This Sunday is the Storehouse Diaper Drive. Bring a donation to Church with you! The diapers will go toward, "YoungLives". They have been reaching out to teen moms in Norristown since 2003. Their goal is to come alongside these young girls with love and support at a critical time in their lives.
YoungLives meets every other Thursday and at each meeting the girls have the chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After meetings they are given an opportunity to have their practical needs met through access to FREE diapers and baby wipes.
View More Information
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Being the Church by Chris Paredes
We often say that the people are the church. We believe that the church isn't a building, a collection of programs, a group of ministers, or some council of elders, the people are the church.
As winter is lifting and spring is here (by the way, when you finish reading this, go get your free water ice from Rita's), we are ready to go out and be the church. There are some great people in our community that are living out the Gospel every day and we're excited to partner with some of them this spring. On March 29, we're going to collect diapers and baby wipes for YoungLives so that they can bless the teen moms they are ministering to with free supplies for their babies. We're also going to link arms with our neighbors and help Norristown Weed and Seed to clean up Norristown on April 11th and 18th*.
I am extremely excited about these events. Mainly because they are not Storehouse events. Not at all! They are kingdom events. They are opportunities for us to BE the church. We didn't plan anything, we have no team leader, no committee, we're just showing up with the hands and feet of Jesus and I believe God is going to bless many lives as a result.
Hearing the Gospel is nice, teaching the Gospel is good, but there is incredible, earth-shattering power unleashed when we live out the Gospel!
*You can find more details about these events on the calendar section of our website at www.storehousechurch.com
As winter is lifting and spring is here (by the way, when you finish reading this, go get your free water ice from Rita's), we are ready to go out and be the church. There are some great people in our community that are living out the Gospel every day and we're excited to partner with some of them this spring. On March 29, we're going to collect diapers and baby wipes for YoungLives so that they can bless the teen moms they are ministering to with free supplies for their babies. We're also going to link arms with our neighbors and help Norristown Weed and Seed to clean up Norristown on April 11th and 18th*.
I am extremely excited about these events. Mainly because they are not Storehouse events. Not at all! They are kingdom events. They are opportunities for us to BE the church. We didn't plan anything, we have no team leader, no committee, we're just showing up with the hands and feet of Jesus and I believe God is going to bless many lives as a result.
Hearing the Gospel is nice, teaching the Gospel is good, but there is incredible, earth-shattering power unleashed when we live out the Gospel!
*You can find more details about these events on the calendar section of our website at www.storehousechurch.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Never Underestimate God
By Josh MacDonald, Worship Leader
Never, ever, ever underestimate God. I keep thinking I’ve learned that lesson, but then realize I am once again looking through the lens of my humanity to decide what “can” and “can’t” be done. This weekend at the retreat, God again shattered my personal “can’t barrier” when he showed up in life-changing power during Friday night’s worship and teaching session. After very little practice for the band, and a whole lot of personal distractions, I felt extremely ill-prepared to lead anyone in worship. Yet, in spite of my perceived insurmountable hang-ups and quite a few adventurous notes from the band, God did unforgettable work in many lives that night. All I can do in those times is give all the glory to God. My takeaway from that night was to walk in obedience and let God worry about the results. He’s the one, the only one, who can make the seed that I plant grow. (1 Cor. 3:6)
Never, ever, ever underestimate God. I keep thinking I’ve learned that lesson, but then realize I am once again looking through the lens of my humanity to decide what “can” and “can’t” be done. This weekend at the retreat, God again shattered my personal “can’t barrier” when he showed up in life-changing power during Friday night’s worship and teaching session. After very little practice for the band, and a whole lot of personal distractions, I felt extremely ill-prepared to lead anyone in worship. Yet, in spite of my perceived insurmountable hang-ups and quite a few adventurous notes from the band, God did unforgettable work in many lives that night. All I can do in those times is give all the glory to God. My takeaway from that night was to walk in obedience and let God worry about the results. He’s the one, the only one, who can make the seed that I plant grow. (1 Cor. 3:6)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Moved by compassion
By JR Rushik, Lead Pastor
Just read John chapter 11 this morning. It's the story of Lazarus' resurrection. In the past I've always focused on the power of God to bring something dead back to life. And rightly so, that is the main point of the passage. This morning I noticed something different.
Jesus was moved by compassion. You'd think a pastor with a seminary degree would know this, but it was a fresh insight this morning... Jesus begins to weep after spending time with the sisters who were mourning the death of their brother (v.35). He could not contain his compassion.
Compassion is the core emotion that drives ministry. Think about it. Without a healthy dose of God-inspired compassion - ministry can feel an aweful lot like a chore. Has ministry ever felt that way to you? Like a chore? It gets that way when we lose focus on WHY we are doing what we're doing. An outward focus fills our hearts. When a heart is filled with compassion it naturally overflows in life giving activity.
Compassion is the fuel of ministry. How's your compassion level?
Monday, March 2, 2009
In Him all things hold together
by Tiffany Deitrich, Children's Ministry Director
I recently came across this remarkable video that I thought was so interesting that it was worth sharing. In this video segment, Louie Giglio, founder of Passion Conferences and pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, tells a story of how as he was preparing to speak on the Glory of God in the human body, he came to learn of an amazing protein molecule called Laminin. For the explanation of what Laminin is, you'll have to watch the video, but I can tell you that it is a powerful reminder of the reality that Christ holds all things together. I hope you find this as fascinating as I did!
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17
Monday, February 23, 2009
He is, because that's who He is
by JR Rushik, Lead Pastor
I was just doing some devotional reading of John chapter 4. Toward the end of the chapter Jesus returns to His original stomping grounds; the place where he did his first miracle. This is the place where everyone was skeptical of his divinity. They just couldn't imaging how 'the messiah' could be someone that they watched grow up.
A royal official approaches Jesus and asks for healing for his son. Jesus simply says, "You may go. Your son will live." (John 4:50). Then, the man took Jesus at his word, went home and found his son had been healed at the very moment that Jesus spoke those words. WOW!
Here's the part that struck me. Jesus was in a place where people doubted his credibility, yet instead of standing on a rock, pounding his chest and making all sorts of noise about the miracle he was about to perform. In absolute humility Jesus quietly said, 'Go. Your son will live."
Why didn't Jesus use this occassion to 'make a name for himself'? Or to prove to his hometown crowd that He has divine power? Why didn't Jesus draw attention to himself?
Why not prove himself? Because Jesus was secure in who He was. He never did a miracle to prove himself to others. His motive was always love.
He was who he was, because that's who he was... Humble - AND - Powerful!
It's a good lesson for me. I don't need to DO more stuff to prove that I'm a devoted follower of Jesus - no, I just need to BE a child of God.
How about you? Is your relationship with Jesus more about BEing or DOing? What's your motive behind WHY you do what you do?
Take some time to reflect on your true identity in Christ. Then rest in the fact that Christ is sufficient and there is absolutely nothing that you need to prove. You are complete in Jesus!
I was just doing some devotional reading of John chapter 4. Toward the end of the chapter Jesus returns to His original stomping grounds; the place where he did his first miracle. This is the place where everyone was skeptical of his divinity. They just couldn't imaging how 'the messiah' could be someone that they watched grow up.
A royal official approaches Jesus and asks for healing for his son. Jesus simply says, "You may go. Your son will live." (John 4:50). Then, the man took Jesus at his word, went home and found his son had been healed at the very moment that Jesus spoke those words. WOW!
Here's the part that struck me. Jesus was in a place where people doubted his credibility, yet instead of standing on a rock, pounding his chest and making all sorts of noise about the miracle he was about to perform. In absolute humility Jesus quietly said, 'Go. Your son will live."
Why didn't Jesus use this occassion to 'make a name for himself'? Or to prove to his hometown crowd that He has divine power? Why didn't Jesus draw attention to himself?
Why not prove himself? Because Jesus was secure in who He was. He never did a miracle to prove himself to others. His motive was always love.
He was who he was, because that's who he was... Humble - AND - Powerful!
It's a good lesson for me. I don't need to DO more stuff to prove that I'm a devoted follower of Jesus - no, I just need to BE a child of God.
How about you? Is your relationship with Jesus more about BEing or DOing? What's your motive behind WHY you do what you do?
Take some time to reflect on your true identity in Christ. Then rest in the fact that Christ is sufficient and there is absolutely nothing that you need to prove. You are complete in Jesus!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
God is faithful
By Josh MacDonald, Worship Leader
One thing I’ve found about God is that He always accomplishes His purposes, one way or another. The best times for me have been when I’m in step with him, making my purposes His purposes. It is those times that I believe Jesus had in mind when he said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14) I’ve had the privilege to be a lead worshiper at Storehouse for almost four years now. During that time, I’ve seen a whole lot of changes. Many faces have come, and almost as many have gone. More than a few times, change was brewing and I began praying for the next right person to come along and fill the vacancy. In every case, God has been utterly faithful, though often his timing was not what I expected and sometimes the person filling the spot was far from who I had pictured.
We are again at a crossroads in the worship ministry at Storehouse. After more than three years of faithful, passionate, able service, Michael and Julia have felt called back to their roots. As soon as their house sells, they will be packing up and moving back to Atlanta where both have family. While I am extremely saddened at the prospect, and admittedly a part of me has wanted to run over their For Sale sign with my car, I have never doubted that God’s purposes are being accomplished. He has big things in mind for them, just as He has big things in mind for Storehouse. I have no idea what the details will look like, but I love resting in the knowledge that He will guide us one step at a time straight into the center of His plan. He’s never let me down yet.
One thing I’ve found about God is that He always accomplishes His purposes, one way or another. The best times for me have been when I’m in step with him, making my purposes His purposes. It is those times that I believe Jesus had in mind when he said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14) I’ve had the privilege to be a lead worshiper at Storehouse for almost four years now. During that time, I’ve seen a whole lot of changes. Many faces have come, and almost as many have gone. More than a few times, change was brewing and I began praying for the next right person to come along and fill the vacancy. In every case, God has been utterly faithful, though often his timing was not what I expected and sometimes the person filling the spot was far from who I had pictured.
We are again at a crossroads in the worship ministry at Storehouse. After more than three years of faithful, passionate, able service, Michael and Julia have felt called back to their roots. As soon as their house sells, they will be packing up and moving back to Atlanta where both have family. While I am extremely saddened at the prospect, and admittedly a part of me has wanted to run over their For Sale sign with my car, I have never doubted that God’s purposes are being accomplished. He has big things in mind for them, just as He has big things in mind for Storehouse. I have no idea what the details will look like, but I love resting in the knowledge that He will guide us one step at a time straight into the center of His plan. He’s never let me down yet.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
When Sinners Say "I Do"
My wife, Tiffany, and I recently attended a marriage conference in Hershey, PA. It was supposed to be a time to focus on the Lord and our marriage together, and while that did happen, it wasn't the ideal God-centered, romantic getaway I had envisioned. In fact, when the first session started with a comical skit of a husband and wife bickering back and forth about getting to the conference on time, it almost perfectly portrayed Tiffany and I only a few hours prior. Things hadn't started off well.
You would think that at a Christian conference, while being bombarded with practical Biblical teaching, drawn into amazing worship, and surrounded by hundreds of other Godly couples, that my interactions with Tiffany would be the picture of Christ-likeness...but you'd be wrong. All it took was the addition of a sick 9 month old daughter to inject a little stress into our time, and our Christ-likeness towards each other caved under the weight of unmet expectations and frustration.
Fortunately for us, the conference was called "Marriage and the Mercy of God." It's message wasn't that marriage is meant to complete you, but rather that marriage is meant (in part) to SANCTIFY you. And at that point what was obvious to Tiffany and I was that if sanctification is to take place in our marriage, MERCY and GRACE need to be the foundation. That is why the Gospel is such good news!
In America, we've stripped the word love of much of it's meaning. We "love" our favorite sports teams; we "love" the television show LOST; we "love" barbeque chicken pizza. And even when we say we love our spouses, much of the time what we mean is the dumbed down, selfish, "you complete me" love of Hollywood. That is NOT love, and more often than not it will lead you to a place of disillusionment and disappointment because another person can NEVER complete you! Many people never figure that out...they simply divorce and move on under the assumption that they chose the wrong person, and that there must still be someone out there somewhere that can complete them.
1 John 4:10 says that, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." The Gospel shows us what love truly is! It is self-sacrificing; it is forgiving and gracious; it pursues even at great cost; it extends MERCY. A few verses later 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us." This is good news! When we look to the love that God shows us, we can learn how to love our spouses with the REAL THING. It won't be easy. Dying to self never is. I'm HORRIBLE at it right now...but God' grace is real and I'm thankful that Tiffany knows that as well, because she's been extending it to me a heck of a lot lately.
SO, all you couples out there who are finding marriage to be a lot tougher than you thought it would be (translation: all of you) - look to the cross and keep saturating yourself with the love of God. It'll make all the difference in the world.
Note: Tiff and I bought a book at the conference that we're looking forward to reading together. It's called "When Sinners Say I Do: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage." If you're looking for a good resource for your own marriage, I'd highly recommend it! You can purchase it here.
You would think that at a Christian conference, while being bombarded with practical Biblical teaching, drawn into amazing worship, and surrounded by hundreds of other Godly couples, that my interactions with Tiffany would be the picture of Christ-likeness...but you'd be wrong. All it took was the addition of a sick 9 month old daughter to inject a little stress into our time, and our Christ-likeness towards each other caved under the weight of unmet expectations and frustration.
Fortunately for us, the conference was called "Marriage and the Mercy of God." It's message wasn't that marriage is meant to complete you, but rather that marriage is meant (in part) to SANCTIFY you. And at that point what was obvious to Tiffany and I was that if sanctification is to take place in our marriage, MERCY and GRACE need to be the foundation. That is why the Gospel is such good news!
In America, we've stripped the word love of much of it's meaning. We "love" our favorite sports teams; we "love" the television show LOST; we "love" barbeque chicken pizza. And even when we say we love our spouses, much of the time what we mean is the dumbed down, selfish, "you complete me" love of Hollywood. That is NOT love, and more often than not it will lead you to a place of disillusionment and disappointment because another person can NEVER complete you! Many people never figure that out...they simply divorce and move on under the assumption that they chose the wrong person, and that there must still be someone out there somewhere that can complete them.
1 John 4:10 says that, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." The Gospel shows us what love truly is! It is self-sacrificing; it is forgiving and gracious; it pursues even at great cost; it extends MERCY. A few verses later 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us." This is good news! When we look to the love that God shows us, we can learn how to love our spouses with the REAL THING. It won't be easy. Dying to self never is. I'm HORRIBLE at it right now...but God' grace is real and I'm thankful that Tiffany knows that as well, because she's been extending it to me a heck of a lot lately.
SO, all you couples out there who are finding marriage to be a lot tougher than you thought it would be (translation: all of you) - look to the cross and keep saturating yourself with the love of God. It'll make all the difference in the world.
Note: Tiff and I bought a book at the conference that we're looking forward to reading together. It's called "When Sinners Say I Do: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage." If you're looking for a good resource for your own marriage, I'd highly recommend it! You can purchase it here.
Friday, January 23, 2009
House Church is back!
This Sunday, Jan 25th, marks the launch of House Churches for the spring. And what better way to kick off the semester than with some deep discussions about Great Sex. That's right, we're going to be taking a close look at what God's word says for us about sex and these scriptures are sure to generate some intense conversations.
But more than conversation and Bible study, House Churches are the place to connect into the body of believers at Storehouse. One attender is quoted as saying, "I knew I needed to get connected to other people, and that's why I come." For many, House Church becomes like an extended family, that you actually love to be around. I know that's hard to imagine for some of us, but don't take my word for it, make this year the year you become part of the community at Storehouse.
If you have never visited a House Church, now is the perfect time. There is no need to sign up, no application, no secret handshake, all you need to do is SHOW UP. It's that easy. The calendar section of www.storehousechurch.com lists all 12 House Churches along with directions to each one. Find the location or time that works best for you and check one out this week!
But more than conversation and Bible study, House Churches are the place to connect into the body of believers at Storehouse. One attender is quoted as saying, "I knew I needed to get connected to other people, and that's why I come." For many, House Church becomes like an extended family, that you actually love to be around. I know that's hard to imagine for some of us, but don't take my word for it, make this year the year you become part of the community at Storehouse.
If you have never visited a House Church, now is the perfect time. There is no need to sign up, no application, no secret handshake, all you need to do is SHOW UP. It's that easy. The calendar section of www.storehousechurch.com lists all 12 House Churches along with directions to each one. Find the location or time that works best for you and check one out this week!
The Gathering
Thank you to Brian and Tracey Akamine from Partners for Families for sharing with us at the Gathering. They challenged us to take link arms with him in ministry to our neighbors in Norristown.
For more information visit:
http://partnersforfamilies.blogspot.com/
For more information visit:
http://partnersforfamilies.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
