C Squared's World » Church http://www.csquaredsworld.com Random stuff from yours truly. Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:00:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Christmas http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/12/24/christmas/ http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/12/24/christmas/#comments Fri, 24 Dec 2010 23:37:06 +0000 Chris http://www.csquaredsworld.com/?p=169 From Luke, chapter 2, verses 1-20 (the true Christmas story):

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

As you open presents today or tomorrow, remember the true reason for our celebration this Christmas. To celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who came to this earth and died for us so that we may have everlasting life. He came so we can be forgiven of our sins! That is amazing! I, for one, know I can never repay this debt, and I know I’m not worthy of it. But, I am so blessed to have a loving God like this, so that I can have a chance at eternal life in Heaven! That’s pretty amazing!

Merry Christmas everyone.

And, as always, be blessed!

Chris

]]> http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/12/24/christmas/feed/ 0 Something to Remember http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/11/26/something-to-remember/ http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/11/26/something-to-remember/#comments Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:02:15 +0000 Chris http://www.csquaredsworld.com/?p=163 So, Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is now upon us. A lot of us will be running to the stores today for those great Black Friday deals. We’ll be listening to Christmas music and spending the next 28 days trying to find gifts for our loved ones and friends. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I’ve already started myself. I’ve already bought my girlfriend something for Christmas and will have stuff for my family before too long. That said, I want to leave you with something to remember as you get started today, or whenever you plan on starting.

I want to remind you of the true Christmas story. No, not the one with Ralphie shooting his eye out with his Red Ryder BB gun. I’m talking about the one where Jesus Christ was sent to this world to die for our sins. I want everyone to remember that the true reason we should celebrate this season is because God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us on the cross so that we could live eternally in Heaven. It’s not about the presents. It’s about a loving God and His son who love us so much to give us the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins and to live in Heaven.

Luke 2:8-14 says this:

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

This is what it’s all about. This was the start of it. The birth of Christ has given us a chance to have our lives changed through Him.

1 John 4:9 says:
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Yes. This is the true meaning of Christmas. As you shop today, tomorrow, and up until Christmas day, keep this in mind. Thanksgiving may be over, but this is definitely something to be thankful for every single day.

If you want to hear more about the true Christmas story, come to Foundations Church (5840 S. Hudson) this Sunday, or tune in live at www.fctulsa.tv. This will be something you definitely don’t want to miss.

As always, be blessed!

Chris

]]> http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/11/26/something-to-remember/feed/ 0 Pride http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/10/19/pride/ http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/10/19/pride/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:56:31 +0000 Chris http://www.csquaredsworld.com/?p=157 So, who here has a pride issue? Yea, come on, don’t be prideful! I don’t know about the rest of you, but yes, I have issues with pride. I don’t like to ask for help on most things because I feel I need to demonstrate my independence. But there’s a problem with my thinking. Let me explain from beginning to end.

I always feel I need to demonstrate my independence. I feel bad when I have to ask for help in some way, shape or form. I feel I have to demonstrate it at work, with my family, and this gets me to the big one: my independence in my Christian walk. Wait, independence in my Christian walk? That doesn’t even make sense. This past week at Foundations Church, Justin talked about “Pack Mule Disease”. Yes, pack mule disease. You keep piling things on you and refuse to ask for help. That’s prideful. One of the points Justin got across was to admit you need help. We have to let go of our pride, especially when it comes to areas in our Christian walks, and ask God for help.

Remember you have a God who loves you and will help you through anything! Let go and let him help!

As always, be blessed!

Chris

]]> http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/10/19/pride/feed/ 0 Getting Back to Basics http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/08/27/getting-back-to-basics/ http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/08/27/getting-back-to-basics/#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 04:58:58 +0000 Chris http://www.csquaredsworld.com/?p=139 I realize more and more in my Christian walk that sometimes you can get so caught up in the “holier than thou” attitude and suddenly think you’re better than everyone else. That’s not what it’s about. A relationship with Christ doesn’t automatically make you better than everyone else just because you think it’s supposed to. I’ve been guilty of this on many occasions. I can’t think that anymore. It’s time to get back to basics.

Getting back to basics, for me, entails re-examining what I’m supposed to do on my Christian walk. My problem is I think I know what God has in store for me, but I really don’t. He knows what He’s got in store for me, and all I need to do is follow the path He has laid out for me, of course with guidance from Him. My goal shouldn’t just be to help myself continue on my walk and better my relationship with God, but to help others form a relationship, be it for the first time or as a re-commitment. There is no “Holier than thou” attitude there. The Bible says in several places that we should be doing good things with our lives. One of those should be to help reach lost people. Listening in church, I’ve heard Justin say this so many times, and he’s right. And it’s time I acknowledged that.

Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God’s workmanship, and that he has created us to do great things, which He has planned out for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says He knows the plans He has for us, and that those plans will prosper, not harm, us, and give us a bright and glorious future. It’s time to get back to basics and put my definition of what my life has in store for me into God’s hands and let Him tell me what He says I should do. I’m not going to turn my life into a crusade to run around and proclaim I’m better than everyone, because that’s not what it’s about. I’m a child of God, and I will follow the plan He has for me. This will take time, but as long as He guides me and shows me what I’m supposed to do, I know I’ll prevail.

Philippians 4:13 (MSG) – Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

As always, be blessed!

Chris

]]> http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/08/27/getting-back-to-basics/feed/ 2 Camp Destin: The Final 2 Days http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/17/camp-destin-the-final-2-days/ http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/17/camp-destin-the-final-2-days/#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:47:11 +0000 Chris http://www.csquaredsworld.com/?p=134 So, the final two days of Camp Destin were plain out crazy awesome! Shawn Reine hit it and hit it hard! He did an incredible job! I loved seeing how God had worked in the lives of the youth groups there. I’ll tell you this, I’m pretty stinking excited for next year. It’s been amazing.

I was able to get on the beach and swim in the ocean a little. The beaches were beautiful. No sign of oil anywhere!

But my favorite part wasn’t the beaches, or the ocean. My favorite part was all the services. My favorite part was watching the wonderful things that was happening at camp. It was AWESOME! The support system I saw from the youth to their friends who got saved was overwhelming. I loved seeing it.

I’m really looking forward to next year. But I’m also looking forward to tomorrow at Foundations Church. It’s going to be mind blowing! Bring a friend! You’ll love it!

As always, be blessed!
Chris

]]> http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/17/camp-destin-the-final-2-days/feed/ 0 Camp Destin: Day 2 http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/14/camp-destin-day-2/ http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/14/camp-destin-day-2/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:00:45 +0000 Chris http://www.csquaredsworld.com/?p=132 So, yesterday was day 2 here at Camp Destin. It was crazy awesome. Started out with a morning service for the youth that was kind of laid back. We had some acoustic worship sung by some of the band and had Shawn speak again. He gave the youth the sex talk. It was a good service. Afterward, had some lunch and went to the beach. Oh, man, it’s beautiful out there! I got a little burnt (on my face, left hand and my feet), but swimming in the ocean was fun. I was tired after that. We had a great evening service last night. Shawn did a great job. I’m still so amazed at what God is doing with these young people. We still have tonight and all tomorrow too, which makes me even more excited! It’s just been an amazing trip. I’ll be honest, I don’t want to come back home! I love seeing this!

This is a short post, but expect another tomorrow!

As always, be blessed!

Chris

]]> http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/14/camp-destin-day-2/feed/ 0 Camp Destin: Day 1 http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/13/camp-destin-day-1/ http://www.csquaredsworld.com/2010/07/13/camp-destin-day-1/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:15:49 +0000 Chris http://www.csquaredsworld.com/?p=130 So, I’m going to annoy a lot of you by doing this, but I hope to write a little bit each day about what I’ve seen here at Camp Destin. For those who don’t know, I took a week of vacation and went to Destin, FL with Foundations Church (WHAT UP!) to help run sound for the camp. This is a youth camp, and several different youth camps from churches all over the country come to be a part of it. Here’s a rundown of what happened Sunday and yesterday.

Sunday evening, we left for Destin. It was a long van ride but well worth it! I will give you all a piece of advice: Do not ride in the back seat of a van while it’s hauling a trailer. You talk about getting bumped around! I only got 4 hours of sleep the whole trip!

Monday we got here about 10:30 AM. We set up and were at it for a good 3 or 4 hours. I was tired last night! I slept great! But, now, onto the good stuff.

Last night was the first service. It was awesome to see all the youth standing up and going with the countdown while it was going. Shannon and the worship team did an excellent job last night. Aside from an annoying pop in the sound system (which traced back to a bad mic cord), things went flawlessly. I can’t remember the speaker’s entire name, but Shawn (or Sean, whichever is correct), did an excellent job. He mainly directed his message to the youth but there were some things I took out of it. The altar call was really moving. I haven’t seen so many people pull someone aside and pray for them in a long time, until last night. It was amazing to see how God was moving these young people and bringing them to the path He laid out for them. It was truly truly mind-blowing! I enjoyed it! I think we have a good group of people and it’s going to be awesome to see how God moves them the rest of this week. I’m truly excited and I feel truly blessed to be a part of this. I can’t think of a better way to spend vacation! It’s truly an amazing experience! Have I said that enough? No, I don’t think so!

Pray for the worship team tonight to help move souls here at camp, and to bring youth who need to commit or re-commit their lives to Christ forward. Pray for the speaker as he does the same thing. It’s an awesome life-changing experience!

As always, be blessed! More to come tomorrow!

Chris

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