Night Time Prayers

2:00 AM Okay God, I’m up and yes the burning in my spirit continues. Millions of people are sleep walking in a catatonic trance with messed up lives and they need Jesus. Some have isolated themselves from community to deal with their private pain. Others are oblivious to the ache in their soul because they have mistaken emptiness for ambition. They cover the pain with fake smiles, weak “I’m fine how are you?” and placebo medications. They try and satisfy the emptiness in their gut with knowledge, accomplishment and power. Draw near to them Lord Jesus, met them at their point of pain. Fill the emptiness with words “I love you” from your lips. Save them I pray from themselves and give them peace. Draw them into a relationship with you……….


2:53 AM I’m back Lord. There are couples sleeping in the same bed but they are thousands of miles apart. Some live under the same roof but they might as well be strangers who meet on the street. Others are engaged in WW III. Vicious warfare has created gaping, bleeding wounds in body, mind and soul. Children bury their heads under a pillow to drown out the vile bickering and yelling. Whether it be a cold war or brutal battle send Peace into those homes. Send in angels of mediation and demand a cease fire. Bring husband and wives to the table of reason, humility, and forgiveness. Do a new thing in them Father. Save them from imminent destruction, if nothing else for the children. Teach them how to give and receive love. Heal them I pray…….

3:38 AM I praise you O God for the St. Matthew faithful who are planning on inviting their unchuched neighbors, friends and family to your place of worship. In the name of Jesus Christ, prepare the hearts of those whose names are on this stack of cards I hold. Create a hunger in their spirit so they are ready to say “yes” when they are invited to attend worship or a small group. Give wisdom to our St. Matthew family as they look for the right moment to extend an invitation. Let them know when to speak and when to listen, when to press on and when to back off, when to invite and when to follow up. Use these your servants I pray to share the love and grace of Jesus day after day after day after day. Move them to care for, respect and love people where they are in their life journey………

5:31 AM  Ok, I’m up for good Lord and Hallowed be your name. I praise you for giving me a safe place to live, eat, work and pray. I praise you for my beloved wife and three sons. I praise you for surrounding me with great friends, an awesome staff and a great church. I am blessed beyond measure. My life is so rich. I have the best parents in the world, sisters whose families love the lord and in laws who I love like blood relatives. I live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth. I can breathe. I can see. I can hear. I can taste. I can feel. Thank you God for life and as you open your Word before me this morning, teach me something new about you. Teach me how to follow Jesus. Teach me how to lead our church family to the place of promise you had in mind at our conception. For 39 nine years we have stood at the river, ready to cross over. We are ready Lord. Take us to the other side that we might dwell in the land of milk and honey, where people are saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and living 24/7 for you Lord……..Teach me, guide me, love me………..and help me do for others what you have done and are doing even now for me….…….. You lead and I will follow………..

6:01 AM  One more thing.......As your folowers and seekers arise this morning, grant them joy. Fill their homes with your presence. Greet them as soon as they are moving about. And fill them with the expectation that today you are going to do something new in thier lives......In Jesus name.....Amen.

                                   
Peace,
Rick

Modified Weekend Worship Schedule

Make Over Weekend November 6-7

Modified Worship Schedule

Saturday

6:00 PM Contemporary

Sunday

8:15 AM Traditional

9:30 AM Contemporary

11:00 AM Traditional & Contemporary

Trial Period: Assess by Easter 2011

In November 2009, your session decided that we would launch a second Sunday morning Contemporary Worship service in 2010 for the purpose of reaching new people for Christ. This decision will come to fruition on the 39th birthday of St. Matthew, November 7, 2010 at 11:00 AM.

This was a God led, prayer driven decision influenced by gathered facts and current data. In the spring of 2010, we began the diligent work of determining the best time to host the new service. Our intuition was validated by prayer, listening to the unchuched , local and national research. All sources revealed that 11:00 Sunday morning contemporary worship is the best time and music style to attract the unchurched.

We began in earnest May 2010 having conversations with the church body, seeking creative insight as to how to launch this service with minimal negative impact among our own congregation, particularly 10:55 traditional worshippers. Based on the worship surveys taken in the summer of 2009 and the feedback received in the summer of 2010, your session and staff jointly agreed upon a schedule that consolidated our 8:15 and 10:55 traditional service into a single service at 8:30.

Since the announcement of that schedule, the grief and inability of many long time 10:55 traditional worshippers to attend an 8:30 service became apparent. Your session being wise and compassionate, revisited the proposed worship schedule and revised as above.

It is not uncommon for large churches to have simultaneous services where the message is viewed by live video feed in more than one location. We are not financially prepared to launch such an ambitious endeavor by November 7t,h so though the message will be the same in all five services, there will be rotating messengers in the 11:00 traditional service. After the new contemporary service has been solidified, I will join the 11:00 Traditional service message rotation. We will continually evaluate the simultaneous worship format and asses s the viability of such a plan by Easter 2011.

It is my personal hope and prayer that someone will soon be God led to provide the funding needed to facilitate the live feed. Rotating messengers means a program staff person will be reserving preparation time to deliver a message I have written. That means some of their primary duties will be ignored because in good conscience I will not ask any of our staff to add anymore hours to their work week on a regularly basis. Research and history indicate that congregants prefer the consistency of a primary messenger. Furthermore, off sight satellite campuses are in our future; live feed capabilities accelerate the reality of this vision and would even enable us to provide a message to churches that are in between pastors.

Our great God has given us a great vision, a powerful purpose, an awesome congregation and called out a tremendous leadership team. I am humbled to serve alongside such a large group of godly men and women. I trust they are listening to God and I am confident that we are headed in the right direction. Praise be to God for such a hard working, spirit filled loving session and staff!! Thank them every chance you get because they are doing a marvelous job.

Thirty nine years ago 6 families left their home churches to start a new church. They prayed, gathered resources, sacrificed, deliberated where and when and then invited their neighbors and friends. St. Matthew was born. We are here today because of their sacrifice and commitment to glorify God by reaching the lost and unchurched for Jesus Christ. It is out turn to do the same. Let’s do it!

TGIM, Rick