by David Docusen | December 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
The generosity of our church family and friends in Charlotte and around the world is what keeps us moving forward as a church family. And for that, I’m incredibly grateful.
I’m asking that our friends and family would consider giving a one time, year-end gift to help us continue to fulfill our vision of making disciples at home and across the world. Your generosity at the end of 2013 is the financial foundation for our church to move into 2014.
Any gift is greatly appreciated and every dollar given to Center City Church is put toward continuing to fulfill our vision of making disciples at home and across the world. Thanks for your consideration!.
Click here to give online via PayPal or refer to the graphic below for more options.
by David Docusen | December 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
Our church family is a community of hopeless, helpless and depraved sinners. I’m not sure what I expected when I got into pastoral ministry, but I’m realizing more and more that a community of faith, simply put, is a community of sinners. Liars and cheaters are two accurate descriptors of all of us. And here’s what I’m realizing even more: I’m the leader of the pack.
Without Jesus as the sole focus of our attention, we can easily move toward the desires of our own flesh. The enticement of the world is incredibly appealing. The Kingdom of God teaches us to consider others before ourselves, but that’s not nearly as satisfying to the flesh as going after what satisfies the desires of our hearts quickly and temporarily. Instant gratification is a lot more convenient than patiently waiting for the promise of perfect satisfaction from God.
Sunday afternoons can sure be a striking transition. After being led in a time of focused worship, we can quickly move toward selfish motives, desires and actions. All it takes is fixing our eyes on ourselves instead of the One that saves, rescues and restores our hearts.
If we are so easily swayed, what is the remedy?
I think part of it is just coming to the conclusion that a community of faith is a community of sinners. The common bond that holds the Kingdom of God together, however, is the unexpected, unreasonable grace that is shown to such a community by the love, power and forgiveness of Jesus.
My heart has been rescued by Jesus. But that doesn’t mean I can’t move back into my old ways. If I remember that I am a sinner, it helps me to remember that I need the continued grace of Jesus to move forward with my days. I mess up. So do you. And if we realize that we’re a community, flawed by our human nature, we’ll be quick to forgive others and find patience with our community of friends and acquaintances when we realize how patient God has been with us.
In his treatise on pastoral ministry, The Contemplative Pastor, Eugene Peterson encourages pastors to simply embrace themselves (and their congregation) as sinners:
“The happy result of a theological understanding of people
as sinners is that the pastor is saved from continual surprise
that they are in fact sinners…
So ‘sinner’ becomes not a weapon in an arsenal of
condemnation, but the expectation of grace.”
For all that call Center City Church your community, look around. We gather as a community of sinners on equal footing. All of us hopelessly dependent upon Jesus to unite our hearts in our shared need to give and receive undeserved grace.
We are a community of sinners, found completely free from sin when we gather around the only one that frees us from our plight: Jesus Christ.
by David Docusen | November 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
**Proverbs 16:9 – We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
Dara and I absolutely love spending time together. Honestly, it doesn’t even matter what we do. If we are alone (we have four kids under the age of 10), we consider it a date. We find an incredible amount of joy in the simplicity of time spent together. We were wandering around our city, taking in the beauty of Uptown Charlotte a few weeks ago when Dara looked at me and said…
“You know, we have been working on this specific project for Ebenezers for over a year
(check out www.ebenezerscharlotte.com if you don’t know what I’m talking about).
Lots of ups and downs. And now it looks like this contract is about to expire for the
purchase of the fire station in a few days.”
I looked at her and wondered if this was about to get very emotional. She looked straight into my eyes with peaceful resolve and said…
“But we are people that believe beyond failure.”
That statement resonated to the very core of my being. She continued…
“Even when it looks like failure from a human perspective, we still believe that
God is in control and has the best in mind for us. So we just keep
on moving forward, believing for his best.”
What do you do when you’ve worked toward something and it seems like it has fallen apart? How do you go to God when it seems like he allowed something to fail? I may not have all the answers, but I will encourage you from our perspective in this season of chasing after our dream: approach him with a heart that is full of trust. Trust that he only has your good in mind and that he knows exactly how to care for his kids.
We are people that believe beyond failure. This is true because the Kingdom of God measures successes and failures much differently than most. And that measurement can be summed up in one word: OBEDIENCE.
Pursue Jesus with a genuine heart and an ear that is tuned to hear his direction. Work hard. Make plans. And then realize that we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. And he always has our best in mind. I trust God with all of the effort that we put into this project. I trust God in our current state of questions and limited perspective. And I trust God with the days to come. Because he is good and he perfectly knows how to give us what is best.
Keep on believing. The best is yet to come (for you and for us).
**Galatians 6:9 – So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap
a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
by David Docusen | November 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
November 20, 2013 will always hold a very special place in my heart. It’s the day that the dream of Ebenezers Coffeehouse died again in my heart.
For the past six months, I have prayed countless prayers, fasted countless meals and casted a vision to countless people that all aimed toward this date. November 20, 2013 was the closing date that we had scheduled for 420 W 5th Street, an historic fire station in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, NC. We even have a website: www.ebenezerscharlotte.com.
The first floor would be a 2,000+ square foot coffeehouse. The second floor would be a 300 seat multiple-use venue for our community. Instead of building a church facility, we have aimed to build something for our community to enjoy (and our church could use on Sunday mornings).
Everything seemed to be lining up. Meetings with the city were met with incredible enthusiasm for our project. The Historic Commission was shockingly supportive and excited for the adaptive re-use of this registered landmark. Financial contributions came miraculously to cover the cost of the due diligence period (over $20,000 for the deposit and various studies on the building to ensure it’s ability to function as we planned). Every arrow pointed toward November 20, 2013 being the most monumental day in the life of this dream.
November 20, 2013 came and went last week rather unceremoniously. We had built a relationship with a donor for the past two years that we thought would be at the closing table with us to bring this dream to life. For various reasons, this donor decided not to move forward with us, leaving us a bit disoriented and confused.
This is not the first death of this dream. We have had five separate properties that God seemingly opened doors, only to close them somewhere along the way. In this case, it was only a few steps away from the finish line of a marathon. We had worked on this project, specifically, for the past fourteen months. And every door opened except the last one.
There have been many long nights and uncomfortable interactions with God. Attempting to understand the all-knowing God while having a quite limited, human perspective is not an easy endeavor. I have wrestled with wide-ranging emotions; faith, trust, disappointment, loss, shock, joy, disorientation, etc. And I can’t say that I’ve arrived at any answers, only a simple reminder.
God only gives us what is best.
Here’s a few thoughts that I have arrived at in the past week or so:
- God is good, full of love and completely able to provide for his dreams.
- When my dreams align with His, our shared dream will come to pass.
- I don’t understand His timing, but believe his timing is perfect.
- I have a propensity to pitch fits like my kids do when they don’t get their way.
- God loves to hear me talk to him (even when I pitch fits), because the more I talk to him, the more he is able to shape my heart, perspective and understanding.
Strangely enough, the same week this dream died was a week that I arrived at Matthew 7:7-8 in our teaching series at Center City Church through the Sermon on the Mount.
**Matthew 7:7-8 – “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
I choose to keep on asking, seeking and knocking. Knowing full well (or at least choosing to believe) that God only gives us what is best. Just because I ask doesn’t mean I will receive what I want. But this verse promises that when I ask, and align myself with His desires, I will certainly receive the best that God has to offer.
The dream of Ebenezers Coffeehouse died on November 20, 2013. But the dream of Ebenezers Coffeehouse is fully alive, today more than ever. Turns out that, yet again, I have had to let my dream die. My desires. My timetable. And it’s in that death that the dream of Ebenezers Coffeehouse on the corner of 5th & Graham comes to life as my spirit actively dreams of the day that God brings his best to pass for the glory of his name and the benefit of our city.
God knows what is best for us. He knows how to withhold for our own good just like he knows how to give without sparing. – John Stott (from his brilliant book on the Sermon on the mount, “Christian Counter-Culture”)
I believe that the dream of Ebenezers Coffeehouse in the heart of Uptown Charlotte is God’s dream, not ours to own or hold. And I believe that we are one step closer to seeing this dream come to life.
by David Docusen | November 22, 2013 | Uncategorized
My mom is probably the quietest person you will ever meet. She’s also my hero. She taught me how to pray. She taught me how to trust God. She taught me to live with a grateful heart even when the refrigerator only had a half stick of butter, a quarter loaf of bread and a couple of slices of cheese. In her mind, that was just enough for us to share a grilled cheese feast provided by God.
Money was always tight in our home, but she never allowed us to feel sorry for ourselves. She always taught us to be grateful for what we had and reminded us that it was much more than what most had around the world. My mom taught me how to live by faith.
I’m 34 years old now, and my mom is still teaching me lessons. She is in town this week (from Michigan) and as I was reading the Bible in the dining room, she asked if she could share something with me. Seeing as how she’s about as quiet as a librarian, I immediately welcomed whatever she was about to say.
“Honey, I’ve been praying for you. I know that you’re working with people and that you need a lot of wisdom. As I’ve been praying for you, I’ve been thinking about the way the Bible described King David in Psalms 78:72. Can I read it to you?” The answer, of course, was an overwhelming, “Yes.”
~ Psalm 78:70-72 ~
He chose David to be his servant and took him from the sheep pens.
He brought him from tending the sheep so he could lead the flock,
the people of Jacob, his own people, the people of Israel. And David led them
with an innocent heart and guided them with skillful hands.
My mom proceeded, “God has called you, honey. And he called you to lead with an innocent heart and to guide people with skillful hands. That’s my prayer for you.”
I was overwhelmed by the love, care, insightfulness and encouragement in her words. As always, she quietly walked away, never even suspecting that she’d end up being the inspiration of a blog post.
When working with people, there will always be opportunities to learn and grow. I pray that as I continue to learn and grow as a leader, that I would live with an innocent heart. That my motives would be pure and that I would encourage & challenge others with a heart to see them grow and become more like Jesus.
I pray that I would have skillful hands and that I would ask God for wisdom to continue to learn and grow in the things that he’s called me to do every day. Every new task, challenge or project is another opportunity to learn or improve my skill as a leader. This is true for your life, as well.
A couple of thoughts for you today:
1. God called David to live with an innocent heart and to guide others with skillful hands. The same heart that God has for David is the same heart that God has for you. How can you live with an innocent heart and skillful hands today? (Make sure you ask for God’s help in this.)
2. The power of encouragement. My mom changed the trajectory of my day by simple encouraging words. Who can you encourage with God-inspired words of love, care and insightfulness?
3. The power of prayer. I will never know the full impact of my mother’s prayers for me. But I do know that when no one is looking, my mom has been praying. Who are you praying for on a regular basis?
I’m grateful for my mom. And I can’t wait to see her blush a bit when she reads this post. She may be the one of the quietest people I know, but I can guarantee you that she is heard by God on a regular basis.
Thanks for being my most consistent blog-reader, mom. I always know that there’s at least one person that will read everything I write. Your investment into my life will never be able to be measured. I love you, appreciate you and will aim to live my life in a way that will make you proud.
by David Docusen | October 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
I love my community. I love our friends and the things we enjoy together. And one of the main things that I live by is this: we don’t have to agree on matters of faith to be friends. This plays itself out in many ways all across our city and this community we share.
I believe that everyone is on a journey of faith. It may look different for every person, but I believe that the pursuit of truth and finding relationship with our Creator is hard wired into every one of us. This belief drives me. It encourages me. It motivates me to share a genuine faith that changed my life.
While I deeply believe that we don’t have to agree on matters of faith to be friends, here’s a confession for every person I’ve ever met that is exploring matters of faith: I want you to give your heart to Jesus.
Why? What’s the big deal? Why Jesus?
The most simple answer I can give is that he changed my life, personally. I have walked through seasons of life that were heart wrenching. I have doubted my faith. I have doubted that there was a God that actually listened to me when I prayed. I have wrestled with the creation story and how all of this came together. In all of those endeavors of searching for truth, nothing satisfied me. Nothing brought peace to my heart. The more I learned, the more I became confused and unsettled. But Jesus brought me peace. An inward reality of safety and security. In short; satisfaction.
Do I still have questions? Yes. Do I understand everything? No. But my soul is satisfied in Jesus.
I want you to know Jesus because I want your soul to finally be satisfied. I want you to know Jesus because I have experienced the reality of relationship with him and I want that for you. I want you to know Jesus because he has given me peace in spite of the volatile circumstances of life more times than I can count.
I want you to know Jesus because I actually believe that he died for my sins and yours. Forgiven for my shortcomings and given relationship with my Creator through this relationship with Jesus. Mostly, I want you to know Jesus because I love you. And my greatest expression of love to you would be to continue to point you to the person that changed my life, forgave my sins and set me on a path that is full of purpose and passion.
Jesus gave us a pretty simple word picture of what it means to give your heart to Jesus. Check this out…
**Revelation 3:20 – “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
There is nothing more meaningful, beautiful or satisfying than my relationship with Jesus. There’s a ton of questions that will follow and there’s a bunch of us that can help you navigate those questions. But please don’t overcomplicate the first step: you have to open the door of your heart.
We don’t have to agree on matters of faith to be friends. I believe that deeply. It just so happens, though, that I believe in the work of Jesus in my life so much that I want to share this joy and reality with you. Satisfaction is real. My soul has felt and enjoyed that reality. This satisfaction of peace and oneness with our Creator is available to you.
Maybe today is your day? All you have to do is reach for the door handle of your heart.
Why do I want you to give your heart to Jesus? The answer is painfully simple: I actually believe this stuff. I believe that Jesus loves you and cares for you and deeply longs for relationship with you. I believe that he brings satisfaction to my life and yours.
He’s knocking today. The choice is yours. I’m praying for you to have the courage, strength and faith to open the door.
