Think This // After Hours

Looking for a church to call home is a daunting task here in Phoenix AZ. Six weeks ago we moved here and are starting our lives over, so it seems. I found a place to rent, we found a school for the girls, we found the shopping we need and other crucial services of life … except a local church.

There are so many great churches here in the Valley of the Sun, but which one to choose?

Here is what we are looking for in a church:

• The obvious: Solid doctrine, preaching and teaching
• Great music: A blend of contemporary songs and traditional hymns
• Youth Group: Solid youth group for our teenager daughters, where they can grow spiritually, serve unselfishly and make good, long lasting friends.
• Services: Attending Sunday morning service TOGETHER as a family. On this one more: later.
• Sunday School class: Sunday morning classes for us and the girls.
• Our part: A place where we can serve God and do our part for His Kingdom.

So far our quest includes:

The first 4 weeks we attended Desert View Bible Church in Phoenix, AZ. We enjoyed the music, LOVED the preaching, and met some nice people. Very nice church, we loved everything about it, but one thing … attending the Sunday Service as a family was a challenge. The youth group’s class was during the first hour of the two services. There was no class for adults during this hour, so we waited for them, and then went to the service together during the second hour. It was OK, but not ideal.

The last two weeks we attended Northwest Community Church in Phoenix, AZ. This is the church that founded the school our girls attend. Right from the start we fell in love with this church. Great people, is the first thing I can think of after my first impression. Very friendly, outgoing and welcoming! The first hour they have classes for the youth and adults. The doctrine, teaching and preaching is solid. The music has a nice mix of the contemporary sound and traditional hymns. This church is connected with Phoenix Seminary in more than one way.

The topic of study during the Sunday School class is The Truth Project – fascinating worldview tour.

Wednesday evenings offer great youth group meetings for our girls. They like going there. They already made many good friends. The leaders of the youth group reached out to them by phone calls and emails. This is was so welcoming and made our girls feel included.

We are going back tomorrow again!

I will try posing more about our quest to find a local church in the Phoenix metro area which we can call our home church. Hopefully if you are in the same situation you can share your quest experiences or find something helpful in ours.

No arms, No legs, NO WORRIES – A testimony of Nick Vujicic from Australia.


To learn more about Nick, visit http://LifeWithoutLimbs.org/ Here is Nick’s  story from his website:

A Remarkable Story of God’s Grace

It says in James 1:2 – “Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”

….To count our hurt, pain and struggle as nothing but pure joy? As my parents were Christians, and my Dad even a Pastor of our church, they knew that verse very well. However, on the morning of the 4th of December 1982 in Melbourne (Australia), the last two words on the minds of my parents was “Praise God!”. Their firstborn son had been born without limbs! There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. The doctors were shocked and had no answers at all! Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. S.M. Lockridge
The Bible says my King is a seven-way king
     He’s the King of the Jews; that’s a racial king
     He’s the King of Israel; that’s a national King
     He’s the King of Righteousness
     He’s the King of the Ages
     He’s the King of Heaven
     He’s the King of Glory
     He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King.
Well….I wonder, do you know Him?

David said, “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”
     My King is a sovereign King.
     No means of measure can define His limitless love.
     No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply.
     No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings.
     He’s enduringly strong.
     He’s entirely sincere.
     He’s eternally steadfast.
     He’s immortally graceful.
     He’s imperially powerful.
     He’s impartially merciful.
Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world.
     He’s God’s Son.
     He’s the sinner’s Savior.
     He’s the centerpiece of civilization.
     He stands in the solitude of Himself.
     He’s august and He’s unique.
     He’s unparalleled.
     He’s unprecedented.
     He is the loftiest idea in literature.
     He’s the highest personality in philosophy.
     He is the supreme problem in higher criticism.
     He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology.
     He is the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion.
     He’s the miracle of the age.
     He’s — yes He is — He is the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him.

He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Savior.
I wonder if you know Him today?
     He supplies strength for the weak.
     He’s available for the tempted and the tried.
     He sympathizes and He saves.
     He strengthens and sustains.
     He guards and He guides.
     He heals the sick.
     He cleansed the lepers.
     He forgives sinners.
     He discharges debtors.
     He delivers the captives.
     He defends the feeble.
     He blesses the young.
     He serves the unfortunate.
     He regards the aged.
     He rewards the diligent….and He beautifies the meek.
I wonder if you know Him?

Well, my King….He is the King!
     He’s the key to knowledge.
     He’s the wellspring of wisdom.
     He’s the doorway of deliverance.
     He’s the pathway of peace.
     He’s the roadway of righteousness.
     He’s the highway of holiness.
     He’s the gateway of glory.
Do you know Him?

Well, His office is manifold.
     His promise is sure….and His light is matchless.
     His goodness is limitless.
     His mercy is everlasting.
     His love never changes.
     His word is enough.
     His grace is sufficient.
     His reign is righteous.
     And His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.
     I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable — Yes He is!? He is God!
     He’s incomprehensible.
     He’s invincible.
     He’s irresistible.
Well, you can’t get Him out of your mind.
You can’t get Him off of your hand.
You can’t out live Him, and you can’t live without Him.

The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him.
     Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.
     The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree.
     Herod couldn’t kill Him.
     Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him.
     Yea!!!, that’s my King, that’s my King.

Yes, and Thine is the Kingdom….and the Power….and the Glory….Forever….and ever, and ever, and ever — How long is that? And ever, and ever.

And when you get through with all of the forevers, then. AMEN!
Good God Almighty!  AMEN!   AMEN!

Today is blog action day. Many blogs, including “Think This // After Hours” is bringing attention to this effort - the effort of focusing attention on our environment. Here is my take. God created everything:

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. Acts 17:24

God – Jesus – sustains everything by his word:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3

We are the stewards what God entrusted to us – his creation. We are responsible for managing it well. However, God is upholding it all – no “global warming” will have any effect on the environment or surprise God.

So, I do join this day to spread awareness about the environment. God created it and He is sustaining it by his word. We are the stewards, so let’s be smart about it, and do not fall into each extreme.

Thanks to Pronet Advertising for making me aware.

It is a sad day today for many who loved to hear Dr. D. James Kennedy sermons. His ministry has produced incredible amounts of resources for Christians to use. The depth of his messages and quality of their content kept many coming back for more. Dr. Kennedy’s passion for evangelism mixed with scientific apologetics helped many to consider the evidence for Christ and confess HIM as their Lord and Saviour.

“Now, I know that someday I am going to come to what some people will say is the end of this life. They will probably put me in a box and roll me right down here in front of the church, and some people will gather around, and a few people will cry. But I have told them not to do that because I don’t want them to cry. I want them to begin the service with the Doxology and end with the Hallelujah chorus, because I am not going to be there, and I am not going to be dead. I will be more alive than I have ever been in my life, and I will be looking down upon you poor people who are still in the land of dying and have not yet joined me in the land of the living. And I will be alive forevermore, in greater health and vitality and joy than ever, ever, I or anyone has known before.” – D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

I have truly enjoyed Dr. Kennedy’s ministry by listening to him on the radio and watching on TV.

Visit a memorial tribute to Dr. D. Jame Kennedy.

I will miss him.

Today is National Day of Prayer. Pray for our government, for all the officials, federal, state and local. More about the National Day of Prayer – official website or Wikipedia entry.

“… NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 3, 2007, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, each according to his or her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have received and for God’s continued guidance, comfort, and protection. I invite all Americans to join in observing this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.” – George W. Bush (read full text of the proclamation)

Read the rest of this entry »

The Atheist’s nightmare is….a bannana. Actually, this is a famous argument that shows how God created fruit for us to eat.

I was reminded about these rudimentary principles last week by Wayne Cordeiro in his talk he gave at the Leadership Summit.

Wayne is a highly successful leader who one day went jogging and found himself sitting on a curb crying uncontrollably. He did
not recognize himself. He felt he was a dead leader running. What followed, was a big storm in his life that turned his life around. What follows are my notes from his talk.

We will teach what we know, but we will reproduce what we are. There must be a genuine integrity inside. It is vital for you to learn from the “storms” of your life.

One of the common “storm” in life of highly active and productive people in the modern world is burn out.
Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Eater! Today celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important Christian holiday. Christ is Risen!

Happy Passover day 6! Our Jewish friends celebrate day 6 of the Passover. The time when God lead Israel out of Egypt.

Today is Good Friday. Remembrance of the day Jesus died on the cross. He died for the sins of the world. I believe He died also for me, for that I am grateful.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

Today is also day 4 of the Jewish Passover. Passover commemorates the time when God freed Israel from the captivity in Egypt.

Image of the cross complements of thepassionofthechrist.com