 16th and Kel’s on the 21st – we will have no shortage of cake. I say this after eating a piece of Abbey’s from her party, spotting the cake Kel’s mother made her for hers, and purchasing a ColdStone cake for Kel. Some say the holiday season is the time that people put on weight – I guess for me is will be April because I am a cake (sweet – tooth) fanatic…

Good Friday?

Some people see this as an extra day off of work and school, an extended weekend. We know it is much more than that. As I reflect on my “to do” list today – I am stopping and reflecting on the true meaning of this day. It is ironic that this day is called Good Friday. On one side, it is not good! It is a day that an innocent man died a cruel death 2000 years ago. Then there is the flip side – it is Good because without this day in HIStory, we would not have a broken relationship with the Creator God RESTORED! To the Glory of God – THANK YOU JESUS….

Life

OK - life has been very crazy the last couple of months. Life can be that way. So, I am here to just say a couple of quick words. Right now all my life is getting a quick update; this blog, Facebook, a new apartment to live in, re-focused ministry (I will be updating this very soon - the Lord is opening an exciting door right now), and even Kelly is back to work. The Lord is blessing in soo many ways right now! We are thankful- just as the Apostle Paul tells us we should!

More Faith

OK – because I have not posted in a while I cannot decide what to write. So, I am going to write about faith. The Bible says that faith is the reality of what is hoped for, and the proof of what is not seen. In life we should always hope for the unseen. But when it becomes reality, then it does not take much faith. I have learned in my life that when we experience the seen, it does not take much faith. God desires us to always trust in Him, Who we do not see. When we journey with Christ in this life, we should always take steps of trust in Him. The amazing thing about this life and this journey is that when we think we have things figures out or we take steps that do not require much faith, the Lord calls us out. As the next three months unfold, I will continue to share the last several years of faith and how it is effecting present decisions and how the Lord is showing up in my life in the present. Until then, enjoy the journey…