by David Docusen | July 20, 2011 | Uncategorized
I love the story of the blind man that was healed in John 9. Jesus, by his amazing grace and power, healed this man of blindness. The religious leaders got all hot and bothered because Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath (a traditional day of rest in which no work was allowed).
The religious leaders were so worked up about obeying the LAW that they completely are lost to the fact that an incredible miracle had just happened. One of my favorite quotes in the Bible comes out of this moment as the religious leaders are claiming that Jesus had sinned by healing on the Sabbath.
John 9:25 – “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind and now I can see!”
I think this is an encouragement for all of us to not try to explain away the power of God or try to figure everything out. He does miracles. And miracles are impossible to explain or quantify. We have the opportunity to serve a God that is higher than us and able to do far more than we can imagine. Let go today and trust God. It’s not about religion or rules. It’s about a relationship with Jesus.
by David Docusen | July 11, 2011 | Uncategorized
Psalm 103:1-5 shows us that we will never fully experience true worship until we have given ourselves fully to God. Click the link to view this week’s message from Center City Church.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/26267145 w=398&h=224]
by David Docusen | July 10, 2011 | Uncategorized
So blown away by the response from our community today for our landscaping/painting project at Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School. We had 80+ people (a combination of Center City Church, the PTA from ETES and a group of students from New Jersey on a missions trip to Charlotte) that came to pitch in, work hard and do something great for our neighborhood. We had a great time and made some serious progress. We’ll be back out there on Monday and Tuesday morning of this coming week to finish off this project and help beautify this school.
I love practically showing the community the love of Jesus. It doesn’t always have to be in the proclamation of his message with our voice. Our lives and actions speak so much louder and I think some great things were said today. We love Charlotte.
by David Docusen | July 8, 2011 | Uncategorized
I have been working out of coffeeshops, local restaurants, public libraries and any other place I can find free wifi for the past 3+ years. With “office space” firmly cemented as priority #123 right now in the future church planting budget, you can imagine my joy when I first heard of Lightbulb Co-Working.
Lightbulb is a 2,200 square foot creative hotbed for local entrepreneurs and businessmen and women to office for an incredibly reasonable rate ($75/month). There’s no assigned seating, about a dozen workspaces to choose from, wifi, a conference room for 12 and another meeting space that can fit four people. Free coffee, sodas and water. And best of all, you don’t have to purchase guilt coffee at the local coffeehouse in order to sit down for an hour to check email.
If you are an entrepreneur, creative type, church planter or the like, you’re going to love this concept. Check it out and see if there’s one in your community.
by David Docusen | July 5, 2011 | Uncategorized
We have been in an intense season of preparation, prayer and planning for the vision God has placed in our heart to bring Ebenezers Coffeehouse to Uptown Charlotte. God has opened some incredible doors over the past four years. All roads led to a plan that we presented to one of the top philanthropy groups in the world about three weeks ago. Our faith was high and all signs pointed to this coming together in an amazing way.
We got word this week that this philanthropy group has decided to pass on funding. When I got that email, it felt like a punch in the gut. So many dreams and plans associated with this vision. So many hours of late nights and lattes cranking out work. After about ten seconds of feeling absolutely stunned, I had this thought race through my head: I trust you, God.
Responding well to closed doors is so important in our faith journey. I’m in no way perfect at this, but I choose to believe that God has his best in mind for us. And my faith is high that his vision for our city will be accomplished in his perfect timing. I truly believe that the fulfillment of this vision will be greater than any of us could have imagined. While times like these are disappointing, I choose to receive this closed door with joy. Strange? Maybe. But I know God has all resources in his grasp and he will provide for his vision for this city.
Thanks for all your prayers and support along the way. I am excited to see what God has in store for our church and our beautiful city…
by David Docusen | July 4, 2011 | Uncategorized
We kicked off a new series this weekend at Center City Church. It’s simply called “Psalms.” We are going to be exploring the topic of worship for the next five weeks as we work through different passages from the book of Psalms. We will then switch and look at other aspects of the Psalms (joy, sorrow, heartache, victories, etc) during the month of August. I’m excited to teach out of this book for the next two months at Center City!
Click here to view this week’s message – Psalms: The Reason to Worship…
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/25950740 w=398&h=224]
