by David Docusen | December 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
We just ordered 150 Moleskine journals (pictured below) that we will be handing out to everyone at Center City this weekend. We are going to be reading through the Word together in 2013 as a community.
The following is a letter from our Spiritual Formation Pastor, Joseph Phillips, that will be included in each journal. Gives a great description of what we are aiming to do this coming year as we gather around the Word as a community. Read. Pray. Gather. Go.
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Center City Family –
Four words sum up our desire for you at Center City Church – read, pray, gather, go.
Every person at Center City gets a free Moleskine journal. Included in this journal is a Bible reading plan. Every day there will be a selected reading for you. Read this with the knowledge that God is speaking to you. Read slowly. Before and after you’ve read, take some time and quiet your heart. Ask God to show you something about Himself and about yourself. If you miss a day’s reading, don’t beat yourself up and try furiously to catch up. Just wake up and start fresh on the new day. The goal of this is not for you to read the Bible through in a year. The goal is for you to get to know God. We have included a page in this journal that will help you practically engage the Scriptures through journaling and prayer.
Spiritual formation, the progressive transformation into Christlikeness, is not intended to be a private affair. Our entire community is reading through this plan together throughout the year. With this in mind, we have Life Groups to walk with you on the journey. These are groups of people that simply decide to gather on a weekly basis to talk about what God is showing them through the Word and wrestle with questions together.
We believe that the natural byproduct of knowing God intimately is devoting our lives to His service in His Kingdom. That means we serve our communities with the tender love of Jesus. It is in this context that we then obey the imperative of Jesus from Matthew 28 to go into all the world and make disciples of Jesus.
Read. Pray. Gather. Go.
Joseph Phillips
Spiritual Formation Pastor
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by David Docusen | December 10, 2012 | Uncategorized
We hit another mile marker this past week in the journey of bringing Ebenezers Coffeehouse to Uptown Charlotte. We found out that we have officially finalized our filing with the state of North Carolina. Thanks to the generosity of many, the filing fee for the state and the lawyer fees have been covered and we are able to move into the next phase of the journey and we are prayerfully considering next steps.
Thanks to all that have invested into this process. Each one of you are shareholders in this vision to bring this coffeehouse/venue to Uptown that will in turn give all profits to local and overseas aid.
Stay tuned. Exciting days ahead.
by David Docusen | December 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
You have a name. That’s a given, of course. Now think about this: the God of all creation knows your name.
He knows everything about you. Good. Bad. Trivial. Deep. Surface. Everything. He knows the great victories and shameful defeats. He knows the public successes and the private struggles. He knows the doubts that you have about him and the questions you ask. And in spite of all of this, he is madly in love with you.
He knows your name and he calls you by name. He wants to talk to you. How can you talk to God? Start with the Word. He speaks to us through the Bible. Continue the conversation through prayer. Talk to him the same way that you would talk to a friend.
You have a name and God knows it. Don’t reduce your pursuit of faith to being involved in a church or a church community. Dig deeper, personally. You don’t need a pastor to speak to God for you. He wants to talk to you, personally.
He knows your name and he loves you.
by David Docusen | December 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
I taught this past week on a simple phrase: the first impacts the following.
Matthew 6:33 beautifully depicts this principle: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
It’s pretty easy to get things out of order. In our effort to live a meaningful life, we invest our first (and most valuable) efforts into various activities:
__ social justice
__ pursuit of financial security
__ relationships
__ insert your first here
When we seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, the Word tells us that it impacts all of these things. Read Matthew 5 & 6 through that lens. These chapters speak directly to some of the most common things that we deal with in life. And what Matthew 6:33 is saying is that when you seek God first, he enters into every area of your life and gives you the resources to navigate every situation.
The first impacts the following. What are you pursuing first?
by David Docusen | December 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
If you call Center City Church home, I have a confession to make: You don’t need me.
As your pastor and shepherd, I find unspeakable joy in leading this church family. It’s a calling that includes great passion and commitment. But I always want to be careful to make sure that our church family is pointed to Jesus, not to a person given temporary oversight of a community of faith.
You don’t need me. You need Jesus. You need the Word of God as your guide that points you to him. My entire aim as the shepherd of this community is to try to find creative ways to help you engage with the Word of God that points us to Jesus. To his life, example and instruction.
You don’t need me. Because without me at Center City, Jesus would still be the head. The leader. And he would give another shepherd to point you toward him. We are all on a journey. It’s incredibly humbling to know that I have been given the opportunity to go in front of this group, pray into the future, hear from God and relay the messages each week. But all of that instruction is coming from time spent with Jesus.
He is the leader, the one that gives direction. And for me to remain healthy in my calling and perspective, I have to remember that.
It’s not my leadership that dictates my ability as a pastor, it’s my ability to follow that makes me a successful shepherd. Once the shepherd hears direction, leadership kicks in and then it’s time to be strong and courageous (as found in Joshua 1).
At the end of my days, I will know that I have led well and been a faithful shepherd if I have faithfully led our group into more understanding of how to do three things:
1. Reading the Word of God and applying it to your lives.
2. Consistency of conversation with God through daily prayer.
3. Living life together, as a part of a genuine community. Digging into the Word, praying together and sharing life.
You don’t need me to read the word, pray or live life together. That’s a humbling thought. And it’s also a beautiful thought, because God called me to play my role in all of this. I don’t take that lightly and I will do all I can to point us to Jesus.
Center City Church is his church. Centered around the person of Jesus and the Word of God that points us to life, joy, peace, direction, passion, fulfillment, etc.
I get to do this. I don’t have to do this. And you don’t have to choose me as your shepherd. If you have, I want you to know that I pray for you, I will fight for you and I will continue to do the best I can to lead us to Jesus.
You don’t need me. You need Jesus. And so do I.
by David Docusen | December 1, 2012 | Uncategorized
One of my favorite things that we do at Center City is a once a month prayer walk around Uptown Charlotte. There is something so unifying about joining together with others to agree in prayer as we walk around the city. I am not sure of all of the significance of this, but there’s a unique perspective that comes from actually getting out and walking the streets of the city that you love.
People come to life as you walk by each individual. Businesses pop out of the landscape that you otherwise would have never noticed as you drive. And there is a spiritual dynamic that comes from getting “boots on the ground” in the city that you’re praying over.
As the prophet cried out to God in the book of Lamentations for justice, restoration and hope for his nation, this beautiful prayer rose up from his heart:
Lamentations 3:22-26 – The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
