This Sunday Will B Different

First, if you haven’t had a chance, stop by Broad St, Cups Fondren, or Sneaky Beans today to get a FREE cup of coffee courtesy of Bellwether!  It will help you give to Children’s Haven of Hope – helping No Child B Home Alone this Christmas!

Second, thank you for praying, inviting and sharing love with others this season!  Our No One Home Alone count is up to 3600 as of today!  This is NOT counting the free coffee given out!  Please keep on inviting people to church, Night of Worship, or a Christmas party!  See how many people we can TOUCH for Christ!

Last, this Sunday WILL B DIFFERENT.  Our Sunday morning service will be our LAST of the year.  We will not meet together for worship on Dec. 25th.  It will be different in that we are ASKING all our our church to SIT in the BOTTOM SECTION of the Performing Arts Center.  Why?  So we can B a church family and worship TOGETHER and to ELEVATE our Worship Experience!

Our message Sunday will be “One Solitary Life.”  It will focus on how the one solitary life of Jesus Christ changed this world, and if He lives inside you, you will NEVER be solitary or alone again.  Ever.  

Then, we will CELEBRATE Sunday night with our Christmas NIGHT OF WORSHIP.  It begins at 6pm. We hope you will B there and please INVITE someone who is lonely so they can SEE & KNOW they are NEVER alone with Christ.

Look forward to seeing you Sunday for Worship & Night of Worship!  Merry Christmas and God bless you!  

Free Coffee and Helping No Child B Alone

Tomorrow, December 15th, is Bellwether's FREE Coffee Day.  Our church will be giving out FREE coffee at Broad Street Bakery, Sneaky Beans, and Cups Fondren.

We hope you, your friends, family, and co-workers will receive this gift from our church family.  It's simply a way to B a blessing to the entire community.

This year though, we want to give a double blessing.  Bellwether will match the total dollar amount of free coffee given to Children's Haven of Hope, a ministry helping no child be homeless in our city.  This is a way we can do a small part in helping the homeless children in Metro Jackson.  The more coffee given, the more we'll be able to give!    

So, we hope you and many others will receive this free gift, and in doing so, give to a ministry helping homeless children this Christmas.  

Merry Christmas, and may you know greatest free gift of all - Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior.  

Who is your Jesus?

We have a big Christmas week beginning this Sunday!  We hope you'll remember and B part of some of these Christmas offerings:

His Heart Santa Day - 12pm Sunday - Calvary Baptist Church

Mustard Seed India Dinner - 6pm Sunday - Duling Hall

ALL DAY COFFEE DAY - Broad St, Cups Fondren, Sneaky Beans - Thursday Dec 15th.  Bellwether will match coffee giving with a donation to Children's Haven of Hope - so please come out!  

Missions First Christmas for Children - 4:30 - 7pm - Friday Dec 16th

Christmas Night of Worship - 6pm Sunday Dec 18th!  

Don't forget:  Help No One B Alone this Christmas season!  Pray for someone, Invite Someone, Serve someone!  You Can!  We Can make a difference in people's lives and this community!  

And this Sunday, we'll ask the question:  Who is your Jesus?  Is He the Jesus ONLY of the manger?  Or is He the Jesus the angels PROCLAIMED - the Jesus who is KING OF KINGS, OUR SAVIOR, CHRIST THE LORD.

Often at Christmas (and in our own lives) we can see Jesus only as the sweet baby in the manger.  That is true, yet He is so much MORE.  We want you to know Jesus as King, Savior, and Lord:  of all the world, and of your life.  

We hope to see you this Sunday!  Remember - you can help NO ONE B HOME ALONE!  

Courage to Share Your Faith

As we enter this Christmas season, we hope you are seeing opportunities to:  pray for people, invite them into a church family, and show the love of Christ!  

Please keep us with those you do, or any specific prayer requests, and text them to:  601.896.3200.  

Also, for all those in B Groups or other smaller groups, here are some upcoming Bellwether activities where you can share your faith:

Sunday Night Dec 11th - Mustard Seed Faith Foundation India dinner for children - 6pm - Duling Hall

Monday Dec 12th - His Heart Santa Day - 4pm - Calvary Baptist Church

Thursday Dec 15th - Bellwether Free Coffee Day @ Broad St & Sneaky Beans - proceeds going to Children's House of Hope - helping No Child B Alone!  

Friday Dec 16th - Missions First Children's Christmas Party - 5pm - Missions First

Sunday December 18th - Bellwether Christmas Night of Worship - 6pm - JA PAC

Christmas Eve Service - 4pm !

Hope you and your groups can B part of these ways to reach out and share!

And this coming Sunday, we continue "No One Home Alone" with "Courage to Share."  All of us have tremendous opportunities each day to share the love of Christ.  Often we don't.  Why?  We'll look at why we don't share, and why & how we CAN share.  We hope to see you at church Sunday and hope you'll invite someone who needs the family of Christ!   

How to Help No One B Home Alone

Today at Bellwether we launched “No One Home Alone” our Advent mission to touch the lives of 5000 people by prayer, invitation, and Christ-like love.  If you weren’t there – we hope you’ll listen to today’s podcast to hear more about it.  For everyone who’s connected to Bellwether, we hope you’ll take part in this united effort to be the Jesus’ Church during Christmas.  How?  By letting people know they can be part of His Family through a local church, and to know they never have to be alone because Jesus can live in our hearts.

We will accomplish this mission primarily through:

1) Praying for someone – and make sure they know you’re praying for them.

2) Inviting them to a Sunday church service, or our Dec 18th Night of Worship at 6pm, or our Christmas Eve service at 4pm.

3) Acts of love – you can do this individually or as part of a team (a team can be your B Group or simply a group of friends).  These are simple acts of love and kindness.

We gave out “No One Home Alone” bags today at church.  They included invitational cards, stickers, and pens you can give out to anyone.  We hope you will!  We’ll continue to give these out each week, along with our No One Home Alone commitment cards.

We are keeping count of the lives our church touches.  Our goal is 5000.  I believe we will touch many more than this number.  Please text the number of lives you touch (either on each Sunday or through the week) to:  601.896.3200.   

We’re looking forward to hearing stories of the lives YOU will touch and seeing the FRUIT God brings by this UNITED EFFORT to help No One B Home Alone – for this Christmas season, or for their entire lives!  I know God can use you in this and our church in a MIGHTY way!

No One Home Alone

If you were not at yesterday's Worship service, I encourage you to listen to our podcast on www.bellwetherchurch.org.

We talked about our Christmas campaign:  "No One Home Alone."  It is Bellwether's effort to truly be Jesus's Church and touch 5000 lives over the Christmas season.  How?  Here are several ways:

1) Pray for someone and make sure they know you are praying for them.

2) Invite someone to church:  our Sunday worship service, or our Night of Worship on Dec 18th at 6pm, or our Christmas Eve service at 4pm.  

3) Love on someone this Christmas season:  check on your neighbor, make cookies or a pie for someone, buy someone a cup of coffee, take someone to lunch - or think of a creative way to love someone!  

4) Be part of "No One Home Alone" team to serve others this Christmas season.  We are encouraging our B Groups to be a team and think of a way to serve people this season!  

We believe our church can touch 5000 lives this year.  We gave out "No One Home Alone" Commitment Cards yesterday.  Please be praying over this campaign and the LIVES God will lead you to touch.  Be thinking of friends, family, and co-workers you can reach out to!

We will officially begin THIS SUNDAY November 27th.  You will get a number that you can text the number of lives you've touched and we will KEEP COUNT!  You can text the number on Sunday mornings or throughout the week.  We will unveil the number of lives our church family has touched on our Night of Worship Dec. 18th. 

This is a great way for our church to be UNITED in reaching out, and sharing the Gospel in simple acts of prayer, invitation, and love.  Why?  Because no one needs to be alone at Christmas, and no one has to ever be alone because of Christ. 

We hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and look forward to this Sunday as we begin our Advent season! 

Your Life Can Change Today!

Did you know God has an eternal purpose for your life?  Did  you know it may not be what you have planned for your life – but that’s okay – because it’s better!

God does have a plan and purpose for your life.  It is to know Christ, and then help others know Him.  Why?  Because it affects yours, and their, eternal destiny.  There is nothing greater you can do than to help other people know Jesus Christ as Friend, Counselor, Lord, and Savior.  

At Bellwether, we do what we do so people will know Jesus, and people who know Him will become His disciples.  We will always make this our focus and we want you to as well!

It’s easy to get distracted in life.  It is easy to focus on the things that aren’t eternal.  It’s easy to not know how “share your faith” or “witness” to others.  It’s okay.  We want to help you remove the distractions that aren’t eternal, and help you share your relationship with Christ by loving on others.

This Sunday at Bellwether, we will be doing just this:  helping you find your eternal purpose, giving you ways to help others know Christ, and showing why it’s so important to do so.  Why?  Because lives matter to God.  They are eternal.  People need to matter to us.

Please make every effort to B at Bellwether this Sunday – we will be sharing more about “No One Home Alone” our churches effort to touch 5000 lives.  God wants no one to ever be alone.  We don’t either.  No one has to, because of Jesus.

We hope to see you this Sunday.  We hope your life will change as you discover what God made you to do:  share the Good News of Christ in your life!

Jesus' Church Is______

Do you ever wonder - why go to church?  Why do church?  What is the point after all?  There are so many other important things in you can be doing or thinking about on a Sunday morning:  sports, lunch, relationships.  Why does church really matter?  After all, Jesus is good - but the church is full of some messed up sinful people.  Can't you have Jesus without His Church?

In a word, no.  

Jesus is His Church.  If that's true, then what does Jesus' Church look like?  What does it do?  Would it look and be like Bellwether? 

Regardless of what anyone thinks, Bellwether IS Jesus' Church.  It's His and no one else's.  That being said, it's up to US as HIS people to B HIS CHURCH.  

The next two Sunday's are two of the most important sermons of the year.  In them, we at Bellwether will have an honest conversation about Who We Are as a church, Where We've Been, and Where We are Going as Jesus' Church.  It is a two-part series called "State of His Church."  Because Bellwether is His church.  Please make every effort to BE at church the next two Sunday's.  We believe not only will you be blessed, you will hear and see what His church, Bellwether, can be when we talk bold steps of faith to raise His Kingdom.  Our Scripture this Sunday will be Acts 2: 37-47 and Acts 6: 1-7.  

We hope you will come Sunday.  We hope you will invite someone whose eternal life matters.  We hope you will come expecting and planning to see God do things you never thought possible in His church named Bellwether - this Sunday and in the next year - and in you.  We can't.  He can.  

See you Sunday.  May you fully know the church of Jesus Christ.  It matters to your life now, and it matters for your eternity. 

The Life We Can Receive

Don't forget:  we are highlighting our India Mission trip this Sunday at Bellwether with a video on the trip and an Indian lunch afterwards at Fondren.  We hope you can be there to learn about this new mission and pray about being part of it!  

As for our message Sunday, how do you think one becomes a missionary?  How does a regular person go from a life of constant sin, to knowing Christ, and then being fully changed to GO into all the world for Him?  

I don't think it's random.  I don't think it only happens for those who are pastors or go to seminary.  I fully believe ALL of us are called to be missionaries and to GO.  It comes with being a follower of Christ.  Many simply don't because they believe it's not for them or they are not equipped.  We want to help everyone at Bellwether and beyond to go - and it doesn't have to be halfway around the world.  It can be to our neighbors, our friends who are searching, our families in trouble, and yes to missions around the world.  

Sunday, we will close the series "Alpha...in the beginning."  We've been looking at Genesis 1-3 at basic truths we easily miss over in these first chapters of the Bible.  Within these chapters, I believe we can find complete meaning and purpose in our lives.  We closed last week with "Our Fall" into sin and how Christ can lead us out of our personal pits and hells.  We will pick up this Sunday into how our the Christian life, the life of following Christ, is not simply about being saved out of hell, but much more.  It is about receiving a new life, a new way of looking at the world, a world we may have never seen before, a world of the Holy Spirit.  

We will stay in Genesis Chapter 3 and also look at passages in Romans 5 & 8.  We hope you have a great weekend and can be with us for Worship together on Sunday morning.   May God bless you!  

Modern Day Dysfunctional Family

Okay, so I've never seen "Modern Day Families."  I've heard from many it's hilarious.  I've also heard it's far from what we'd call "traditional family values."  Yet it's one of the most widely watched shows on TV. 

I am part of a family.  I lead a family as husband and father.  I'm part of an extended family which comprises parents, a brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.  And let me say with full disclosure:  I'm part of and come from a dysfunctional family. That said, I love my dysfunctional family and always will.    

I believe all our families - whatever they may look like - traditional, blended, or "modern" have a degree of dysfunction.  As much as we may want and portray the white-picket fence, there's some messiness in all our families.  It's called sin, it is real, and it can take some dysfunctional families and destroy them so badly you think you'll never be able to pick up the pieces.  

Thankfully, we have a Savior - Christ our Lord - who meets our broken, modern, dysfunctional families and can bring healing, forgiveness and redemption.  Even more, we have a Church - the Body of Christ (Ephesians 5: 29-32) - that is to be our supernatural family.  It is to be Jesus' Family, where people are accepted, reconciled, healed, and raised up.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, this is who we're praying to be at Bellwether.  We want you to be part of this family - fully and totally.

We also want to do all we can to help your modern day dysfunctional family.  Because at the end of the day, all of our families are dysfunctional.  Why pretend?  Why not lean on your church family and allow Jesus to bring healing and new life?  

Sunday at Bellwether we continue RAISE Redux and we talk about "A - Accept Your Family Role."  What is the special role you have to play in your family?  We hope you'll be with us, and bring your family, to find out!  Our Scripture passage for Sunday will be Ephesians 5: 22 - 6: 4 & 6: 10-12.  

We believe in your family, our family at Bellwether, and the global family of Christ we're part of.  We want you to feel like you belong to all of them too.  Have a great rest of your week, and we hope to see you Sunday.   

We're back.

Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and support our Honduran mission team received over the past week.  We all arrived arrived home safely last night.  It's good to be home to be with all our family.  It will be great for all our church family to be together this coming Sunday.  We'll be starting our new series on growing with Christ:  RAISE Redux.  We hope you can be with us. 

As for Honduras, we are simply catching our break.  It was an amazing time.  I'm only fully realizing how powerful everything was now after returning.  You'll probably be hearing stories from individuals for months (if not years) and we'll be putting together a video of the many great photos we have.  For now, here's a few things you can know about the trip: 

God spoke to everyone in unique and different ways.

People from our church family were healed from personal and emotional burdens.  

We built 3 houses for families who have nothing.  Literally, the walls of their present homes were sheets & tin.  Their floors were dirt.  

Over 700 patients received medical treatment.  

We worshipped together with our Honduras brothers and sisters.  

We led a Vacation Bible School where hundreds of children received blessings. 

We saw 4 personally invite Jesus Christ into their hearts.

We were honored to be part of two baptisms on the spot of our construction site.

Those are the few of the things we witnessed God do.  I believe there are countless other ways the Holy Spirit worked:  on us at Bellwether, and to the people of Honduras.  

I'm so thankful, blessed, and amazed at our Lord and Savior.  He heals.  He forgives.  He transforms.  He literally saves lives.  

And this is only the beginning.  Hope to see you Sunday.  God bless you.   

Alternative Community

What do you comes to mind when you think of Church?

It could be many different things:  music, worship, dressing in Sunday best, something you have to do, an hour to snooze, rigid, fake, peaceful, family, hypocrisy, money, prayer, Christ, celebration, inspiring, growing, fulfilling, buildings, and we could go on and on.  You may have positive or negative thoughts about the Church.

Do you ever think of it as an alternative community?  

When we say alternative community, we mean a place that is different from the rest of the world.  A group of people who are very much in this world, yet very much not of it.  Many groups have tried to form alternative communities throughout history, the majority of them not as Christians.  These would be what we'd call communes or the hippie movement.  You get the picture.  

However, the Church was always designed to be an alternative community.  When it is being true to Jesus's Call for it on earth, it is living as an alternative community by the power of the Holy Spirit.  A place that is different from this world, that functions as the family of Christ, leads people to Christ, and goes out into all the world for Christ.  Now, the question is:  is the Church living out this mission?  Are we as the people of Bellwether?  

Sunday, we'll conclude the series:  Alternate Reality, life by the Spirit.  Last week we talked about how that reality affected relationships.  This Sunday we'll talk about how it affects the Church.  The message will be:  Church as an "alternative community":  what this looks like and how to be one.  We hope you'll be with us to see what Jesus is calling us to as His people.  We hope you'll be part of His alternative community on earth - one that can change your life, the lives of people you know, and the world for Him.  

Destiny or Chance?

Have you ever wondered whether your life was influenced more by destiny and fate or by random chance? 

In our culture and world today, many people believe their lives are orchestrated by destiny and a higher power.  You see this with idealists who think fate has a hand in who they meet, form relationships with, marry, and even where they are born, live, and what they do with their lives.  We also see this in many films, books, and TV shows.

Others in our world believe there is no such thing as destiny or fate.  Everything more or less happens by chance.  There is no "luck."  People make their own luck.  Where you're born is simply random.  Who you meet and marry is totally by chance.  It could be someone else - you were simply there at the right time and place.  

To which of these do you lean more to:  destiny or chance?  Fate or randomness?  

What if there is a third way?  That our lives are neither orchestrated by chance or by destiny through some type of higher power.  What if a real, living, God is directing each and every step of our lives?  What if there are "no chance encounters."  That there is a reason for each and every person in our lives - good and bad.  Do you believe that?  

This summer, we're doing a series on "Alternate Reality - life by the Spirit."  It is looking at living in and through the Holy Spirit.  Tomorrow at church the message will be called "No Chance Encounters."  Why?  Because in this alternate reality, in a life led by the Holy Spirit, there really are no chance encounters.  

We hope you can be with us Sunday morning to see how God leaves nothing to chance.  Perhaps you'll see your life and relationships in a whole new life.  We hope so. 

Have a great weekend and God bless you!   

Scripture for Sunday

We'll begin sending Scripture used for Sunday's message before so you have an opportunity to be reading them before our worship.

For this Sunday, July 3rd, we'll be preaching out of:

Matthew 22: 15-22

Matthew 4: 8-10

Genesis 1: 26-27

Isaiah 55: 8-9

Ephesians 2: 18-22

1 Peter 2: 11-14

Hope you can read before and see you Sunday!

Citizenship

4th of July is upon us.  Time for fireworks, cookouts, and honoring the greatest nation in the world, our home on earth, America.  

All of us at one time or another have taken the pledge of allegiance - whether it's at school, boy scouts, girl scouts, or in a local civic club.  We should all know it by heart.  It goes:  "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God....."  One nation under God.  It clearly states, we are UNDER God. He is our authority.  

So I ask all of us:  we recite the pledge of allegiance, yet where is our primary allegiance?  Is it to God, our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord?  Or is to our country?  Is it to political power or a political party?  Where does your primary allegiance lie?  

I'm thankful I'm a citizen of this country.  I hope you are too.  Yet do you have citizenship in heaven?  Do you realize you are here for a season of your eternal life and will one day depart for (hopefully) your home country.  We can easily fall into the trap of this time, place, and country being our true home.  It is not.  Heaven is.  

Our preaching series right now is:  "Alternate Reality - life by the Spirit."  Believing and living like heaven is your true home is living in an alternate reality to many here and now.  Yet it is to this that we are called.  We can only live in this reality through Jesus Christ, "in Him we have our access in one Spirit to the Father.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens , but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household" Ephesians 2: 18-19.  In Christ, you gain a new citizenship, a new home, and begin living in a new, BETTER reality - life in the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday, 4th of July weekend, we'll talk about where our true citizenship lies, if we have it, and how to get it.  I hope you'll be able to worship with us and invite someone who needs to see the love of Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit.  

May God bless you and this great nation we're blessed to live in, until we journey to our true home.  

Alternate Reality

One of my favorite all time TV shows is LOST.  I really miss the creativity, mystery, and character development that show had.  Nothing has matched it since.  In its last season, one of the plots (not giving anything away) was there was a potential "alternate reality" the main characters were living in.  As they got glimpses of this different reality, they soon realized the world they thought they lived in might not be the real world.  

It's also interesting to me that there are now many "popular" books by people who study physics and astronomy that purport the possibility of alternate realities in the universe.  Now, I was never good at science or math, and I probably would not even be able to read these book, yet the very idea is fascinating.

I say all this because:  if we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, what that means for our eternal lives, and have the Holy Spirit living in us, then I believe we live in an alternate reality in the here and now.  It's what Christians mean when we say - "we are in the world, yet not of it."  If the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are part of a different world, an alternate reality.  How?  

As Paul writes in Galatians 5:  19-21, the world we live in is:  "the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  

Then, Paul goes on about the alternate reality, the life of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5: 22-24 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Not those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." 

The more I grow in Christ, the more I realize the real world, the real life, is the life in and of the Holy Spirit.  And the world we think is the real world, really isn't.  At Bellwether we want everyone to know this different world, this alternate reality, and live in it.  

For the next month, we'll be preaching about the real world.  The sermon series is:  "Alternate Reality - Life by the Spirit."  We hope you can be there to see this alternate reality, this different world.  Even more, we hope you will make a decision to live in it.  

Have a great day, and hope to see you Sunday.  

If you died tonight, where would you go?

Many of us have heard this question.  Some so much so we've gotten tired of it, or it's lost it's impact for us.  I mean really, how many people take such a question seriously?  You know you won't die tonight....right?  You know your spiritual house is in order....right?  Is it?  

The fact is, this is an honest, serious, and needed question.  Unfortunately, some Christians and churches have communicated it the wrong way - a way that has led to fear and rejection of the Church.  

It's a question we all need to ask ourselves.  Is our spiritual house in order?  Do we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?  Is the Holy Spirit alive in our hearts?  Are we trying to grow in our walk with Christ?  Are we....are you....truly saved?  

We will ask this question of us all Sunday morning.  We do so as we continue the series:  GRACE - what is It?  The sermon Sunday is "the Grace that Saves us."  It is the grace of Jesus Christ that saves us, and only that alone.  Have we received it into our lives?  If you haven't, this Sunday, as every Sunday, you will have an opportunity to know where you will be for eternity.  I hope you can join us for worship on this special Sunday.  Even more, we hope you'll invite someone who needs to hear the message of life saving grace in Jesus.

Sunday will be special and different for two reasons:  

1) We are moving our regular 10:30am worship service back to 11am.   This is because we will be leading worship at 9:30am at the United Methodist Mississippi Annual Conference at the Jackson Convention Center.  We'd love for you to also worship with us there if you are able!

2) It is Pentecost Sunday.  This is the Sunday in the Church calendar 40 days after Easter.  It is the day which we remember Jesus' Ascension to heaven and the Holy Spirit coming down to earth.  As the Holy descended onto the disciples, we hope and pray you will allow the Holy Spirit to invade and live in your hearts - this Sunday and always.

Have a great day, and hope to see you at church!

GRACE that Seeks, Saves, and Raises

We hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend.  If you were traveling, we hope the time with friends and family was relaxing and that you took time to remember all those who have allowed us to worship our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ freely.  May we always remember these men, women, and families who make this tremendous sacrifice.

This Sunday, we begin a new series at Bellwether.  It essentially is a bookend to our FAITH series because it is on GRACE.  What is grace?  We here it talked about, as Christians we're supposedly saved by it.  Yet can we define it?  Do we know it when we see it? Do we give it out to others?

In fact, GRACE is more important than faith?  Ephesians 2: 8-9 tells us:  "By grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of work, so that no one may boast."  It is the GRACE of God - as a gift - which saves us.  We must have faith in this un-merited, un-deserved GRACE.
Sunday, we begin this 3 part series on GRACE - What is it?  We'll look at:  the Grace that Seeks, the Grace that Saves, and the Grace that Raises.  We hope you'll be with us to understand grace, and to accept His Grace into your life.  As we get into the summer, we hope you'll be with us when you're in town and continue to invite others who need to hear, experience, and find God's grace.

Also:  please forward this newsletter to others in the church who may not be receiving it.  They can sign up for it on our website at www.bellwetherchurch.org.

And, please remember Patrick and Jennifer Johnson and their family as they leave this week for a mission trip to Guatemala. We'll hear more about this effort, when they return, yet please pray for safety and fruitfulness in mission!

Thank you, have a great week, and hope to see you Sunday!

When Faith is all you have

This month as we talk about faith, I keep thinking about people who've lost faith, and how easy it is for some to lose it.

However, there are others who truly live by faith.  It's all they have.  You might know them.  They don't necessarily have the "best" life as the world may ascribe, yet they have tremendous faith - that God is at work, and is working in them regardless of circumstances.

I go back to "heroes of the faith" in the Bible - Abraham, Ruth, Moses, David, Jeremiah....then on to Jesus and the early church.  God certainly didn't lay out road map for their lives, or give them constant worldly success.  Yet they maintained....and grew.... tremendous faith.

Take David.  Many people, even his own son, sought to harm his life.  Enemies surrounded him.  He was run off from the kingdom God had promised.  Yet he always looked to God.  In Psalms 56: 1-4, David writes - "Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; fighting all day long he oppresses me.  My foes have trampled upon me all day long.  For they are many who fight proudly against me.  When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.  In God, who word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can mere man do to me?"

Sunday, the sermon is:  "Living by Faith, when Faith is all you have."  For some, faith may be all you have right now.  At Bellwether we hope you'll know that you can have it.  God wants you to have it.  And if something besides faith is keeping you going (career, relationships, family, money, etc) there will come a day when that simply won't be enough.  You'll need real faith in something bigger than this world.  We hope you will see it, find it, and live it.

Have a great weekend, and hope to see you Sunday.  

FAITH in Yourself

So many people simply don't believe in themselves.  They've been through disappointments, hurts, trials, and tribulations.  They've been beaten down so much that they've lost faith in themselves. 
More importantly, they've lost faith God could ever work in them and through them to help people the world for His Kingdom.

Doubt in ourselves is one of the biggest tools the devil uses to hold us back from growing and serving Christ.  Once it's present in the life of a person, it's so hard to overcome.

We hope you haven't lost faith in yourself or in God's ability to work in you.  Bellwether began because we believed:  "anyone can be a leader for Christ."  As Bellwether has grown and God has used different people in our church's life, we believe this even more.  As we grow for the future, we desire to see more people transformed by Christ and use their God-given gifts to reach people, serve, teach, and disciple others.  Our bottom line at Bellwether is:  WE BELIEVE IN YOU! Even more, WE BELIEVE GOD CAN USE YOU FOR HIS PURPOSES!   


If you have lost faith in yourself, or are struggling to believe God could ever use you, this Sunday at Bellwether is for you.  We'll talk about what it takes to overcome self-doubt, and how you can take the first steps - wherever you are in life - to be a leader for Christ.  I hope you'll be with us to see "Bellwether Faith." 
May God bless you, have a great weekend, and we believe in you!  

Where Would Jesus Go to Church?

I've heard people say many times - "I like Jesus, I just don't like the Church."  People have good reason to not like churches.  After all, they're full of broken, sinful people like us.  Yet if the Spirit of Christ is IN a church, then He can change, heal, and unite the most broken of souls.

So this begs a question - where would Jesus go to church?  What type of church could you find Jesus today?  Would it be traditional, contemporary, big, small, cool, affluent, poor?  Where would Jesus choose to be?  What type of church could we find Him?

The simple answer can be - His Spirit can be found in any "type" of church.  Yet, there are certain things a church MUST have for Jesus to be dwelling there permanently.  And if they're NOT there, I'm not sure the Spirit of Christ is there either.

Sunday we continue our Lenten series, "Last Days."  We're looking at the Last Days of Jesus' earthly life in the Gospel of Mark.  In them He has some very important things to say to us about how we should live and follow Him.  We've already talked about prayer and Christ as Lord of our lives.  This Sunday we'll see what Jesus has to say about Church.  The title of the message is "Jesus' Traditional Church."  

We hope you, your family, and friends can be there.  And please don't forget, Sunday April 17th, Palm Sunday, Bellwether will be chartered as church.  All who have joined and will join on that day will be charter members.  We're planning a celebration and church-wide lunch afterwards.  We hope you'll invite family and loved ones to be part of that special day.

Have a great weekend, and we hope to see you at our church Sunday....where you'll find Jesus too.   

Our World of Many gods

Jesus lived in a world with many false gods.  He lived in a world under Roman rule.  In it Caesar was considered the supreme god.  After Caesar, there seemed to be a god for everything - love, war, the sea, thunder, etc.  These gods had names - Diana, Apollo, Mercury, Neptune, Athena, Venus, etc. It was a world filled with false gods.

The reason early followers of Christ were persecuted and killed so often, is they refused to worship any other god, or even make a claim there was any god besides Christ.  They would simply be asked to say - "Caesar is lord."  they would reply "Christ is Lord."  And they'd be killed instantly.  

Today, more people would say there is one God than in Jesus' time.  You don't even have to be a Christian to state this.  Agnostics say there is one supreme being.  Other religions adhere to one God - Judaism, Islam.  Even in a religion like Hinduism, which says there are many gods, they still say there is one supreme being who is the "main god."  And of course, as Christians we profess One God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We profess Christ as Lord.  So you'd think that in the world we live in, whether you're Christian or not, most people believe in one God.

Or do they?  Maybe people, even followers of Christ who say they believe in one God, have many gods in their lives.  They choose to worship these gods more than Christ as Lord.  What are these gods?  Money, power, relationships, success, career, and thrill seeking experiences to name a few.  There are other too - a spouse, a child, a marriage, a way of life, a reputation.  If you get down to it, people here and now worship their fair share of gods.

As a Christian, do we put any of them before Christ?  Is He Lord of our life, or is another god?  Jesus said:  "The Lord our God is One Lord.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength."  Mark 12: 30 

That is a lot of love.  Do we love Christ that much?  If we don't, what is getting in our way?  

Our Lenten sermon series is:  "Last Days."  We're looking at the Last Days of Jesus' life before the cross and resurrection.  What He said and commanded of us in those days is crucial to our present and future days.  This Sunday, we'll look at His command to have One God as Lord and to love Him with all we have.  

If you have other gods, I hope Sunday will be your last day to do so.  I hope it will be your first to make Christ your Lord and to love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.  

Christ in a World of Tsunamis

Let's all join together and pray for the people of Japan suffering in the aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami.  

If you are led to give to relief support, please go to our website - www.bellwetherchurch.org. On our home page, there is a link to World Vision & UMCOR: two Christian organizations actively engaged in relief.  You will be able to see what they are currently doing for the victims and opportunities to give.  Bellwether is working on more direct ways to give to those suffering in Japan. We will be communicating about these ways to you in the near future.  

It's difficult to watch scenes of the massive tsunami mowing down everything in its path.  It's tougher to hear the numbers of people who've died, and to imagine homes and lives literally washed away.  This is not the first time we've seen this.  Natural disasters - earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes - seem more and more frequent.    

One of the biggest questions I get as a pastor is:  why does God let these things happen?  How can an all loving, good God, stand by as thousands of people die needlessly.  The question can be boiled down to - why do bad things happen to good people?  You can ask this on a global level of earthquakes or on a personal level of loved ones battling diseases, suffering, and dying. When hit with such times, many people give up on God or lose their faith.

I believe our faith in Christ is relevant and powerful in the midst of bad things, suffering, disasters, and yes even evil itself.  I believe God wants us to live strong lives of faith, amidst tragedy and death.  I believe He has given us the tools to do so by His Spirit and in His Word.

Sunday, we continue our Lenten series "Last Days."  This is an important and vital series for you and our church.  Why?  Because we will look specifically at what Jesus said and did in the last days of His Life leading to the cross.  In those days, we find answers of how to live in Him here and now.  In His Last Days, He shows us how to keep our faith strong in the midst of any tsunami - physical or emotional.  

I hope you'll be with us for worship Sunday.  I hope His last days will lead to your first day of truly believing:  "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any created thing can separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 8: 38

What is Lent?

Thanks to all who were able to be there last night for our services of "Ashes & Communion."  We hope those who attended were able to "turn something over to ashes" and awake to a new life in Christ.

That is what Lent is essentially about.  It is a time - 40 days - where you prepare to start a new life in Christ.  This is accomplished through:  looking inward at your own life, repenting to God of our sins, taking more time to pray, resting in God, and in some cases, giving things up which are unhealthy in our lives.  This can be anything which is holding you back:  addictions, habits, relationships, un-forgiveness, anger, bitterness, resentment.....the list can go on and on.  

So today, as Lent begins, I hope you'll wake up to what is holding you back.  I hope you'll turn to God more and rest in the FACT that He will provide your every need.  I hope these 40 days will be the "Last Days" of your old life, and you will RISE from the ashes to a new life in Christ. 

At Bellwether, our Lenten sermon series will focus on "Last Days."  For the next 6 weeks, we'll literally look at the last days Jesus spent on earth, the last week of His earthly life.  How did He live them?  What did He say?  What did He do?  What message did He want to leave us?  

As we look at His Last Days, we'll give the challenge to make Lent the "Last Days" of our old lives.  Each and every day, Jesus gives us the opportunity to start over.  Will we take Him up on it?  Will today be the last day of your old life?  A life of selfishness or resentment or pride or addiction or hurt or un-forgiveness?  If not today, when?  

In these days of Lent, our prayer is you will come to your Last Days.  And you'll awake to rise to a new days - through Jesus.  Days where you will never be the same again.  Days where you will live fully and abundantly.  

You can begin those days right now.  Will you turn to Christ and start?

Aftermath of Africa

First, thank you all for the prayers & well wishes for Linda and I on our trip to Malawi last week.  It was an exhausting, Spirit filled adventure.  We look forward to sharing about our trip - through our testimonies and video - with you this Sunday at Bellwether.  

The message Sunday will be about much more than our one mission trip to Africa.  A question I've gotten several times over the last few years is:  why go anywhere at all?  Honduras, Uganda, Malawi, India....why go to these far off places?  Isn't there enough needs right here?  The answer is - YES!  There are plenty of needs across Metro Jackson.  In fact, there are more than enough needs in our church family.  We could spend all of our lives simply trying to minister to those we have right now.  

However, that is not what Christ calls us to.  He clearly asks us to go.  Matthew 28: 18 says to - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."  In Acts 1: 8, Jesus says - "you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."  

Jesus is in the business of evangelizing the entire world.  We must do the same.  Jesus is in the business of meeting the needs of the poorest of the poor.  We must do the same.  When you go to these far off places, you witness poverty on a scale much larger than anything we see here.  It can be overwhelming.  It even makes you think - why even try?  There's so many poor people, so many are sick, so many don't have water - why try?  Can't we make much more of an impact where we are? 

Jesus came to meet both the physical and the spiritual needs of people.  And we who have so much, and who claim to be His followers, need to go with the Faith and Power of Christ to do the same.  Whether He calls us to Mississippi or Malawi, we must follow His call.

Last (and perhaps most importantly), we all know people who are unsure about God, Christ, the Church, etc.  They say Christians are all hypocrits.  They hear what we say about believing in Christ, yet they want to see our actions.  They want to really if we will really act on what we say. They are constantly watching.  One of the greatest reasons to GO is to help these people truly SEE Christ in us.  To SEE we believe what we say and will act on it.  That we are willing to go to the ends of the earth for Him.  That we are willing to touch the sick, and love people who speak and talk very differently from us.  And yes, maybe those who are watching won't believe immediately, yet when they see us - going individually and as a church - I believe Christ begins to work to soften their hearts to Him.  

I hope you'll be at Bellwether Sunday.  I hope it will inspire you to be part of our church - a church fully committed to evangelizing the world and touching the poorest of the poor with the Light of Christ.  I hope it will inspire you to open your eyes to a Savior who came to heal spiritually and physically.  I hope it will inspire those of you who always want to stay to wake up and begin to take steps to follow Christ and go.  

We look forward to worshipping together Sunday.  We hope you all can be there.  

Lies of Love

Many of us have heard or seen these stories in books, movies, or tv:  you grow up, you look and hopefully find a person who will be the love of your life and you'll live together for the rest of your lives.  Hopefully, it's happily ever after. Maybe it is.  Many times it's not.  

Or you meet someone, fall in love, fall out of love, get divorced, and find someone else.  You hope for the best.  Then again, 75% of couples who have been divorced once, get divorced again.  Those numbers aren't that strong for marriage.  

Or, you're single, and waiting for that one person who can change your life for the better.  Your holding out hope he, or she, is out there.  But your hope may be fading quickly.  

We've seen and heard many stories about love found, love lost, and love never found.  The question arises:  do people really ever find TRUE love?  

This month, we're teaching a series at Bellwether called "Love, Lies, and Lust - Our Search for a Soul Mate."

If you're looking for love, have lost love, or trying to find someone or something to love, I hope you'll be with us.  I hope you'll invite someone who needs to hear this series.  It is about love.  But it's not anything you can find in our culture or on self-help shows.  It's from the Bible, God's truth.

This Sunday we'll talk about the "lies" of love.  The "lies" we'll get into are:  1) A person here on earth can fulfill our need for love, and 2) that true love is forever.  

Again, instead of looking at lies we can see in our world, we'll look at the truth in God's Word.  I hope you can be with us.  I hope your heart will be open to The Truth.  And most of all, I hope you'll see how much God loves you.