This past Sunday at Community Christian, we had a concentrated time of prayer during the service. We asked God for specific miracles in the life of each individual, asking Him to answer them this week. The Bible says: Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. 

Our job is to walk and live by faith. Listen to God and do what He says. Pretty simple. When we do this, the Bible says: Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. 

God deals with each of us as individuals. So He will answer in His own way, in His own time. But I do expect God to answer. Let this letter encourage you:

Dear Pastor Kyle,

I want to share that God answered my prayer request from Sunday!! I was offered a job right after my job interview and I accepted it. That has never happened to me before. On Sunday I was praying that I would receive a job offer and God provided. I have learned that prayer is a very powerful tool when you have the body of Christ praying along. You are welcome to share this information next Sunday if you would like. BTW, I start work tomorrow. God is good!!

Sincerely–

Jon

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Community Christian would love to pray with you! 

Pastor Kyle Windsor

http://www.cc-mh.com

How do you feel about the debt ceiling debate?

Can you believe our federal legislators are arguing over raising a 14 TRILLION dollar debt for the USA? I believe I read some time ago that just to count to one trillion would take something like 32,000 years. Yet, both parties in the last many years have saddled our nation with so much debt that there actually may be NO way out of it. As the debt keeps piling on minute after minute after minute (http://www.usdebtclock.org/) our future as a nation is at stake.

Eventually our politicians will end up doing something for the short-term. But no one will reign in this issue for the long-term.  Our long-term debt may be a killer to our country.

So it is with us and God. Our debt to God, the very debt that separates us from Him, will be our eternal demise. For the wages of sin is (eternal) death. Think about the 14 TRILLION dollar deficit. Think about how you owe God because you have broken His laws. Minute after minute after minute. But there is a way that you and I can have our eternal debt paid for by someone else.

Jesus’ death was the payment in full for your past, present and future sins. God canceled the record of the charges (debt) against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.  John, one of Jesus’ disciples said: But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

We owe more debt to God than the USA owes to its creditors today. Jesus will forgive your debt today. Ask Him to do just that.

 

kw

 

 

Do you remember years ago when the banks in Thailand fell and our stock market crashed? What do you think about our current recession that ‘is over’ …. and now it’s not over? How about a stock market going up over the last several months…and why did it do that? What about the moral environment… San Jose on track to have the highest homicide rate in recent memory while 100+ police officers are being laid off in four days… How about New York legalizing homosexual marriage? Think God cares about that?

What about our nation’s fiscal mess – 14T in debt and counting. Can a person even count that high in one’s lifetime?! Oh…and there is our state and our county and our cities and school districts that are fiscally underwater. (Remember, governments do not make
money–they only take money!)

We live in interesting times: a world economic climate never seen in world history. 

I care deeply about the US. This Sunday we’re (Community Christian at 11AM; www.cc-mh.com) going to discuss how the US got into this mess to begin with…and, what we will spend much of our time on, how to get out. 

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Kyle

This place truly is Music City. Country Music, Christian music and so much more (http://www.visitmusiccity.com/indexfull.php). What an amazing city. Reminds me  of San Jose but with a lot more personality. While we explored Nashville we also took several hours to drive around the country side as well as discovered the renovation and grand opening of the historic Franklin Theater (http://www.historicfranklin.com/FranklinTheatre).

This weekend, my wife and I came to hang out with Christian music artist (grammy and dove award winner) Michael W. Smith (http://www.michaelwsmith.com/).

We were not disappointed.

I won’t “bore you” with the details about riding the hot air balloon on his farm or rocking at the Rocket Town (http://www.rocketown.com/) concert or enjoying Sunday morning worship with Michael.

There were two aspects of this trip that reminded me of the importance of the here and now as well as the life is short perspectives. Regarding the here and now. I really enjoyed hearing Michael’s version of his life. How he was raised in a pretty solid Christian home. How he became the prodigal son and lived a life of decadence. How he hit rock bottom and finally came to his senses. How he fell in love at first site and was married a short time later. (Debbie and Michael just celebrated 30 years of marriage…five kids and five grandkids later!)

And what is more important…how he was true to himself, his gifting, his family, and his God. How he remembers where he came from and how he, with his incredible wealth, seeks to be a blessing to many. How he has taken what he has at every level and given it to God…and God has blessed him with more because of his open-handed lifestyle.

It reminds me to take the wealth God has entrusted to me, and keep an open-handed life.

And yes, life is short! Kim and I stumbled upon an old cemetery in the city of Franklina. The cemetery is quite beautiful…but has not been kept up.  There were the typical family plots. Lots of missing markers. A big old tree that was probably a seedling when some were buried…now it has literally uprooted a few tombstones.

The oldest births we found were from the year 1776. The most recent deaths were from about the 1960s.

This just reminds me of the brevity of life. While the day to day activities seem so urgent and important (and they are)…in the big scheme of life they can appear insignificant. Our involvement with others and how we choose to live, will shape future generations. How do we want to be remembered?

Simplify. Love and Follow God. Love those around us. And choose to be a blessing to many. Start with blessing one person today.

Kyle

Welcome to the first day of June. Not that the weather is aware of this past weekend’s unofficial start of Summer, mind you. We are almost halfway through 2011. Only 11 weeks until schools are in session and only 208 more shopping days until Christmas. Where does the time go?

Life is a series of various routines whereby we expend our days. The younger we are the more we cannot comprehend that the forward motion of life picks up speed. When looking in the rearview mirror, it seems to go faster and faster.

I remember when Kim and I drove back from our South Carolina educational days. The vivid memory of holding our newborn (first) son while I was sitting in the back of our packed car driving though the Mohave Desert seems like yesterday. No air conditioning. Just a hot, sweaty time!

This past weekend, my son graduated from college and my daughter graduated from high school. Two weekends ago we celebrated our first year at Community Christian. Lots to celebrate…but a real eye-opener too!

You have the same thoughts too, right? Where did the time go? And how did these routines that make up life seem to take up pretty much most of our waking days?

It rained last night. Rain clouds filled the sky threatening once again its annoying words: I’m going to block out the sun. Reminds me somet

Two things come to mind today. First, I saw a full and complete rainbow. (Illustrated) It’s a reminder of God’s promise not to flood the earth again. To me, it’s also a reminder of God’s complete and total promises. How He loves His children, He will care for them, protect them and treat them with an amazing life.

I picture too when a plane takes off and breaks through the clouds. The plane rides above the clouds and is so amazingly above the ruts and routines of those below.

So it is with God and us. He gives us not only hope and life, but He wants to translate the routines of life into something spectacular. He wants us to be free to live and breathe and move.

That is why hanging out with God and His people is not a religion. It’s a friendship with Him and others. Keeping in step with Him and letting Him lead.

Kyle

Yeah. Now that May 21st is in the rear view mirror…and the world is still here…we need to ask the questions: why did people actually listen

to this guy?

For 20+ years my mom-in-law had a radio program on Harold’s radio stations (Family Radio). In fact, when I was growing up, that’s all my folks listened to (other than the news)…Family Radio. It used to be the modern-day KLOVE of its time. It was THE radio station to listen to.

Times have changed.

This engineer, turned self-proclaimed Bible scholar, took a wrong turn somewhere. He became ‘the’ specialist. The ‘one’ who knew. (Well…as of today…he still is the only one who knows as he made another prediction.) He had the key that told us when the world would end.

So that is two subjects in one. First, could this world (and it is not just America) be so self-obsessed with the world’s demise that we actually fulfill that obsession? Is there so much technology, so much wealth, so much time on our hands that we have reached the top of the evolutionary chain (so to speak) that we are about to destroy ourselves?

On the count of three, I want you to think of ALL the doomsday predictions (movies, songs, etc.) that you can think of….one….two…three…

These are exponentially out of control. Whether it be the TV program The Event or the movie 2012 or this Harold guy…we are obsessed. And it raises big bucks.

My understanding is that Harold has raised millions of dollars with his shenanigans for years.

I first became disgusted with him in 1993 when I heard about his book 1994? where he predicted Jesus would come between September 5 – 27, 1994. Well…that didn’t work out so well. He then revised it to 1996. Hmmmmmm. Then 2011?

I must say, at least he knows how to raise money. Sure wish I was that good.

But back to my thesis. Could we be so obsessed with the end, that we not only fulfill it but forget what we have right in front of us? Life!

My other thought is about kindness. But I’ll talk about that in a blog later this week.

In the meantime, enjoy the moment. Be obsessed with the days on earth God has given you. The Bible says it is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment. Before the end comes — live the life God created you to live.

To know more about that life, email me or check out our website: cc-mh.com.

Kyle

Currently, Community Christian of Morgan Hill is in a series called Growing Great Relationships. Relationships will determine our happiness, our success and our character. They will drive us to be wonderfully complete or they will drive us crazy! We began the series by describing the Bible’s thoughts on Leaving Our Past Behind. The first attribute of LOVE is patience (did you know that?)…a characteristic impeccable to relationships. This coming week is all about Friendships. But before we get to that, we really

A Man of Hate

need to discuss a huge rock around most people’s necks: Resentment.

When 9/11 happened, America woke up to a religion of hate. Thousands of people lost their lives on that day. Thousands more, through our military actions, lost their lives. When nations, families or individuals seek to hurt, maim or even kill, they leave a wake of destruction in their path. To those on the receiving end, they can, and rightfully so, adopt resentment. Hurt not taken care of will turn into bitterness and resentment. If that is not cared for…it turns into hate.

God wants us to have healthy relationships. To do so: deal with resentment.

I’m not too much of a video guy…but understanding this subject I thought it best if I added this one message via YouTube. It is a 15 minute message on How to Get Rid of Resentment. Looking

The Man of Love

forward to hearing what you have to say about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJFVoOy9Hvw

Kyle

In many respects I find an un-resurrected Jesus easier to accept. Easter makes him dangerous. Because of Easter I have to listen to his extravagant claims and can no longer pick and choose from his sayings. Moreover, Easter means he must be loose out there somewhere.

Happy Easter. Jesus has risen!

If you don’t have a place to enjoy the day, join my family and I at Community Christian in Morgan Hill. Our time together is at 11AM. 305 West Main.

Kyle

 
 

Saturday.

Sometimes, life feels like Saturday. Not in the good way, but in the way the disciples and Jesus’ followers felt it. Jesus died  yesterday…hope was abandoned, desperation set in and the future: cloudy.

It’s Saturday.  The body of Jesus is in the tomb but His soul is among the dead to announce the kingdom. The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will Live (John 5:25). Consider what it must have been like for the dead in Sheol to awaken to the voice of Jesus!

Meanwhile the disciples, heartbroken at the death of Jesus, observed the Jewish Sabbath in sorrow. They had forgotten the promise of Jesus that He would rise. We cannot forget His promise. We cannot forget.

God is working behind the scenes in your life. He is not going to tell you everything He is doing. But while despair hung in the air, God was busy setting the captives free.

And so He does with us. And it all hinges on the Resurrection. Halleluia, what a Savior! He is risen.

Kyle

PS. If you are in town, you are invited to our 11AM Easter Sunday service. The address is 305 West Main Avenue in Morgan Hill.

It’s GOOD FRIDAY. 

All through the night, while we slept, Jesus has been locked in the dungeon of the high priest’s house. Early this morning he was brought before Pilate who transferred his case to Herod. Herod sent him back to Pilate who, sometime in the mid-morning, bowed to the pressure of the Temple leadership and the crowds, and condemned Jesus to a horrible death by crucifixion.

Earlier, Judas had kissed Jesus.

Peter had denied Jesus.

His followers had fled.

Hope was no more.

In the late morning Jesus was taken by the soldiers through the city and up the hillside of Golgotha. By noon he is nailed to the cross where he hangs in agony for some three hours. He dies around three in the afternoon. He is taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb hastily before sundown.

Simple. Profound. Prophesied. Ugly.

Humanity shows its true colors.

Jesus shows His.

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

Kyle

Tonight at 7PM we celebrate the death of Jesus. 305 West Main Avenue in Morgan Hill.