From Me To You

I have been spending the last few days relaxing and hanging out with family. It was fun to have a whole weekend where my undivided attention went to my family.

Today I thought I would sneak back in and ask how your holidays were or are going?

Anything I should know about, pray about, laugh about, cry about?

Let me know...and Happy Holidays!

Christmas Blogging Break

Hey Friends,

For those of you who are regulars around here...thanks for taking the time to check in every so often. I am deeply grateful for each of you. (Especially you mom...I never knew you would figure out how to get on here.)

I've decided to take a short break from blogging during the Holidays.

I pray you have a blessed Christmas with your loved ones.

I'll be back on here sometime after I return from watching my Frogs play in the Fiesta Bowl.

Merry Christmas,
Brandon

NewLifers:

• Don't forget no Sunday service on December 27. And our students are not meeting on December 30.
• Join us January 3 as we kick off the new year together with a brand new series: You Don't Have What It Takes.

LifeImpact Christmas Outreach

Last night some incredibly cool people that I'm blessed to call friends from NewLife joined up together with volunteers from other organizations to make sure The Community Storehouse's Christmas outreach was a success.



Praise God...through the Community Storehouse's efforts we learned tonight that over 750 famlies in need are now going to have a Christmas.

So glad we get to partner with them to help meet the needs in our community.

BIG thanks to those who showed up last night from NewLife to help!
You're the cats meow. =)

God of Second Chances

Check this video out of Los. One of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. So moving...



If you listen carefully at the end you can hear Carlos saying this to Danny.“Keep trying to make it man.”
He looked him square in the eye…cocked his head sideways with a confused look on his face…and said,“Trying to make it? No man. I ain’t trying to make it…I’m making it. Jah puts His soldiers everywhere. Jah says, Yea though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death… So He places some of us, in that valley.”

Game, set, match…

You can read more about it on Carlos' blog here.

Christmas

I love singing Christmas songs in church. Today's Christmas service at NewLife was so much fun and we get to do it all over again on Christmas Eve at 6:30pm.

For those of you who have been burned by church, feel too far gone to come back, or have just been busy please go to a Bible believing church for Christmas Eve, sing some songs, & reconnect with God & His people.

We'd love to see you at NewLife, but we know we're not for everybody so just find a church home that you can be a part of.

For directions to NewLife click HERE.

Really?

Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD...

$448,576.32 To Plant Churches

We are extremely excited to announce for the first time publicly to the One Prayer Network, that together, we have raised a total of $448,576.32 for the One Prayer movement!

That is almost half of a million dollars used specifically to plant churches in limited access countries, to disciple new believers and to radically change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. We are truly honored by the sacrifice of the One Prayer churches during this difficult financial season for many.

Already since the first run of One Prayer two years ago…over (wait for it)…1,800 NEW CHURCHES HAVE BEEN PLANTED in China, Sudan, Cambodia, and India!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I totally ripped this off from Rob Wegner. It's on his blog. I just wanted you to see it.

Matthew 28:18-20 - Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Save The Humans

This weekend we're going to continue our current series Save The Humans.
God is depending on us to help Save the Humans!

All of our gifts, talents, resources, and abilities have been given to us so that we can make a difference in the lives of those who need it the most in our communities and beyond.

We have to realize:

• There are people all around us who are in danger.
• They don't know they are in danger...someone has to tell them.

When we truly begin to understand the urgency of their situation I pray it helps us put aside what others might think of us and be that we would be willing to put ourselves out there to warn them of the danger that they are in and unaware of.

That's what we're called to do...

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Romans 10:14-17

Waking Up With A Brain Tumor

Thanksgiving was supposed to be a normal holiday spending time with family. But instead, Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church, had a seizure. Within days he found out about a 2" tumor and impending brain surgery.

Hear about this in Matt's own words...



I wonder how I would respond knowing I was stepping into a surgery that might take my life?

Do you ever think about that?