Elevate Church Sunday Recap

What an amazing Sunday we had today at the Elevate Thanksgiving Worship Experience.  We were so excited to meet so many new people.  It was a fabulous time of worship in song and friendship around the luncheon table.  Thanks to all who helped set up, prepare food, decorate, serve, and tear down.  I never cease to be amazed at the people who give of themselves so that others can be touched.  Today was fun with 129 in attendance.  It looks like November may be our biggest month since our Grand Opening in March of this year.  Almost 9 months have passed and God continues to pour His presence into our lives as a church family.  Of all that I am thankful for this year, the Elevate Church family is at the top of my list.  Lori and I want to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Our love to your family.

Kalyn and Lori

Quit Praying and Start Doing

Something I read recently has really reminded me of putting legs on my faith.  It’s from the book Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson.  Let me give you a portion from the book:  “Why ask God to do something for us when it is in our power to do something for ourselves?  There are some things you don’ t need to pray about.”  “Peter Marshall, former Chaplain of the United States Senate writes, ‘I wonder what would happen if we all agree to read one of the Gospels until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to do it, and only after we had done it, we began reading again?  Our problems are not centered around the things we don’t understand, but rather in the things we do understand, the things we could not possibly misunderstand.  Our problem is not so much that we don’t know what we should do.  We know perfectly well, but we don’t want to do it.’   God won’t do for us what we can do for ourselves.”

That challenges me.

-Kalyn

Missions Goals

Well, it’s an official “dream come true”.  One of my goals as a new church planter was to build into the DNA of Elevate Church the heart beat for missions.  Why?  Because I believe passionately that missions is the heart beat of God.  From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible says clearly that God is on a mission to reconcile lost humanity back to Himself.  The whole Bible is a Missions Manual about God’s redemption of you and me.  Last Sunday we saw the beginning of the fulfillment of that dream.  My dream was threefold: 

1.  To give 10% of the church tithe to missions.  We have been doing this since our launch. 

2.  For our first guest speaker at Elevate Church to be a missionary.  Last Sunday, Marty Thomas, Missionary from Calvary Commission shared an incredible message about becoming a world-changer!

3.  To take our people on a missions trip within the first year of launching the church.  On December 19, about 12 people from Elevate Church will head to Reynosa, Mexico to participate in missions as short-term missionaries through drama, music, street evangelism, kids crusades, food and clothing distributions, and Christmas gifts. 

Elevate Church, I am so proud of you!

-Kalyn

Want to go on the Mexico Missions Outreach?  Click here for the info…

5 Key To Success In The Kingdom – Part 4

4.  A Passion for God’s Heart.

David – a man with a heart after God – writes in Ps. 42:1, “ As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.  2 I thirst for God, the living God…”   People with a passion for God and His Kingdom are people who are builders in the Kingdom.  Don’t misunderstand the word passion.  I’m not necessarily talking about emotion but devotion.  Passionate people can be people who are soft spoken, non-assuming beleivers who, in their own way, love God so much that they pursue God with a fierce hunger in their heart.  They want to know Him more, serve Him more, understand Him more, and be with Him more.  They also want to reach out to others more.  I beleive passion is the key that unlock the door of success in the kingdom.  There are enough half-hearted, lukewarm, God-on-the-side commitments.  These accomplish very little.  Give me passion.  It fuels the Kingdom.

5 Keys To Success In The Kingdom – Part 3

3.  The Heart Of Serving

Jesus says to us in Matt. 20:26, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant”.  Not only did Jesus say it, He modeled it before the world.  Servant-leaders are not necessarily timid, mild-mannered people who are shy and always behind the scenes.  Kingdom servants are simply people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get down to business.  They are people who get in the trenches and wage war against the enemy in prayer, through practical love, and by giving themselves away. I know such a guy.  I’ll call him Joe.  Joe is the true picture of a servant-leader.  Even though he commands much respect at his work because of his position, he lives to serve others.  In addition, he is willing to lay his position aside and become servant each week in order to make things happen at his church.  Another guy is Bob.  Bob definitely has the heart of a servant.  Bob is always willing to do whatever it takes, before he is even asked, and before anyone else can.  You see, you can’t really become a servant unless you are willing to give of yourself without expecting anything in return except a sense of fulfillment.  God give us more Joe’s and Bob’s in the kingdom.  They are priceless.