The Dream of newhope

One thing you will learn about me is that I eat, sleep and breath newhope church. As such, my Blog posts will often let you in to the inner workings of a man out of his mind for Christ and jacked up about what God is doing in and through this church. We are only five years old and God continues to show up and strut His stuff and rock our world in the process!

By far, one of the most discussed aspects of newhope is the dream. What blows my mind daily is that God is bringing to fruition this dream!

THE DREAM of newhope.

I dream of a church that shines brightly as a beacon of faith, hope, and love in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and surrounding areas - a church that is made up of real people who actively lead others to a real Savior and meet real needs as it is compelled by a real God to do so. I yearn for a church full of people who have hearts for God and are so contagious with authentic Christian life that non-believing, dechurched, and unchurched people are drawn to experience Jesus for themselves – many for the first time!

I dream of a church where people know they are loved because they know how to share their needs with each other, they know how to pray for each other, they know how to support and encourage each other, and they know how to spur each other on to be all that God intends them to be.

I dream of a church where discipleship is taken seriously – where people deeply desire to grow in their knowledge and experience of Jesus. I long for a church where people grow spiritually because they put their faith into action, using the gifts and talents God has given as they intentionally seek to fulfill His calling upon their lives.

I dream of a church where spiritual gifts are discovered and deployed for God’s glory – a church where leaders lead, administrators administrate, teachers teach, and caregivers give care – a church where people with mercy gifts offer mercy, people with hospitality gifts make all feel welcomed – a church where all the other spiritual gifts found in the Bible are effectively utilized as God calls people to use them.

I dream of a church where people expect to encounter God in worship and wait with excited anticipation for the next opportunity to gather together.

I dream of a church where everything happens as a result of diligent prayer and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Where people humbly go wherever God leads for his glory, and for the benefit of needy and unbelieving people.

I dream of a church where young children are raised in a relevant children’s ministry so that the faith they come to know can enable them to grow to maturity in Christ – as their continued experience of Jesus Christ will carry them through the turmoil and challenges of adolescence and young adulthood because they have seen authentic Christianity lived out by the adults that surround them.

I dream of a church that refuses to be ingrown or self-focused. A church that is respected by all because it breathes hope and life into this world as it meets needs and transforms lives. A church that is so caught up in what God is doing that it generously shares its resources with those in need, and with other works of God around the world. I dream of newhope church.

Butt Prints in the Sand

Welcome to my new Blog. I have put it off long enough so here we go. The first post, as promised one Sunday at newhope, will be "Butt Prints in the Sand."

I shared this in our recent series called, "God's Blog." We have all heard of "Footprints in the Sand." Well here is a different version, one that I prefer:

BUTT PRINTS IN THE SAND

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared,

And I asked the Lord, “what have we here?”
Those prints are large and round and neat,
“But Lord, they are too big for feet.”

“My child,” He said in somber tones,
“For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to step out in faith,
But you only asked, “What’s that about?”

“You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt.”

“Because in life, there comes a time,
To take that step, to decide to climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.”

There you have it - something to consider. Again, welcome to my Blog!