A Good Day

Sunday was a good day for LSCC. Not that the other weeks haven't been good but Sunday seemed to be a mark, a spiritual step that we took together. It has been difficult to discern what God is up to at times. He certainly continues to send people to us every week. He certainly has sent us people with wonderful gifts and talents and passions to fill key roles of ministry. God has taken care of His new church! While I see so much of His grace involved in our 9 month journey, I wonder what is going on in the hearts of people. Sunday, I didn't wonder so much. The presence of God was heavy in our little sanctuary, people met with Him! Then we finished off the day with a family night. Parents and their children learning together. To top it all off, a neighbor of the church came on Sunday for the first time. He came back to family night with his horse and gave all the kids a chance to ride. This was a good day! Ps 66:5-6, "Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him." Yes, God is doing great things, continues to, both visible and in the hearts of the Streamers. I am rejoicing in His care, His calling and His church. The boundary lines for me have fallen in pleasant places! 

Signs of Life

The sign appeared today, ready to broadcast 24/7 that God is doing a new thing! We're still waiting on the stone columns for the ends and we'll add more dirt to the base. How exciting!

A Double Blessing

I am living this amazing life right now. God's hand has moved every week since we started this new church. Our meeting place has been a visible expression of that. On February 22, 2009, I received a double portion from Him. First, the Sunday morning attendance was a BIG surprise. 5 new families stopped in and we approached the century mark with 97 souls! Wow, there is no explanation other than God working to draw people to His church. The second blessing happened in the afternoon. Normally, I need a good nap to recover from Sunday's effort but I committed to leading a Vespers Service at Westminister village at 3pm. I confess, I wasn't looking forward to it, largely because of fatigue. The service was 30 minutes and there were roughly 30 elderly residents that came to hear from God. As I shared with them about the Lord's prayer, God touched my heart as their eyes looked on at this young guy with hardly any life under his belt compared to them. Their faces expressed love, encouragement, agreement, excitement and gratefulness. They sang some old hymns, listened intently and then prayed. After the service they shook my hand, invited me back and blessed me with there encouraging words. I even received a kiss on the cheek! I believe in Prov 16:31, "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." These wonderful people spoke God's love to me and filled me to overflowing that day. I'm looking forward to when I can return and fill up again on the wisdom behind those eyes that loved me so much like Jesus. Blessings, Pastor Greg

A Spiritual Battle

You know....I am aware of the invisible war being waged against man and Christians in particular. Most of the time, I attribute my trouble to me and most of the time I think I'm right. This week though, I have found the struggle to be a little stronger than my usual fall down and get back up routine. Sunday, I have the privilege of sharing God's word on the subject of holiness. This week though has been anything but holy for me. It's been one of those weeks when I feel like the old nature is in control and God is tired of my repetitious wandering away from Him. It was yesterday morning that I realized I was under attack. I had a glimpse of my life 40 years down the road and didn't like what I saw, there was too much of me and not enough of God. Defeat set in, disillusionment and on my way to despair. As our church gathered for study last night and we learned a new song called "I Press On" I could sense God's Spirit calling me to get back up. I had been listening to the voice of the enemy, allowing him to influence my mood and my thinking. Last night, God said no more! To quote an Andrew Peterson song, "I know that falling down ain't graceful but I'm thankful falling is full of grace." To God be the glory, great things He has done.....even for me! Phil 3:14, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." NIV Thank you Randy for writing that song and leading us to sing it. I'm standing again today, standing in His holiness and pressing on to attain more of it on a daily basis. It is the best way to live and walk with God. Blessings, Pastor Greg
P.S. Satan is a punk!

A Story of God's Grace

I can't believe that three months has passed since we opened the doors of LSCC to the community! My attention has been diverted from the blog but it's been nagging at me to post some thoughts about where we've been since the Stream started flowing. All I can say is God is good and He has poured out much grace upon His new church in McCordsville. The building provided us has been a real blessing, giving us an identity and visibility in the community. Every week since we opened our doors, there has been a new family or face at one of our two services! I am constantly amazed at how God places us on the hearts of people. In January we began standing on our own two feet finanicially. God's has provided for the work He called us to do. I'm humbled by the gifts from people to LSCC as the economy looks bad and other churches are struggling. We are planning for some remodeling to accomodate more people and are looking to put a permanent sign out front too! Our core group of 15 families has grown to 25 giving us over 70 most Sundays.

It is hard for me to express my gratitude for all who are praying for us and who have supported us financially. All of it has brought 2 Cor 9:8 to life at LSCC, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." We continue to pray for the seeds of God's word to bear fruit in the lives of people, for His gospel to take root in a hard heart and for His will to be done in our lives. He is sending the sunshine down upon us, it's a story of God's grace and we can barely contain our joy. All for Jesus...Pastor Greg

He is At Work

Since October 12 the doors of LSCC been open to visitors. We have hung around 3,000 door hangers on neighborhood homes informing them there is a new church near by. We have handed out personal invitations and have been written about in the local newspapers. Our prayer meeting continues to happen on Monday nights, asking the Lord to bring the people. It is truly amazing how He has answered our prayers. Since our opening day we've added 5 new families and have seen visitors each week. This past Monday night a guy dropped by to give us some books for a start on a church library. He had read about us in the paper and wanted to help. A lady called me up on the phone after reading about us in the paper and wanted to financially support us. I met her a couple days later and she did indeed give us a financial gift as well as a big smile and joy that overflowed from her heart. It was a wonderful dose of encouragement. These are just a few visible signs of God at work for His church. I am reminded of the words from Zech 4:6, 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. ' NIV We continue to trust in God for the increase, we continue to pray for a harvest, we continue to rejoice with gratitude over these precious signs God has shown us in books and gifts. He is at work and as my good friend told me recently, we are just along for the ride! Blessings.

Gifts From Above

The past few weeks have been so busy with building work, preparing for new people and encouraging the Streamers. Busyness has been an enemy to my solitude with God, my family time, and my health. In all the activity, God has continued to show His mercy to me/us on this adventure. Recently at a work day one of our Streamers brought dessert to us. It was a cake, decorated with a stream and some ducks. That cake was a gift from God to me. It just touched my heart that she would go to such lengths to bless us. I have cut about 15 acres of grass this week on a mower that was donated by another of our Streamers. Again, as I bounced around on the ocean of grass we are now taking care of I was overcome by the gift I was riding. Those are just two of many gifts from above to me and this new church. We've had a mold company eradicate the mold in our building for free. We've had framers, drywallers, pizza guys, painters, farmers, and tireless Streamers give so much to make this building an honorable place to meet with God. We've had people continue to remember us in prayer, more than I know of! Next Sunday, (Sept 28), we will have our first worship service in the Meijer Miracle building and then Oct 12 we'll invite the neighborhood to join us. All along I bleieve God will continue to give us good gifts from above. James 1:17 says,"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." I am so blessed, so in awe of how God has made things happen for us. I look forward to seeing just how far His goodness will extend through us as we begin to touch lives for His Kingdom.