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…