The congregation for whom I preach recently launched a 5-year vision that is designed to position us to be more effective witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The most immediate piece of that plan is the renovation of our auditorium and the addition of another worship service time. This move will “force” each of […]
Today, I started a “spin-off” series of our journey through the Gospel According to Luke called “The 4 Big Questions of Life.” There are some questions that are so important, so profound, and so big that every person asks them and every person yearns for them to be answered. Philosophers say that there are four […]
I continue to be amazed at how God is using our Celebrate Recovery ministry to impact the lives of people in our community and in our congregation. Recently, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church, where Celebrate Recovery began, wrote an article describing the features that make CR uniquely impactful. I have posted the article […]
At Alameda, we are focusing on becoming a church that is actively making Jesus known throughout the world, starting with our own neighbors. Last Sunday I preached a sermon called “Why Our Neighbors Need the Gospel” and gave these five reasons… Like us, our neighbors have a sin problem that only Jesus can solve. Like […]
Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is “love your neighbor as yourself.” At Alameda, we are encouraging each other to take those words of Jesus seriously; which is why we are launching several initiatives designed to help our members live intentionally among their neighbors. But being a good neighbor nowadays also must include our […]
At Alameda, we are slowly unfolding an initiative called “Make Jesus Known.” The goal of this initiative is to position our congregation to be proactive in faithfully and effectively sharing the gospel of Christ with our community and beyond. We’re starting by equipping and empowering our members to build intentional relationships with their neighbors that […]
On Sunday I shared with our congregation many of the ways we made Jesus known to our community in 2017. The list was extensive and impressive. It really is remarkable what God can do through a group of people who are committed to glorifying God by serving others in the name of Christ. One of […]
I’m a fan of Jon Gordon’s leadership books and videos, and Jon is a big promoter of choosing one word at the beginning of the year that focuses all your efforts in the same direction. He writes, “A powerful and practical way to live with purpose throughout the year is to pick a word for […]
Luke 18:16 tells us that Jesus called children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” This was an incredible statement by Jesus because he was bestowing value on a group of people – children – […]
The following is a note that appeared in Alameda’s weekly bulletin yesterday, written by Keith Lough, one of our church’s Elders: Lynn Cowell wrote, “Sometimes God brings times of transition to create transformation.” Over the years Alameda has endured many transitions: births and deaths, changes in ministry staff and eldership, move-ins and move-outs. Each event […]
