We continued our series on the book of Joshua by teaching out of Joshua 5 this week at Center City Church. It's here we find that Joshua pauses to restore a covenant with God made by his ancestors and see again that God is fighting on their behalf.[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19374912 w=398&h=299]

One of my initial responses to this weekend at Center City is how much enjoyment Dara and I get from simply doing life with this church. We had another great service today. We worshiped together and then simply opened Joshua 5 and worked our way through the entire chapter. The people responded to the challenge of God's Word and then we prayed for the sick and hurting. We believed together for miracles. And then we had a wonderful couple of hours of chatting, eating and enjoying each others company. I am blown away by how much satisfaction I feel from being a part of what God is doing in this...

We have entered a new season of ministry at Center City Church. Faith is running at an all time high and we are expecting God to do miracles each time we gather and in our every day lives. God has really challenged us to step out in faith and pray for people to be healed from both physical and emotional ailments. And we are doing just that tomorrow morning in our service. I believe that God responds to our level of faith. And I'm believing that the sick are going to be healed, the broken are going to be restored and salvation will be found for all that call on the name of the Lord. I've...

Imagine you are the silver. God is the silversmith. And he has great intentions to form you into something beautiful. In this framework, read Proverbs 25:4: "Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith." God has an incredible plan for your life and mine. He wants to do something with our lives that we simply cannot accomplish on our own. He sees potential. He sees beauty. But there absolutely must be a time of purification before he can use us. Unpurified silver becomes weak and cannot stand the test of time and elements. It must be purified to be...

Mondays have a bad rap. Here's a little encouragement from the parking lot of Goodyear: [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19134434 w=398&h=299]

In the midst of an incredible miracle, Joshua leads the nation of Israel in an act of remembrance to honor God. Joshua 4 is yet another example of the leadership of Joshua and carries incredible application to our lives. Click the link below to view this week's sermon: Joshua - Stones of Remembrance. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19112966 w=398&h=299]

We experienced a subtle and peaceful touch of God's presence today at Center City Church. While last week was extremely passionate and exciting, this week was filled with the stillness of God's power. No less impacting. Deeply meaningful. As I looked across the room today, I wondered what all God was doing in the hearts of people today. I look forward to getting updates from the people in our church to see what God did in their hearts this week. People lingered after the service and worshiped for a while after service ended and we all enjoyed the sweetness of God's presence. We haven't...

I wanted to personally invite anyone that has been considering joining us at Center City Church. We will be gathering tomorrow morning at Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School (click here for directions) at 11am. If you found this blog via the postcard we sent out in the mail this week, know that we have been praying for you as your search for a church or your exploration into matters of faith continues. We'd love to have you join us tomorrow...hope to see you in the morning!

I am heading to bed tonight praying for our neighbors. If you are our neighbor, that means I am praying for you. We just sent out a postcard to our community. Maybe you received it and found your way to this blog. The postcard was simply a handwritten note that said that we'd love to meet you. And I genuinely mean that. I am praying that you find satisfaction in your heart for every longing. I am praying that questions are answered. I am praying that brokenness is replaced with healing. And I believe that all of these things are found in relationship with Jesus.I am praying that if you have...

The dream to start Center City Church took years to come to pass. And every step along the way was God's gracious restraint of holding back the fulfillment of the dream to see it develop. Be encouraged today that if God has placed a dream in your heart, it will come to pass! There is much to learn along the way, so enjoy the journey. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19000467 w=398&h=299]