FPU #2

We started our second Financial Peace University Class (FPU #2) this past Sunday evening August 23rd. What an amazing evening it was. Let me provide you with a recap of our first class and then tell you about this second class.

n our first FPU we had 116 adults (all from Westside) take the class. A total of 114 of them completed the entire class and together saved and paid off a combined total of $509,413.00. The response to and the result of this class was so positive that we immediately planned another class at which we would invite the public, include our children and teens, and members of the Hispanic community all learning how to get out of debt and avoid getting into crippling debt by the way we handle our money.

So begins FPU #2, with another tremendous response. Here is a snapshot of our first evening together.

124 - adults taking FPU in English
8 - adults taking FPU in Spanish
30 - Kids in Financial Peace Jr.
31 - Teens in Generation Change
10 - little ones in the nursery
32 - volunteers serving

All of the people above represent 75 households. Of the 75 households:
45 households are Westside members
35 households are from our community.
62 - guests in the adult class
10 - guests in K-6th grade
7 - guests in 7th - 12th grade.

Our guests are here to get on the road to financial peace. May God bless us as we serve them. May they see Jesus in us. May the find also the road that leads to Eternal Peace.

Which road are you traveling on?

Possessions and The Possessed

Nothing possess us more than our possessions. Perhaps, the primary path to a person heart is rooted in their possessions. They take up so much of our time and talents. Much of life can be seeking stuff, getting stuff, using stuff, fixing stuff, getting more stuff, and on and on it goes.
Maybe that is why God choose to say so much to us about how we handle, view, use and let loose our possessions; our stuff. A quick search of several topics in God’s word yields the following number of times God speaks about each topic: Baptism - 40; Prayer - 275; Faith - 350; Love - 650 and what about our possessions/wealth/finances/treasure/stuff - 2,350. Seems to me God wants us to understand something important here

“...Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15 (NIV)

So, what does your life consist of? What we drive, where we live, what we wear, what we own, where we vacation, or any other marker of wealth and status is not our means to an abundant life. The abundant life is not one of earthly possessions, but it is a life where God is abundantly (exceedingly) present. Let us make a choice today to recognize, respond and rest in the excessive presence of God in our lives. Let God possess us.

What does your life consist of?

Excuse me, do you have the time?

It has been quite awhile since I have asked anyone, or heard anyone ask, “What time is it?” Maybe you hear it all the time, but I cannot remember how long ago it was that someone actually asked me or anyone near me for the time. Why?

Maybe we do not ask one another what time it is because we live in a time obsessed culture. Many of us always know what time it is, and the rest of us don’t care what time it is. We are so driven by the time. The time is displayed everywhere, in our home, car, office, school, stores, on street signs, etc…. Sitting here in my office I can tell you what time it is by looking at the time on my computer, the display on my office phone, the watch on my wrist or on my cell phone, by the way all four of them have different times.

What I do hear people say is, “I wish I had more time.” “I don’t have enough time.” “Where did the time go?” How are you doing with the 168 hours that we all get each and every week? How do you spend your time? If you were to inventory and account for your time before God today, what do you think He would say?

It is said: “There is no time like the present.” Jesus tells us to live today, now, this moment "present in His presence." Jesus came as a servant. He calls us to be like Him - to be servants. So, how much time did you spend serving Him today? Excuse me, do you have the time?

Striving to Be Like Jesus,
Bobby

Living Like Jesus

I have heard it said that Jesus showed us what it looks like when some gets it right. Gets what right you might ask? Well, get’s life right? You know, lives life the way it was meant to live. Look around you. There is no shortage of advise or opinions on how to live life. Friends, family, strangers, celebrities, politicians, professors, yes, even preachers, and the list goes on and on, they will all tell us how we should live.

But, only the author and perfecter of life holds the keys to true life. Only His way is The Way. Only His life is The Life. Only His life is True Life. Only His life is Abundant Life. I do not know about you, but I want His life. Life to the fullest and richest in Christ Jesus.

So, come closer. I’ll tell you a secret. I know how to get that life. I know how to have life to the fullest. Shh, lean in, pay attention, listen carefully, watch the messiah, come and see, follow Him, do what He does, say what He says, think what He thinks, it is the only way. Now that is living. When we live like Jesus, then we will know the life He is talking about, the rich abundant life.

Do you trust Him? Do you believe Him? Join us Sunday morning for lessons that will challenge our sensibilities and mess with our world. Lessons that will pierce our very center of being. Lessons that will ask us to live like Jesus. What will we do? Will we go away sad or mad, because the cost to self and what “I” want is to great, or will we dare to live. Come on I dare you.

Thanking God

This past Sunday our lesson was entitled ‘Thanking God.” The sermon explored the idea of thanking God in prayer and that the absence of a thankful life can rob us of so much in life. So, in the spirit of thanking God in prayer I submit this prayer to God as you listen in.

“Dear God I thank You that our house was broken into last week, while we were at YBC attending Pre-teen Camp. I thank You that my son who discovered it handled everything just right. I thank You that no one was hurt. I thank You for the friends and neighbors who came over and helped me fix the door and make our house secure again. I thank you for the people at YBC who took up a collection while I was gone that covered half of what we lost. I thank You for the people in our congregation in Bakersfield who took up a collection that covered the other half of what we lost. I thank You for the example my children saw in our community of believers who put their faith into action. Yes God, I thank you that our house was broken into and that what was meant for evil was turned to good by your love and power. Thank you God.”

What will you thank Him for today?

This Sunday’s Lesson: “The PERFECT Father.” Hmmm, I wonder Who it is about?

Striving to Be Like Jesus,
Bobby

Benevolence Bazaar Blessings

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Benevolence Bazaar. What an overwhelming response we had from so many people in so many ways. Here are some of the blessings:

We had many people donate items for the sale. Too many to count.

We had over 85 people unselfishly give of their time throughout the month of March and all day Thursday, and Friday before the sale, and all day Saturday of the sale.

Many people in our community were blessed by getting items that they needed at a good price, and by feeling good about their money going to benevolence.

Two different families visited with us Sunday morning because they were touched by the event.

I am so thankful to God for this church family and the way we all came together to serve God, one another and our community. God is moving among us to accomplish His purposes. Thank you for joining Him in His will. As we move forward in 2009, let us not lose focus or hope in our great and mighty God to accomplish even more than we can ever ask for or imagine to the praise and glory of His name, even during these tough economic times.

May He call on us to care for His people and our community again and again and may we continue to answer His call to Love God, Love our neighbors and love one another.

God Bless You,
Bobby

March Madness

the church office

Have you heard of the term March Madness? Usually it refers to the NCAA basketball tournament as 64 college teams play in a tournament to decide the NCAA National Basketball Champion for this basketball season.

It is amazing how many people tune in for this tournament. What is further baffling is the lost work and productivity estimates. During the 19 day tournament it is estimated when considering streaming video, internet score updates, office pools and office conversations about this tournament that it results in a range of 1.7 billion in lost productivity in the United States. What? Are you kidding me?

I want you to know that as your church staff we have entered into a March Madness of our own. No, not the NCAA tournament, but a time of Bible study, prayer and discernment. We have changed our “staff meeting” format and time for the month of March.

We now meet Mon - Thurs 8:30 am - 9:30 am.

We open God’s word and listen to what He has to say to us reading Proverbs and Psalms.

We are spending more time in prayer.

We are evaluating how we use our time, what tasks we need to complete, and who has the talents to get them done.

Overall God is blessing our time of madness together. As we find joy in the LORD, He is refreshing us and we hope and pray it is for His glory and for your blessing.

So whenever you hear the term march madness over the next few weeks, and no matter where you are when you here it, please stop and say prayer for us to become more like Jesus, as we seek to serve you better in love.

God Bless You,
Bobby