Happy New Year

Hey Everyone in Blog Land...just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I feel that 2005 was a year of standing. When you look back at a year you can see for what cause everything was. I truly believe that 2006 will be a year of movement and breakthrough. God Bless.

It's a BOY

Many have been hitting this blog and I want to apologize for not blooging more often. I am making no New Year's Resolutions but I am making some GOALS for next year. One of those goals are to be more disciplined in my blogging efforts...So, for those who enjoy this blog you are walking in Blessings. Seriously, I am blogging today to let the World Wide Web know that Tyra (my lovely wife) and I are going to have a BOY. So, Judah is coming first. Thanks for everyone who is praying for us. Continue to do so because I hear the last 4 months can be worse than the first 5. Love all of you. Reese's Cups to Bill and Angela Kinley who are planting a church in Maryland. God Bless you guys.

Yes I am still Alive

Hey everyone. I am still alive and hoping to be a little better at blogging. Today I am going to give my notes from yesterday morning. I must give my sources also....Bryan Cutshall has a great book about "The Legacy of Christmas," and Perry Stone has a wonderful article in his latest magazine about Christmas. With that said here are the notes:
The Legacy of Christmas

Introduction:

It was almost Christmas…Mary was so tired, so pregnant, and still pondering the words of the angel a few months earlier. The rooms in Bethlehem were filled because it was time to pay taxes and take the census. “No Room” was the reply at every door. So Joseph found a cattle stall. It wasn’t much, but at least it was warm and dry. Of course, he had no idea that Mary would deliver her baby that night. This sacred event marked the turning point of history. Have you ever wondered why we don’t celebrate Christmas in a barn? Allow me to tell you the legacy of Christmas.


I. The Celebration of Christmas
a. Celebrated around A.D. 200-almost 200 years after Jesus was born.
b. The word mass means “a gathering”
i. There were public masses, religious masses, and political masses.
ii. The church world adopted this term and began to celebrate different types of religious masses.
iii. In A.D. 200 it was determined that a mass should be held to celebrate the birth of Christ.
iv. So the first “Chirst-mass” was held.
c. The date of Christmas
i. No one knew the exact date of Christ’s birth
ii. A.D. 354 it was decided to make December 25 as the official date to celebrate the birth of Christ.
d. Soon prominent people began to make the gatherings more meaningful
i. Saint Nicholas of Myra-
1. fourth century bishop, traveled throughout Asia Minor giving gifts to orphans and widows.
2. He wore a red robe, standard for a bishop of his day, it was trimmed in white fir because of the cold climate.
3. Story about the farmer
a. Couldn’t pay his debt
b. Going to sell his daughters for slavery
c. Custom to hang their socks (known as stockings in that day) by the fire to dry out during the night.
d. St. Nicholas heard of their struggle and snuck around back of their house which was dug into the ground.
e. Dropped a gold nugget down the chimney thinking the farmer would see it and pay his debt.
f. The nugget bounced into one of the socks
g. The next morning while putting on her socks his daughter found the miracle.
h. News spread and everyone started looking in their stockings for miracle.

II. The Christmas Tree-popular carol-“O Tannebaum, O Tannebaum, how lovely are your branches…”
a. The church began to use various types of symbols to celebrate Christmas.
b. In A.D. 680 St. Boniface, a German bishop, was walking through a field in the dead of winter.
i. He noticed that the trees, grass, and other plant life were leafless and lifeless.
ii. He suddenly saw an evergreen tree.
iii. It was the only tree in the field that looked alive.
iv. He noticed that it seemed to make a point like an arrow pointing upward.
v. It caused him to drop to his knees and praise God.
vi. Knowing he could not bring everyone out to the tree he cut the tree and brought it to them.
vii. He took the magnificent symbol of life back to the church to illustrate how God brings life in the midst of winter.
viii. His sermon was the talk of the town and his object lesson would soon change history.
ix. For months everyone talked about his tree sermon and they began to bring trees into their homes as a reminder to worship God.
x. They called the trees Tannenbaums-meaning evergreen tree.
c. Years later the reformer, Martin Luther, was admiring a starlit night. It motivated him to worship in such a way that he tried to duplicate it by putting candles on his tree. This shrine of inspiration prompted worship in all who admired it. It wasn’t long before many people throughout Germany lit their trees to fill their homes with the inspiration of a starlit night.

III. The Christ-Mass Season Grows-A.D. 700 and Beyond
a. Holly
i. England-Christians noticed that holly was green like the evergreen during the winter.
ii. They began to hang holly on their doors.
iii. When asked about the new strange decoration, they gave this explanation:
1. The holly on the front door is in the shape of the crown of thorns and red berries provided the inspiration note that Christ was born to die for the sins of man.
2. When holly wasn’t available, various types of evergreen branches were used to form the crown of thorns and red ribbons were used to symbolize the flow of blood from the Savior’s head.
3. This is the beginning of the Christmas Wreath.
b. Candles in the Window.
i. Symbolize the star in the sky that pointed the way to the baby in the manger. This baby was the hope of the world.
ii. Soon Christmas became the season of HOPE.
iii. It soon became apparent that the best way to glorify God was through gestures of goodwill.
iv. The candles in the window was to help light the way for the less fortunate of their community.
v. It was also a message that anyone could receive food at that house.
c. The ringing of Christmas Bells.
i. Throughout history the ringing of bells was an alarm system.
ii. It was customary to place bell towers in places that the public might gather.
iii. Many Churches and city halls had bells place atop of their buildings.
iv. The ringing of these bells was for emergency town meetings, fires, or special occasions.
v. The church decided to ring the bells on the eve of the Christmas to alert the devil that the church was alive and well and serving a risen savior.
d. Giving and Receiving Gifts.
i. The origin dates back all the way to the birth of Christ.
ii. It was continued through the church as people would bring a gift and the church would give to the less fortunate.
iii. Later Christian families would give one give to each other
iv. Retailers have capitalized on this generosity and giving today, for many, is an obligation, but it doesn’t have to be with Christ at the center of your Christmas.
e. Christmas Carols
i. The word comes from the Italian word-carolare-a traditional dance routine of circular movements similar to a modern-day square dance.
ii. This dance was performed during special occasions especially during Christmas.
iii. Italian shepherds would come down from the hillsides into the towns and dance the carolare at Christmas to spread joy from house to house.
iv. Later some began to write lyrics to go with the music…these became the first carols.
v. The streets were filled with music, dance, and festivity about the Christ child who was born in a manger to redeem mankind.
f. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song
i. Why would anyone want to give their true love
1. 12 drummers drumming
2. 11 pipes piping
3. 10 lords a leaping
4. 9 ladies dancing
5. 8 maids a milking
6. 7 swans a swimming
7. 6 geese a laying
8. 5 golden rings
9. 4 calling birds
10. 3 french hens
11. 2 turtle doves
12. And a partridge in a pear tree
ii. who would really want 50 people jumping, dancing, and playing drums and pipes, five gold rings, and 23 birds for Christmas?
iii. Orginated in 1558 in a Catholic school room
iv. It was not permitted to own a Bible
v. To speak of scriptures was forbidden unless they were taught by a priest or qualified instructor
vi. The true love of the song is none other than God Himself.
1. Partridge in a Pear Tree-is actually the Savior Hanging on a tree. The original implication was that the partridge was injured and stranded in the tree.
2. 2 Turtledoves-Old Testament and New Testament
3. 3 French Hens-3 great virtues faith, hope, and love.
4. 4 calling birds-four gospels declaring the Good News
5. 5 Golden Rings-were actually golden threads that weaved the first 5 books of the bible together called the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
6. 6 geese a laying-six days of creation
7. 7 swans a swimming-7 gifts of the spirit. We understand nine today but in that day wisdom and knowledge and gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues were combined. The swimming reminded them of the Holy Spirit’s symbol of water.
8. 8 maids a milking-eight Beatitudes taught by Christ. They had to do with serving which made milking maids the ideal resemblance.
9. 9 ladies dancing-nine aspects of the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit produces a life of love, joy, and peace as portrayed in the ladies’ festive dance.
10. 10 lords a leaping-the Ten Commandments. Laws were heralded by lords, thus reminding them of the ten laws of God.
11. 11 pipers piping-11 faithful disciples. Christ led them like a piper leads a group.
12. 12 drummers drumming-12 points to their Apostles’ Creed.
vii. So if you sang it according to it’s meaning.
1. 12 rules of living
2. 11 disciples
3. 10 great commandments
4. 9 fruits of the spirit
5. 8 Beatitudes
6. 7 gifts of the spirit
7. 6 days of Creation
8. 5 Books of the Law
9. 4 Books of Gospel
10. 3 Christian virtues
11. 2 Testaments
12. And a Savior hanging on a tree.

As Promised

As promised Last night in the service here are the scripture for the doctrinal beliefs of the church of God.

Repentance. Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19.
Justification. Romans 5:1; Titus 3:7.
Regeneration. Titus 3:5.
New birth. John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9.
Sanctification subsequent to justification. Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:12.
Holiness. Luke 1:75; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Hebrews 12:14.
Water baptism. Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9, 10; John 3:22, 23; Acts 8:36, 38.
Baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to cleansing; the enduement of power for service. Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49, 53; Acts 1:4-8.
The speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance as the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost. John 15:26; Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:1-7.
The Church. Exodus 19:5, 6; Psalm 22:22; Matthew 16:13-19; 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47; 7:38; 20:28; Romans 8:14-17: 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 12:12-31; 2 Corinthians 6:6-18; Ephesians 2:19-22; 3:9, 21; Philipians 3:10; Hebrews 2:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:6, 7; Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17.
Spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:1, 7, 10, 28, 31; 1 Corinthians 14:1.
Signs following believers. Mark 16:17-20; Romans 15:18, 19; Hebrews 2:4.
Fruit of the Spirit. Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22, 23; Ephesians 5:9; Philippians 1:11.
Divine healing provided for all in the Atonement. Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:17; James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24.
The Lord's Supper. Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11 : 2 3 - 2 6.
Washing the saints' feet. John 13:4-17; 1 Timothy 5:9, 10.
Tithing and giving. Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42 ; 1 Corinthians 16:2 ; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 ; Hebrews 7:1-21.
Restitution where possible. Matthew 3:8; Luke 19:8, 9.
Premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the dead saints and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years. Zechariah 14:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 14, 15; Revelation 5:10; 19:11-21; 20:4-6.
Resurrection. John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:5, 6.
Eternal life for the righteous. Matthew 25:46; Luke 18:30; John 10:28; Romans 6:22; 1 John 5:11-13.
Eternal punishment for the wicked. No liberation nor annihilation. Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 3:29; 2 Thessalonians 1: 8, 9; Revelation 20:10-15; 21:8.

Land Part 3

Part 3...What an awesome day to be living in. God is doing so much in our midst and we are so excited about everything God is placing before us. If you have been keeping up with the story of our land you know we are in some awesome opportunities. So now....on with the story.
As a church we continued to pray about the land. We knew that this was the will of God for us. As we agreed to purchase the land several other factors began to surface. Our first payment for the land would be $40,000. I went to our books and saw that we had $30,000 in the building fund. This left us close, if not a little over, $10,000 short. That next Sunday morning (remember this was also right around Christmas time...the worst time to try and ask for money) I went to our congregation with the plan. I told them that the owner of the land had called and offered us the land. I told them that we were $10,000 short of the goal for our first payment. I knew that this was an awesome deal for us because of all the money we would save on interest. That morning with a little over 75 people in church, I watched as God moved on the hearts of His people and $10,000 was raised to make the first payment complete.
To get $10,000 from any church in one Sunday morning is a tremendous feat...but to get it from a young church like ours with less than 100 people is truly a "God thing."
Once the decision was made to purchase the land I thought the battle was over. Boy, was I wrong. As we celebrated the awesome provision of the Lord we began to hear "things" about the land. The first thing we heard was that there was a lot of trash dumped on that property. Not knowing much I wasn't sure what that meant so I began to ask around to several of our men in the church who knew about issues like this. One man, who works for a reputable construction company, volunteered to become our project manager. He told me that if trash had been dumped that it would cost us a lot of money to pull all the trash out and "repack" the dirt. He said we need to have a machine come in and pack this land. Basically, we needed to have a compaction test done. I asked him to meet with the owner so we could all talk. This way we know exactly what has and what hasn't been done. I asked the church to start praying. He and I went to meet with th owner. The owner told us that everything dumped on that land was good dirt. He said each time he personally had a sheep's foot come in and compact the land. My friend looked at me and said...that's exactly what I was going to do and he's already done that.
As stated last month we were already aware of the "flood plain" issue. As a young pastor I had no idea what having land in the flood plain really meant. We were told that we would not be able to build on the land because of this issue. This was a terrible blow to us because of our excitement. I remember going to church on a Wednesday night to tell the people to start praying. I knew that if we prayed God could work miracles on our behalf conerning this land. We (the church) knew no matter what we heard, God was in control.
We continued to research the issue through a local engineering company. This company had been hired by the previous owner to find out the status of the land. As you can imagine this was a touch and go process but we continued to pray.
After a couple of days our project manager was contacted by the engineering company. After their conversation he called me and said, "Pastor you are not going to believe this." I said, "Try me." They told him that in the 70's the property was placed in the flood plain. Since that time, KMart and Publix built, Clemson Blvd. had been widened, and a movie theater built. All this construction has cause our property to be brought out of the flood plain. As best as they can tell there is only a portion (maybe 50 feet right at the creek) that is still considered flood plain. Right then I began to shout. I know that not everyone believes in shouting; but when you begin to think that God in all His knowledge knew in the 70's that a church would need this piece of property and began the process by which would cause this land to be useable for us. That's enough to make you want to shout. God is so good to us and to all His children. I am sure though the past several years people thought about this property and wondered about it...and all the while God was using businesses to bless His people. Kmart and Publix could have built anywhere but God knew what He was doing. If you are facing a situation today let this encourage you to know that God is in TOTAL CONTROL!

Land Part 2

On with the story...As the real estate agent reluctantly drove us to some of the more prominent business property I could tell he wasn't convinced we would be able to acquire land there. We turned down a road and there sitting on a piece of property with "main road visibility" was a huge FOR SALE sign. As we got closer I could feel the Holy Spirit speaking to me that this was the land we have been looking for. We turned onto the land and sitting there I could see the main thoroughfare with awesome visibility. I could see our church sitting there among KMart, Publix, Chick Fil-A (you know that's got to be God), and OCharly's. We were sitting, not on 2 acres or even 5, but 7 acres of property that could have been sold for at least several hundred thousand dollars. It seemed as if God has protected this land from everyone.
Being nestled right off the main Boulevard yet having visibility, caused this land to be perfect for us. As we left the agent began to tell me a little about the property. He said that it had been told to him that it was in a flood plain causing the land to be virtually useless. As I listened to his "expertise" I knew God had already prepared the land for us.
I told the agent that since the land was "For Sale by Owner" that I would contact the owner and see what I could work out. I wanted the agent to know that we would pay him for his time and effort but I felt the urgency to deal with this matter directly with the owner.
That evening while driving to church I called the owner. We spoke for several minutes about the property and my plans to build a church. I asked him about the price. He said we are asking $225,000. I knew that even that was out of our reach. As I continued to talk with this man about our church and all that we are trying to do for this city he blurted out, I can sell the land for $180,000. God is so good that before I could ask for a reduced price this guy offered.
I told him that we would think about it and I would call him back soon. That night at church I felt an urgency to go pray on the land. I told one of my members to go get me 3 gallons of anointing oil. That night about 75 people walked that property and asked God for provision and favor.
The next morning I was speaking with a man who my dad worked for. He asked me about our church and if we had found any land. I told him about this piece of property. He said, "Who owns that land?" I told him and come to find out...this guy and the owner of the land are friends. He asked me what I was willing to pay. I said, "Well I need to purchase the land for $150,000. I need owner financing for 3 years with no interest." I knew at this young age the church would be hard pressed to receive financial backing from any bank. He told me that it was a hard bargain but that he would call him and ask him. As you might have expected the owner of the land thought we were crazy too, but he agreed to think about our offer.
The next morning was Christmas Eve. I was waking up thinking about all the days activities Tyra and I had planned for that day.
Early that morning my dad received a call from the owner. He began to tell my dad about the previous night. He told my dad and I quote, "God has kept my wife and I up all night thinking about you and your church." He continued to tell my dad that they felt God wanted us to have this property. Later that day I called the owner and discussed our buying of the land. Without hesitation he began to tell me what he could do to make this possible. He told me that he and his wife had talked it over and this is what they came up with. They would sell us the land for $160,000. We would pay them $40,000 at closing, $40,000 next year, and $80,000 the 3rd year. They would not charge us any interest. They also told me that they knew this was what God wanted. ***(Continued Next Month)

The next three Blogs are repeats from our Newsletter on the Purchase of our Land...Hope you Enjoy!

God is AWESOME! It's so amazing to watch as God intricately weaves together His plan for our lives. As many of you know Tyra and I started a church in Anderson, SC two years ago. During that time we have watched as God has put together a group of people to see Anderson radically changed for Jesus Christ.
We started this church in our home with only 10 people. As it began to grow we needed additional space to accommodate the people. God was so good. He provided a 2500 square foot building right in the middle of the major business district in Anderson. This building would normally rent for well over $2000.00 a month but in God's time and way we got it for nearly half that.
About a year ago we began realizing that we needed more space. Our current sanctuary will only sit around 100. So we leased another building in the strip mall where we were located. We would use the additional space for our growing children's ministry. This would give us a total of 4000 square feet. As you could imagine that bought us some time but not much.
Eight months ago we had to start entertaining the thoughts of 2 services. At the printing of this newsletter we are on the verge of having to make two services available for our people. This brings me to how God provided such awesome things for us at CIOC.
Four months ago I began a search for land in our area. I had a conviction to stay near to where we are now. To do this many told me that land would be so expensive that we, a small church (what do they know), would not be able to afford it. I still knew what God had spoken to me. I always talk about my love for Wal-Mart (LOL) but I feel that if Wal-Mart can buy the best piece of property in town then God's House should be able to do the same.
I began looking and what I found out confirmed what I had been told. Land, not on the major road in town but a block or two off, was being sold for over $250,000.00 per acre. I knew that we needed at least 5 acres to begin with but at prices so cheap (sarcasm) I thought we should settle for 2. I began to make preparations for 2 acres although I knew we needed at least five. It's funny how when faced with opposition you will many times lessen your vision to accommodate what you see.
I found several pieces of property that would do but their location was far off the "beaten" path. I knew in my heart that God was going to give us land right where everything was being built in Anderson. I wanted God's house to be seen. I was not going to allow the devil to force us out of our vision. I began to pray. And God began a work in Anderson that has been utterly amazing.
The week before Christmas I called a Real Estate agent I knew. He took me to the cheaper out of the way properties. I told him I wanted to be in the middle of everything. If Best Buy can be on the Boulevard, So can I. He chuckled but decided to appease me. What happened next was simply a God thing. Until next month remember Tyra and I love you very much. *********Continued next month.