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Quick thought I had regarding intimacy, sex, and marriage:
Both husband and wife seem to quickly forget the sense of intimacy experienced during sex. Both are prone to forget quickly, that’s why MEN want it so often and why WOMEN don’t.
This month we will be looking closely at what God reveals to us in scripture regarding sex. You won’t want to miss it.
I have always prided myself on making good decisions. I would even say I am willing to make tough decisions and have often seen myself pull the trigger on decisions that had to be made. On the other hand, when it comes to matters where loyalty to another person brings emotional weight to a decision I have found I struggle in making the right decision….,well that’s not actually accurate, I struggle to make a decision at all. Sensing what needs to be said or done often I will hold back so as to guard the person the decision will affect…..,or is it about them at all? Maybe I’m holding back to guard my own heart from being seen as hard, cold, selfish or impersonal. However it might be, my tendency to deal with the one indecisively at the expense of the whole seems to out weigh my courage to make the tough call. With a non-decision like that set in motion it carries into the future the same outcome as the present. Also it carries the baggage of knowing that you know what needs to be done, but thinking another day, week, month, or year will fix it.
Recently a person told me that hurting people is inevitable as a leader. He said you will hurt people when you make decisions. Even when they are the right decisions. The goal is not to keep people from hurting when a tough decision is to be made, but to minimize the pain. This is something I am learning the hard way. Our recent staffing shifts have been difficult as I have tried to break free from indecision to pull the trigger and make the tough call. Often as a leader you will feel from your neck up that you are making the right choice, but from your belt to your throat you just feel awful. When you feel that and you know what you need to do, do it even it it makes your heart hurt. When you feel that and it makes you sick knowing that the decision you have to make will hurt the one, but it is right for the whole, do it any way. You need to make the tough decision. Your integrity and love for people will stand, and time will reveal that the greatest harm you could have inflicted on all involved was to not make the tough decision.
If you are going through a time of difficult decisions please feel free to email ross@momentumchurch.tv and I will lift you up to the Lord in prayer that He might give you the courage necessary to not only make the right call, but to do it in a timely way.
Proverbs 2:6-8 “
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
Be sure to invite all your friends to celebrate with you at Momentum Church this Easter Great music, life stirring teaching, and a children’s ministry your kids will be begging you to come back to the following week.
We have two Easter experiences this year are at 9:30 & 11:15. Come early, eat breakfast on Momentum and get your kid’s registered for a unique egg hunting experience like they have never seen before. (The Egg Hunt will take place during the church service led by our incredible Momentum Kid’s Team. Parents are welcome to take all the pictures they want following the service. Flash photo’s will ruin the black light experience. thank you for understanding)
This past weekend at Momentum was proof in fact that we serve a God that speaks. Some may place their token of devotion at the base of a speechless, lifeless deity but I am here to say that we serve a risen savior and He is in this world today. This Jesus visited with His people this past Sunday. We placed our hearts in a room prepared and ready to receive from God and He did not disappoint.
We had a service that focused in on worship, prayer, contemplation and meditation. In it’s simplicity the clarity of God’s voice was heard. It was beautiful hearing people share afterwards in the foyer about how powerful the service was. From roughnecks, to hipsters, to 30-something parents to our treasured folks in their golden years God was speaking. As pastor this blesses me deeply. I love that our people are hearing His voice. I also love the confidence I can have in God to speak. Lord help me to continue to rest in that reality. Yes we will work hard to prepare experiences and teachings that will make us receptive to what God is saying, but we find rest in the fact that He desires to speak more than we desire to allow Him to speak through us. He desires to touch you more than we desire to see you touched. He looks for us to do our part then get out of His way so He can do what no one else is capable of.
What a Morning! What a precursor to Easter. I can’t wait to see what God will do next Sunday.
Thank you Lord for this past week and with great anticipation we look forward to the coming weekend.
For the past month I am feeling a huge weight of stress lifted off my back.We have decided to outsource our financials to Mr. John Read. John served as an executive pastor with the Assemblies of God and has years of experience helping to manage church finances.
I love that we have John Read and Heritage Ministry Solutions partnering with us to keep track of our finances. We have grown significantly in the past 12 months it is time for a new level of accountability, insight, and financial practices.We are in exciting times at Momentum Church. We have experienced 60% growth in the past 12 months. Also many of our people have made the decision to tithe. This is bringing our church to a new level of effectiveness. We want to watch out over and be responsible with the increase God is bringing. We feel that having our finances in order at a whole new level will result in increased faithfulness in giving and the best use of every dollar coming into Momentum.
If you have a ministry or business contact John to see how he can help. You can tell him I sent you.
I am not nor have ever been a big end time prophecy guy, but something struck my attention this morning and got me thinking a little about the signs of the times. I saw a facebook post regarding the changing zodiak chart. People were responding to the addition of a new zodiak sign between the constellations Scorpio and Sagittarius. In essence this changes many people’s “sign”. “Hey baby…What’s your sign?……I don’t know”………Well any how I pulled up an article written about it and read this interesting piece.
“According to astrologial principles, the Sun travels from the constellation Scorpius and goes directly into the sign of Sagittarius, but due to the constant motion of the cosmos, the Sun enters, for a few days of the year, the star constellation ‘Ophiuchus’ before entering Sagittarius from Scorpius, thus creating astrologically the birth of a thirteenth sign of the Zodiac, which is named as Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder.
The constellation of Ophiuchus is the only sign of the Zodiac which is linked to a real man. This man lived in ancient Egypt around the 27th century BC, and his name was Imhotep. The attributes of Imhotep can also be found in the Biblical Hebrew man Joseph, son of Jacob.. Imhotep is credited with many accomplishments including the knowledge and use of medicine. It is said of Imhotep that he brought the art of healing to mankind.The symbol of a serpent, which is still widely used today to represent the medical profession, was used to represent Imhotep.”
The reason I don’t like end time prophecy is because although it is rooted in scripture so often much of it is conjecture and creative application. With that said let me do a little conjecture and creative application.
Could it be that we are leaving the age of Aquarius with all it’s excess and loose living and going into an age of Ophiuchus. An age where Christ’s church is rising up and becoming the generation that seeks him. Psalm 24:6 “This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him. Who seek Your face.”
Could it be that His church is rising up with healing in her hands. Could it be that we are entering an age where the church embraces like Joseph of old that we hold the answer to the famines that plague our world. Physical famines that have resulted in hunger and starvation, could this be an age where the church rises up like never before with compassion and generosity. Spiritual and emotional famines leaving people empty and seeking…could it be that we are entering a season where the masses of people who call themselves followers of Christ will rise up with His message expressed fully in their words, actions, and priorities bringing hope to a starving world.
Like I said earlier end time prophecy at times is a bit of conjecture, but this sign of the time peaked my curiosity. I just want to ask you one simple question. Could it be?
Day 2 into our church wide fast I am realizing just how dependent on coffee I am. Such a small thing. A few milligrams of caffeine and my mood, attention, and focus changes immediately. What small thing are you dependent on to satisfy your mood, draw your attention, hold your focus? Today I am thinking that in light of God everything is a small thing. Why do I allow lesser things to have such an appeal that they push out the greater things in my life? Why do you?
What a great first service of the new year. I was surprised at how many guests we had for the first Sunday of the year. We had guests that seen us in the parade, guests that came because of our Christmas Eve event, and guests that came because of the article in the AJC. I am thankful for each guest and every person at Momentum. I believe together we are in for exciting days of growth, impact, and a special touch of God’s hand on our lives in the coming year. To launch the year we kicked off with a teaching called ” The Fast and The Furious”.
The Fast speaks in regards to “a practice” and The Furious speaks in regards to “a people”. Beginning Monday January 3rd Momentum Church will embark on a three week journey in the discipline and practice of fasting. Why? Because we want to be a people who are intense about God, His presence, and His plan showing up in our lives, our church, and our communities. I challenged Momentum saying that years ago I had a Malibu Classic with a custom paint job and chrome everywhere. The problem with that car was it had a very small straight six engine in it. It didn’t have enough power to get out of it’s own way. It was in desperate need of a small block V8. It looked good and it looked fast, but it was anything but furious. If the American Church is not careful we can become something that looks like a hotrod, but be deficient in our powertrain.
Fasting is one discipline that intensifies the focus of the believer on God and God’s plans for one’s life. This intensity of focus leads to an intensity of lifestyle. We as a community of faith have decided to give God the first 3 full weeks of 2011 to seek Him and to declare, “God we are intense, furious followers that want nothing more this year than what you have for us”. We are choosing to say that what God desires is more important than what we desire. What creature comforts that usually satisfy us we are declaring through the practice of fasting that in this coming year we will find joy, peace, provision, and satisfaction in the desires and will of God.
Yesterday’s teaching was the longest I have preached in months. I really could have taken a few weeks with the subject of fasting, but we are launching a can’t miss series next week. This week had to be a stand alone teaching and because of that it was crammed fulled. I told y’all I would blog some of the things we covered quickly so you could take time with the info and Scriptures.
Jesus’ words regarding fasting are included in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6 Jesus refers to three disciplines that are to be a part of every believer’s life. In verse 2 it saying, “when you give….”, in verse 5, “when you pray”, and in verse 16, “when you fast”. We have all received teaching on giving and prayer, but the discipline of fasting gets neglect. Jesus’ doesn’t say “if” you do these things. He says, “when” you do these practices. This is why we decided to teach on the purpose, power, and practices of fasting at the beginning of this year.
The Purpose: Fasting is way to seek God by denying the physical in order to focus on the spiritual. Fasting is meant to give up something for the sake of something better. We disassociate ourselves with other things for a while so we can focus more on God and what God is saying to us.
The Power: Isaiah 58 points to the the power of true fasting. Connecting to God through fasting and prayer has the power to bring about…..
1. Spiritual breakthrough –(v. 8a, 10b)
2. Wholeness and Strength (v. 8b,11b)
3. God-filled life!!! (v. 8c)
4. Answered Prayer (v. 9)
5. Divine Guidance (v. 11)
6. Satisfaction (v. 11b)
7. Freshness and Growth
8. Effectiveness in life and ministry (v. 12)
9. Joy in the Lord (v. 14).
The Practices: When & Why should one fast. How should one fast.
When & Why: 1. When we feel a special pull, an urge to get alone with God. Psalm 42:1-2
2. There are time when special needs arise. (2 Chr. 20:12-18)
3.There are times when we need to humble ourselves before God
4. There are times when we need a very special power or touch from God
How: Remember Prayer and reading God’s Word are vital during a fast. To do without food, but not turn your attention and focus on the presence and Word of God is to be on a diet, not a fast. We will have 2 times of corporate prayer weekly during the fast. On Wednesdays from 7-8am and from 7-8pm. These options give you the choice to come before work or come after work.
3 Kinds of Fasts.
Normal Fast: Nothing solid only water and/or juices. (Jesus in the Wilderness)
Partial Fast: Abstaining from certain foods. (Daniel) An example would be to eat only vegetarian during the period of fasting. Or abstaining from certain meal times.
Absolute Fast: No food or drink (Moses) recommended only for short fasts.
Daylight Fast: You only eat dinner at night or after a certain time of day.
Physical Pleasures Fast: You choose to give up something that captivates your thoughts, attention, or desires. (Facebook break, media break, etc…)
Please consult your doctor if you have any questions regarding your diet. Or contact us and we will put you in contact with Barbie Tucker a nurse that attends Momentum.
-So proud of our people who made a big impact helping the city of Woodstock host this year’s “Kid’s Fest”. Ya’ll were everywhere in that park. Thanks for showing out large. Someone asked one of our people “why would a church be a part of a Halloween event?” our person responded, “because in our city today, this is where the people are at”. I love that!
-This past Sunday we concluded our “Blue Collar Basics” series and busted out a little Brother Where Art Thou, “Man of Constant Sorrows” with Daniel Iverson, Mitch Wells, and myself. You guys were great and it was awesome hearing the audience getting into it! It was nice seeing our attendance jumping back up too. It seems like we always have a surge in August, a lull in September and a gradual climb in October. After 4 years you would think you would get use to that, but I guess you just don’t. I’m looking forward to some amazing services this month starting out with baptism and a very special experience this coming Sunday. Then the launch of a new series called “HOARDERS” on Nov. 14th.
-I can’t always just state the positives at Momentum so here is one negative we are working on, our sound. We have done a better job of getting the volume to a good level. Seems like we were running it too hot for a while. You know hot is good, but if it’s distracting from the over all experience of worship than that just doesn’t make sense. We are trying to find the balance where you can “feel” the music, but not be overwhelmed by the sound. Right now the issue is we have had 3 pieces of equipment repaired and trying to get the sound mixed for the room just seems to be a hurdle. Please be patient with us. If we had an extra 4,000.00-5,000.00 we could fix the issues quick 
Until then pray for the guys as they continue to tweak what we have.
-Momentum Kid’s hosted a Pumpkins, Pirates, and Princesses Day for the children. Mrs. Barbara and Mrs. Jenny did a fantastic job with the kids teaching them a great object lesson using pumpkins. These two people’s love for children and creativity never ceases to amaze me. Thank you both for putting in the extra UUUMMMPH! this weekend to minister to our children and the children of Woodstock so effectively. As a parent I so appreciate it.
-Momentum Student Ministries (We will be announcing in January the new name for MSM) hosted “The Jesus Freak Show” Sunday night. Our students and their friends had a great night of music, teaching, and craziness. A big thanks to our team that put it on and to those who organized it. Y’all went over the top. Also it was too cool that we had a couple of neighbors come to see what all the commotion was (who knew a tv dropped from the roof would explode sounding like a gun). We got to spend about 3o minutes with them showing them around the place and telling them about what Jesus can do in our lives. I got the chance to pray with them and will be having coffee with the dude this week! They just kept saying what you guys are doing here with these students is a great thing. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in them! MSM you Rock!
-Here is a photo album from some of Sunday’s events
-Finally I was given the most awesome Pastor’s Appreciation present. Thank you all for framing two of our banners from when we use to meet at the theater. One was an old sign we use to use when we did park ministry. The other is the “Main Theater” sign that showed people which room to go into for services. It will be great to have them up in my office as a reminder of where God has brought us! Thanks for the thoughtful gift.
-Obviously we did this event for the guests, and boy we sure had a lot of them! The thing that I am probably more amped about then the number of guests we had is the number of volunteers that showed out to make the event possible. On Saturday we had 75 adults and young people that came to set up for the event. On Sunday over 25 more volunteers were added. OVER 100 volunteers!!!! NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT!!!!! That is Momentum!!! It felt like we got our heart back. After a long season of building out our space and what has been a drought in servant hood since we started in the space, this weekend you announced to the city, to each other, to your pastor and yes to the Devil……WE ARE BACK!!! Let our servant hood always reflect our faith in Christ to each other, to this community, and to the world!
-Be praying for the 60 guest families and individuals that visited Sunday. I can’t wait to see many of them back next week. We had over 150 Guests!
-This coming weekend is even more important than last as we connect with and help our guests take their first steps forward with God, purpose, and friends at Momentum Church. So Momentum do me a favor and come out in full force this Sunday to welcome all our 1st time guests back to Momentum Church.
-I want to give special thanks to Hans Mathiak our 10-10-10 event coordinator, The 10-10-10 planning team and point people (you all were amazing) and to Stephanie Graves my personal assistant, and our Band! Y’all did a fantastic job with everything. This was the biggest event we have ever hosted on campus and the least amount of stress I have ever experienced on a big weekend. Thanks for knocking it out of the park!
-I want to give a shout out to Big Daddy Q for some amazing BBQ, beans that will make you slap your momma, and for going the extra mile. Don’t hesitate to call on these guys for your BBQ catering needs, or just stop by Trickum and Arnold Mill Rd for lunch/dinner.
-Thanks to our own Kelly Morvillo and Stevie B’s for the pizzas. True friends of Momentum!
-New friends: The Band “House of Thomas” and Emcee/Comedian from www.laughsforchrist.com great job guys! Eric Cagle had the sound production down tight. Thank you Eric and Bobbie.
-I have to give thanks to our special guest “Larry” we are glad you busted out your very best flannel shirt and camo hat to make an appearance at Momentum’s 10-10-10 party. “Git-r-dooooooooooone” buddy. Nice job.
-Momentum Kid’s ministry always does a fantastic job. Loved Mrs Barbara’s ginormous twister game and was blown away with what Mrs. Jenny’s team did with her room. It really was an impressive site. Way to go over the top pre-school team!!!
-The Chili cookoff made for the extra mmm mmm good in what was already a great food bash. Not to mention…but I am, the crazy good cake that Israel Formenti made that looked like a Starbuck’s cup, the baklava that the Mathiak’s brought and Amber’s Coconut Cake. Didn’t excpect these sweets to show up, but Oh so glad they did. Israel is a pro!
-Loved seeing people win all the great prizes and nothing like watching kids have a good time with the moon walks and games.
-Thanks to Mr. Jerry Driscoll and his crew from ATA Karate. Our suite mates did a great job representing their skillz and Jerry beat his personal best breaking 99 boards in 14 seconds. Oh and I broke 1 board in 1 second. Hiyah!!! Oh yeah preacha got skillz too.
-One negative on the day, people showed up really late so we held the start of the event off 15 minutes. For those who came early this was too long and they began to leave. We had around 10 cars leave before we even got rolling. Lesson learned and we already have a plan for the next time so this will never happen again.
-Thank you to all who gave and served to make this happen. You are forever a part of the story of those who will return to Momentum this coming Sunday. Don’t miss this week to welcome our new friends to their first experience “inside” Momentum Church.
