Sunday Thoughts

• Great to have so many people helping with setup this morning...we are all ministers. Thanks everyone! You encourage me. 
• Incredible message today by Christine Caine, Stop Acting Like A Christian and Be One. Check out www.churchatthefalls.com this week to see it.
• Celebrated Communion today. Thank you Jesus!
• God worked in lives today. I love Sunday. Best day of the week.
• I really sense that people are understanding that they can impact their world for Jesus. Momentum is building and lives will be changed.
• Love seeing teens and young adults eager to hear about Jesus.
• Love our band... they do a great job pointing us to God.
• Amazed at all God has done in a short time through His church. Just imagine what our impact will be in 10 years.
• Thankful for many great churches in the Niagara area.
• Thankful for Life Church and all the Network Churches. My friend Patrick at Life Church Franklin just moved into a new much larger building and they blew the doors off. Keep reaching people for Jesus. 
• My health is ok. I am forced to eat a pretty soft diet right now until my Crohn's settles down. Praying for approval on a new medication. Hope to start soon.
• Watching Nascar.
• Getting Sleepy.

Video Update

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Welcome Someone

This Sunday and for that matter each Sunday you can be part of our efforts to reach out to our community. You can do this by being aware of others. By welcoming others. 

This Sunday, reach out to someone you don't know. It might be their first time with us. Say hello, my name is______________  What is your name? Is this your first time here? If I can help you in anyway please let me know. See you next week. It was good to meet you. 

Remember the first time you gathered together with a church? Turn the clock back and be what you needed others to be... welcoming, caring, loving.

Let's be the a church that people cannot resist.

Find The Truth

More and more I am convinced that our society is bent on finding someone who will tell them what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear.

• We don't like the honest prognosis that the doctor gives us, so we find a doctor that will tell us what we want to hear and our health suffers.
  
• We don't like the realtor that tells us our home is worth 10,000 less than we want for it, so we find a realtor that will list our home for the price we want and end up taking an offer for 15,000 less.
• We don't like the teacher that says our child needs to learn to behave in class, so we have our child pulled out of her class and the problem continues on unaddressed by the new teacher.
• We don't like the contractor that tells us we need to remove damp drywall and replace it, so we hire the one that will just fix the surface and we end up with a mold problem.
• We don't like the fellow believer that points us to what God says about our life struggle and we turn to friends that have no interest in God and we wonder why we wreck our lives.
  
• We don't like the America's Got Talent judge that gives honest feedback and we boo him. :-)

Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
People don't like this and they go looking for what they cannot find any where else.

The Bible says the truth will set you free (John 8:32) The truth will set you free from worry, from self destruction, from stupid choices, from addiction, from following a path away from God's plan, from hurt, etc.

Don't shy away from the truth found in the Bible and the truth spoken to you by friends that love God and fill their lives with His truth. Welcome the truth. We need to hear the truth.

Let's Put It Into Action

Here is a great follow up to our talk on Sunday about being part of what God is doing at CATF. Remember what it says in James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Do what God has said and you will find purpose and fulfillment.

Take a few minutes and ponder these questions
http://www.lifechurch.tv/curriculum/behind-the-curtain-lg/3

Keep It Up

Can I encourage you with the following verse I read this morning,

"For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do." Hebrews 6:10 NLT

Keep serving your family, your friends and with your church. God is aware of your hard work and He will not forget you.

Amazing Story Of God At Work Through Church Online

If you were with us last Sunday you got to see a few minutes of Williams story, a man that came to faith in Christ through Church Online. Here is his entire story.
http://internet.lifechurch.tv/2009/08/meet-william/

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Do you struggle with questions about God's presence in the midst of troubles, trials or out right horrible things that have come into your life?

Check out this series of talks by Craig, Habakkuk.

It used to be a few years back that the common way to reach out and touch someone was by phone. Now we have the internet and reaching out to people around the corner or half way around the world got a whole lot easier. How are you taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to your friends, neighbours and family? Have you thought about:

Church Online

or

Past talks that you have heard on Sunday morning. Maybe you can strategically pass along a talk that will help someone with questions or bring healing during a crisis.

or

Giving someone access to the Bible online or on their phone.

Let's use what God has given us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Maybe it's as simple has posting something on your Facebook. Why not go do that right now.

Funny and True

Pastor Perry Noble puts a humorous spin on the disgruntled person who might be part of a growing church. I have seldom had anyone at CATF bring these types of concerns my way, but it is a humorous reminder of where each of us are capable of ending up if we get too self focused. Let's keep up our focus on reaching more for Jesus... that's what it's all about. Enjoy!

Exciting News

Two weeks ago we announced a new series, 5 Easy Steps. That series will be delayed until September. Instead we are going to be part of a series entitled, Behind the Curtain, all about the vision and direction of the Life Church Network. We are part of a network of churches making unprecedented worldwide impact. I know this next series will expand our vision for what God will do both locally and globally. You will be moved by the passion of Craig's messages about our church and the God driven vision for our present and future. Don't miss this Sunday.

Multi Site

My friend Roger Blackmore is the pastor of Church at the Movies in Long Island, NY. Roger has been a pastor for 39 years and nothing is slowing him down. His church under his leadership is taking the a leap from one site to multi site this September. Just a few years back is was unheard of to have one church operating at various locations, but technology has changed that and the realization that we are better stewards of our resources by multiplying what God has already given us. I wonder what God may have for CATF down the road. How can we reach more people by gathering at more than one location in the Niagara Region? Let's trust God for big things.

Here's some thoughts from Roger. http://www.churchatthemovies.com/blog/?p=1364