Celebrating My Friend: Kenny Cuccia

Today I wish to celebrate a good friend, Kenny Cuccia. In fact he is a good life long friend. I’m blessed to have many friends. Serving in churches for the past 23 years has allowed me to spend time getting to know and love 1000’s of great people, and many are still folks I am able to stay in touch with from time to time (thanks facebook). Most of these friendships, however, lasted just for a certain season of life.  On the other hand, my friendship with Kenny has stood the test of time, moves, and life changes.

With my recent job loss and subsequent job search, Kenny has reached out to me and offered great encouragement. He has also signed me on as a consultant for Ambit Energy and has done all the work helping me to make some quick commissions, which have been of great help this month especially.

Good friends are of great value, and Kenny has been a good friend to me since I was a 6^th grader. We attended church together at Sawdust Road Baptist Church in Spring, TX. We started a bible study together on Saturday nights while we were in HS. We went to college together at Dallas Baptist University, and he even did me the honor of standing in as the best man at my wedding. Since then we’ve communicated mostly over the phone and email (which works because we are guys and guys are low maintenance…right!?!!), but it is a great joy when I get to meet up with him in person.

I’m proud to be his friend; his life long friend. One way I’d like to celebrate him is to refer him to you if you are looking for a great rate on a new energy plan for your home. Ambit offers great rates for new customers and Kenny can help you there. Also, if you would like to start a business from home, maybe Ambit is a great option for you like it has been for Kenny. So, if you are interested just follow the links I’ve provided here and check it all out for yourself. And, thanks Kenny…you’re a great friend!

Check Out Energy Rates From Ambit Energy: http://cucciaenergy.myambit.com/rates-and-plans

Start Your Own Ambit Business: http://cucciaenergy.myambit.com/start-a-business/energy-526

Stuff Sucks...the life out of us!

(a Full-of-Faith Friday blog post)

Charles Spurgeon -- "prince of preachers"(cool shades may or may not be original to the picture :D)
Spurgeon Quote -- "it is not how much we have but
 how much we enjoy that makes happiness"

Today I find myself thinking about all the stuff I own, and particularly, how much it is worth. If I sold my truck, how much would that make? If I sold some books, how much could that make? These aren't the normal daydreams of a Friday morning for me. On the contrary, these are brand new in light of the need I presently have for finding a new job. Opportunities are unfolding, yet, the possibility of running out of money before the pay from a new job kicks in is a real dilemma for me, as it is for many Americans today. Thus, today I find myself considering what I'm willing to let go of to meet the needs of my family, which is essentially "paying the bills."

So I found my way into the Gospel of Luke and found at least two pocket-book punching parables that seemed relevant today: the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21) and the Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31). Apparently, Jesus had a lot to say about our stuff (money and possessions) and each of these parables sculpts a two-sided image of the influence of "stuff" on our lives (and destinies). According to Jesus, our stuff has a great deal of positive potential and also a shockingly amount of hazards as well. I want to focus on three ideas I see in these parables because because I'm a preacher and that is just what preachers do and because I don't want to bore you with the fourteen things I actually see here, so be alert and consider: stuff is temporary, stuff corrupts our vision, and stuff sucks morality right out of us.

As Jesus tells it here, money and possessions are not evil; instead He does teach here that stuff is temporary. He teaches that it can disappear much faster than it comes to us. The farmer (Luke 12:13-21), spent his whole life storing up (saving) so that he would have plenty for retirement ("ample goods laid up for many years" v. 19), ends up losing everything in a single night because he dies much sooner than he expects (v. 20). Similarly, the good things the rich man (16:19-31) enjoyed during his life disappear upon his death as he suffers torment in Hades (Hell; apparently not a happy destination; "you can tell the terribleness of Hell by the price He had to pay to keep us from going there," Ray Comfort, Hell's Best Kept Secrets). So, according to Jesus my possessions can provide a "good life," but they are temporary and wholly untrustworthy, thus I shouldn't hold to tightly to any of them. Check.

Jesus also teaches in these parables that stuff corrupts our vision, much like wearing sunglasses at night or developing a severe eye infection (shout out KC; glad your eye is healing brother)! However, in this case, the vision that is corrupted is not optic but moral. Through the lens of his life of luxury the rich man (16:19-31) sees Lazarus as an ugly stain on an otherwise beautiful front gate near his home. Likewise, the farmer (12:13-21) thinks of no one but himself when he is devising a plan for retirement and wondering what he should do with all that supply (money). Sharing their wealth with those who have need isn't even within the scope of their thinking; instead, they both do everything they can to only provide security for themselves. Jesus declares this is selfish, wasteful, and definitively short-sighted. The wealth and desire for financial security (aka the American dream) has blinded these men. Now their vision is corrupted and they fail to see the needs in the world around them.

Since stuff corrupts our vision, leading to immoral decisions with our stuff (money), it isn't a big leap to now see that clinging to our stuff sucks morality right out of us. In fact, Jesus introduces the story of the farmer (12:13-21) with a stern warning of the hazards of holding tightly to things (greed): "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed" (12:15). When considering the context of the story Jesus tells here the implications of this warning are clear. If we spend our lives worrying about possessions, saving up huge nest eggs (bigger barns), or simply devoting tons of energy to constantly protecting our "bottom line," then we are literally in danger of losing our souls (moral decay) to our stuff. The ultimate image of this moral decay of our souls comes most clearly in Jesus' warning to His disciples in Luke 16:13 where He says, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and [stuff]" (my emphasis and translation). Thus, in the end the greatest danger for me in holding tightly to my stuff is the possibility of the corruption of my ability to serve and worship God. This, as Jesus emphasizes, is the direct result of serving and servicing my stuff.

In the end, I fully realize that my stuff is also a blessing and is good ("every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father..." (James 1:17).  It's not all Cheetos and Twizzlers though, for my stuff can also be hazardous material if I don't heed the warning to "watch out!" So, if you are reading this and you know me, don't come over and try to make me an offer to buy my truck...it is not for sale. It is a good gift. It is a blessing. Yet, I won't hold too tightly too it. If you need to borrow it, it is yours. If you want to buy a book, now that is another story for when I moved out of my office it took about 20 boxes, just for my books (maybe I need to downsize the library). So join me in "watching out" today and evaluating whether or not your stuff is sucking you away from God or toward Him. It's an important thing to consider. I fear many Americans...many of us...have fallen into the same trap as the farmer and the rich man. I pray not!

Let us be sure, and deal with it!

World Missions Day is near!

Special Offering—Dec. 6^th

A special thank you for giving in Sept/Oct to the Ingathering Offering. We received almost $50,000 in gifts to Ingathering Offering, all of which helps us toward the goal of paying off our building mortgage.

One member recently told me, “my favorite offering of the year is the World Missions Offering (aka Lottie Moon Offering). I have always loved giving to missions.” I agree. Though the majority of ministry needs are met through the faithful monthly contributions of tithes, our Special Offering Sundays are also very important, and especially the WMO Sunday. Every penny given to the WMO offering goes directly to the mission field and helps our missionaries around the world to share the gospel. Churches that give well to the WMO are unselfish and Kingdom focused, so I challenge you to prepare to give well on Dec. 6^th for missions.

Today I also wish to focus on saying thank you for giving well. Keep it up! Yes, it is so important, and it pleases the Lord when we give generously from a heart of thanks and praise!

“Be generous,” the wise author of Ecclesiastes declares (Ecc. 11:1-2).  “God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done” (2 Cor. 9:7-8, The Message). 

Ryan E. Jennings: Stay Positive

Ryan E. Jennings: Stay Positive: I’m sure many of you could stand up and say and say you’ve had awful days; where you felt like you couldn’t make it to the end of the...

Stay Positive

I’m sure many of you could stand up and say and say you’ve had awful days; where you felt like you couldn’t make it to the end of the day. Why does that happen to Christians? There is a false

perception some people hold that says once you are a Christian everything will be smooth sailing; you won’t have any more problems or difficulties.

That is not true…so not true!

When Paul wrote His letter to the Philippians I’m sure there were lots of other things he would rather be doing than sitting in jail chained to a guard (read Philippians 1:1-11). Yet, even then he persisted to be positive…so much so that his letter to the Philippians is the most joyous of all his letters written…and he was in chains.

How can you stay positive like Paul?

First you must REMEMBER THE POSITIVE. We judge ourselves and other people too harshly. We see the flaws first and focus there. That is the wrong attitude and it is trouble for relationships. Instead, you need to practice minimizing mistakes, for you and others, and remember the good. Have you ever noticed how when you go down memory lane that it is your bad memories that ambush you? I love what Billy Graham says about this to help us—“there is healing power in selective memory; as humans we cannot forget our sins and hurts, but through forgiveness we can choose not to remember them.” Pray, and ask God to help you forgive yourself & others!

Paul agrees and when he wrote Philippians he focused on remembering the good in them because he put the church first and himself second. Later in the letter Paul writes, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

Learn from the Apostle Paul’s wisdom. Filter out the mire and work hard to focus on the positive! Be blessed!

Celebrating the McKinney Family

Tyler McKinney was officially voted in last Sunday night as our Interim Youth Pastor. We are thrilled to have Tyler on the team and ask you to pray for him, his wife Lindsey and son Cooper. Also, pray for little baby McKinney #2 who is “on the way” right now.

Let us also celebrate the great team of volunteers who have supported our youth over the past year and helped keep our Youth Ministry (YM) going well. Alongside Tyler, Danny Himmel, Galen Beck and Bre’anne Northcutt have made major contributions. Also, our summer intern Patrick McGowan and present intern Kaitlyn Baker have been wonderful for our YM.

Youth Ministry is hard work and time consuming work, and extremely valuable to our church’s mission. 85% of people who choose to follow Christ do so on or before the age of 18. This makes YM critical for the church and makes outreach to children and youth in our community an absolute necessity.

Tyler has a great vision for leading our YM toward accomplishing the mission of sharing the gospel and serving the youth of our city. He has a great team of volunteers who are also big believers in this mission. Therefore, the future is bright for our YM. So, as Tyler transitions from volunteer to the important role of leading our YM, I urge you all to support him, pray for him, and help him wherever and whenever you are able. Keep in mind that Tyler has accepted this role because He has a call on His life that is from the LORD. He recognizes this and recognizes that God’s calling on His life is for this time and this place, at Shadycrest Baptist Church. We glorify God by recognizing this and agreeing with the LORD. May the LORD continue to bless the work of our YM.

Mission—How Important is it?

Our Mission: to glorify God by sharing the gospel and serving others.

Our mission is clear and simple, yet we can easily be distracted from it. We live in a “consumer driven culture” that corrupts us to “want, want, want,” things our way. We must hold fast to the same attitude that is in Christ to overcome the consumerism of our day so we stay on mission. Christ did not consider His will or desires to take first place, instead He considered first the will of His Father in heaven (Philippians 2:6-11). In fact the bible says “he made himself nothing,” meaning he humbled himself as if His will meant absolutely nothing compared to the will of the Father. To overcome the “selfish culture” of our day and to stay on mission for God, we must do likewise.

Question: Do we exist to preserve our present brand, structure, and systems, or do we exist to advance the gospel together in our community, regionally, and around the world?

If we drift continually into a focus on structures, budgets and competing projects, rather than keeping our focus on our mission to reach the world, we will lose our identity and our reason for existing altogether. This will lead to discouragement, fall out, and lack of fruit bearing. Thus, for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God we must not drift and we must focus on that which is imperative—gospel sharing and serving others.

Our mission is too important! Our mandate is too precious! “strive together, side by side, for the faith of the gospel…” (Phil. 1:27). Truly, nothing else matters if we don’t do this first. 

Why Trunk or Treat?

I had never heard of a church based Trunk or Treat until I became a youth pastor (a long time ago). To be honest, I wondered if the idea was blasphemous to encourage trick or treating at the church facility. I found out quickly that it was an excellent outreach event to our community and that I should probably get over my legalism and celebrate every chance to share Jesus with people.

October 31^st is not an evil day. It is the Lord’s day, just like every day is. Trunk or Treat sees our parking lot become a location for hundreds of kids and their parents to safely experience the American tradition of Halloween. If you have never been to our Trunk or Treat, here is what you can expect:

On the lot you will find cars, trucks and vans that have been transformed into candy distribution locations. Many of our vehicles have been morphed into fun booths where the kids play games to earn their “candy prizes.” Each vehicle is decorated in a fun theme which makes it tons of fun. We serve food and drinks as well and we love to get to know the families that are visiting with us. Each family registers at the entrance for a door prize and that empowers us to follow up with them and encourage them to visit Shadycrest for worship services, bible study groups, and other events.

We believe in this event because it fits directly into our “Mission.” We are called to glorify God together (side by side—Phil 1:27) through gospel sharing and serving others. Trunk or treat is a bridge ministry that helps us do just that. If you aren’t already involved, join our Trunk or Treat team today. Yes, we all can have a role at the event. Sign up today!

Compassion Experience Success

Compassion literally means “to suffer together." You are a person with compassion when you are confronted with another's suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. Empathy is our ability to feel what another person is feeling, however, feeling another’s suffering and acting upon it are two different things. The person with true compassion is a person of action. The person who steps up and sacrifices to relieve the suffering of another person is truly a compassionate follower of Christ.

So, let’s celebrate the compassion of our members. I’m ecstatic at how you responded this past weekend! Yes, yes, yes! Praise the Lord and Hallelujah!

Thank you to our awesome volunteers! You are necessary and you made the experience a great one for the people who came and for the other Compassion volunteers. And through your efforts we were highly successful.

Here are the results:

·         200 kids sponsored

·         20-25 kids sponsored by Shadycrest families

·         20 kids sponsored by Lifepointe families (our co-sponsor for the event)

·         Shadycrest became more unstoppable & more necessary in the world—success!

Sponsor a Child - El Salvador

One of my goals is to add value to someone’s life every single day. I believe this was the heart of my Savior Jesus. Everyone He visited and everyone He spoke to and everyone He touched were blessed.

I work hard to accomplish this and at the end of every day I ask myself, “who’s life did you impact today for the Kingdom of God?” One thing I do know is that my family’s picture is sitting in the family room of the child I sponsor through Compassion International. I believe that not only does my sponsorship help meet his needs every day, but it adds value to his life every day too! That makes me happy, and it glorifies my Father in heaven.

Today there are many children to choose from. In our church foyer there are dozens of kids from El Salvador that need a sponsor family. Will you consider sponsoring one of them? Our goal is to see 20 children from El Salvador sponsored by Shadycrest families. Added to this we pray God will open the door for us to travel to El Salvador in the future to do mission work amongst the people we are praying for and sponsoring through Compassion.

One important thing to note about Compassion International is that you can trust them. Compassion consistently receives the highest ratings for financial accountability and integrity. Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating—4 stars—each of the past 14 years. This consecutive run places Compassion in the top 1% of all charities. 

This Sunday, October 18th, the El Salvador children will be in the Worship Center Foyer. If you have not gotten a chance to sponsor a child, you can do it then.

Preparing for the Compassion Experience

Poverty Facts

·         About every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria, a preventable and treatable disease.

·         An estimated 67 million primary-school-aged children worldwide do not attend school.

·         About 2.4 billion people live on less than $2 per day, making them extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, illness, food shortages or instability of any kind.

·         19,000 children die each day due to conditions of poverty.

·         1 billion children (nearly half the world’s population of kids) live in poverty. Many of them are in extreme poverty.

·         Each day, 10,000 newborns in developing countries die within a month of birth due to poor conditions.

·         640 million children live without adequate shelter.

·         There are 1.1 billion people in developing countries without access to clean and pure water.

·         For more facts on poverty you can go to: www.compassion.com/poverty/poverty-quick-facts.htm

Our chance to make a real difference in the world of poverty is here. Are you ready for the Compassion Experience?

Proverbs 28:7 – “whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eye will get many a curse.”

Matthew 19:21 – “Jesus said to him, ‘if you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’”

Pray for Compassion / Missions

For the past 40 Days we have been praying for Ingathering. Today is the day. We will give well. We will give sacrificially. Then what?

Our mission is to glorify God by sharing the gospel and serving others. So, that is what we must continually refocus toward, and missional opportunities lie before us we must all get behind. Join us in praying for and serving in the success of these opportunities:

The Compassion Experience—2-weeks from now the Compassion Experience will be here for a 4-Day event. Presently we have over 1,800 registered attenders (Fri – 428, Sat – 745, Sun – 488, Mon – 152). We expect 50% of people to RSVP and 50% of people to simply walk up. Therefore, our estimate of seeing 4,000+ people on our campus for the event is certainly realistic. You can sign up today to help at our Hospitality Center or to work in the Compassion Experience on any of the days they are here, Oct 9-12. Our goal is 100 prospect families and 200+ children sponsored. My prayer is that 20 of those children are sponsored by Shadycrest families. Pray & Serve with us! 

Kids Hope Mentors—we will have 10 trained mentors this year. Pray for them and pray they are matched up with the kids God wants us to help!

Operation Christmas Child—our world missions ministry to care for needy kids at Christmas. Pray for success. Begins in October.

Angel Tree—our local missions ministry to care for needy kids at Christmas. Pray for success. Begins right before Thanksgiving (Nov.).

INGATHERING SUNDAY IS ALMOST HERE!

"It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

Many people go to church for what they can get. Well, if you go to church just for what you can get out of the music, or what you can get out of the sermon, or just to get blessed, you've missed the point and therefore you may miss the blessing. The music and the sermon aren't ends in themselves, they are but stimuli to cause you to seek and worship God. And if you have any thought less than that, you've missed the point! Giving God the glory He is due is central to the Gospel and central to life!

We go to church to worship God, and that's done by giving, not getting. How can our worship be pure if our first instinct is to “get what we want.” No, instead, we first go to offer something to Him. We offer Him praise, a humble heart, a willing spirit. We lay our service and even our treasure at His feet to worship Him. Worship is a consuming desire to give to God, and it involves the giving of ourselves, our heart attitudes, and our possessions.

So, as Ingathering week approaches, plan to give well! Give sacrificially! Yes, give financially but also come prepared to offer Him great praise from a pure heart. In doing so you and I will be giving Him the honor & glory & praise He deserves. Let’s bless the LORD next week with all the passion we can muster! Let us come together and honor Him, and as He asked us to in Malachi, let us test Him and see what He might do amongst us when we give sacrificially to His Kingdom work.

The Compassion Experience

The Compassion Experience is coming to the Pearland area October 9 – 12, hosted by Shadycrest Baptist Church and Lifepointe Fellowship (our neighbor church). This free event will bring visitors on an interactive journey through the lives of children living in countries such as Uganda, Bolivia, and El Salvador.

Through over 2,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space, visitors will step inside daily life in a developing country—visiting homes, markets and schools—without getting on a plane. Through the use of an iPod and headset, each tour is guided by a child whose story starts in poverty but ends in hope.

The event is an excellent opportunity to experience another culture and better understand the realities of global poverty. Don’t miss this life-changing event.

We are expecting over 4,000 visitors to our campus over the 4 day event! Some of these will become prospects for Shadycrest. We are also expecting to see over 200 children sponsored because of our willingness to host this event for our community. That is exciting!

So, circle October 9-12 on your calendar and make sure you visit the experience yourself. Call your family and friends too. It is going to be awesome and God glorifying!

Building Bridges Through Love and Prayer

Building a bridge is an art. Not literal bridges that you drive over, although those are incredibly important...no, instead bridges for the gospel…bridges that help us sow the seeds of the gospel.

I love the prayer emphasis we are experiencing together right now. It is a joy to know a group of our members are praying every day and for the same things. Yes, we are agreeing and seeking the LORD in prayer, asking for his favor, for revival, and for a blessed offering this month at Ingathering.

Likewise, we should pray, as we learned last week, for God to break our hearts for lost people. And, we should pray for the wisdom and opportunity to reach them. Here are some other ideas to help us all:

1. Love people until they ask why. Then give Jesus all the credit.

2. Ask more questions than they do. Show your genuine interest in other’s lives…and this helps you to know how to pray for them.

3. Pray for them. And let them know you are doing it by continually checking on them.

4. Pray for your heart. We are by default selfish and we need to pray daily to ask the Lord to help our focus be on loving others as we love ourselves.

5. Connect them to church/gospel. Continually invite people to your church, your group, & your home.

6. Follow up. This is the step that everyone seems to forget. Never assume their silence means they are not interested. They’re busy, just like you. Keep reaching out. 

I Love My Church!

Lately I’ve been contemplating all the great things I love about Shadycrest. As I began to make a list I was overwhelmed by the number of great ministries and great people we have here who serve the LORD so well. It literally made me exclaim, “I love my church!”

I LOVE:

Watching our kitchen crew serve our members with great love.

Hearing the stories of members like Alvin Rose and Gene Weaver who visit our homebound and nursing homebound. 

Listening to the testimonies of our youth (Blaine Israel) about what God is doing in their young lives.

Hearing the giggles and watching the smiles as the children played this past week at our AWANA kickoff carnival.

 Praying with our prayer warriors during our 40 Days of Prayer.

Singing with our Celebration Choir and awesome praise band. 

There is so much to love about Shadycrest! What a great place to serve the LORD!
What do you love about Shadycrest? I’d love to hear your story. If you have a story to tell, please contact me. I’m collecting stories and I truly want to hear yours. Call or write me ASAP, and tell me why you love your church! 

Discovering/Revealing God’s Will Through Fervent Prayer

God gets the glory. Always. You want to try and accomplish some incredible task in your own strength, go right ahead. I hope you live a long time because you are going to need lots of time to do it. On the other hand, even the impossible tasks for us are simple to the LORD. He is the Almighty.

As we began to pray together this past week, and specifically in our group prayer meetings on Wednesday, some themes emerged that I’d like to share with you. I pray these revelations will provoke you to join us daily in seeking the LORD together. Here they are:

1.       God is in control. He already has a plan to bless Shadycrest, provide for our needs, and expand our influence in His Kingdom. Will we join Him in His plans? (Ps. 24:1)

2.       We must seek Him. He is jealous for the glory for He deserves the glory and we do not. We must rid our hearts of selfish intent. We must pursue goals for the glory of God and none for us (2 Chronicles 7:14 & Jeremiah 29:13 are instructive here).

3.       We must not be afraid to ask. We have needs as a church and we often don’t see blessing because we don’t seek the LORD and ask together in unity. Asking for provision of real needs is faith in action. The LORD blesses people who are full of faith (James 4:2-3 is instructive here).

4.       We must have a missional vision for the blessing we receive. Will God bless us if He know we are going to spend that financial blessing on more stuff for us? We believe not. We are committing to make God’s mission our mission!