Christmas Eve

JESUS CHRIST IS BORN!

I want to thank all the volunteers at New Hope Community Church who made the Christmas Eve service so special. Both services went well and I believe many lives were touched by what was communicated with the help of the Holy Spirit; that if we believe in Christ, He will be born in our very messy, chaotic lives and He will remain with us always. As people were leaving many told me how moved they were by the music, the dramas, the readings, the message, and the lighting of the candles out in the courtyard, which symbolized the followers of Christ taking His light out into a dark world who desperately needs the grace of God.

I was deeply moved when a women came up at the end service to shake my hand and thank me for the service. She said that she had invited a neighbor who was touched by the service. During the message I had said, "

No one need ever say, 'I am not good enough for Christ to live in me!'" Earlier that night the man had said that he couldn't ever imagine that he was good enough for God to except him.

The truth is that none of us are good enough on our own for God to accept. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." None of us are accepted on our own merit; for it is only by the grace of God through Jesus Christ that we are saved. The woman told me that she believed that her friend got the message that he is accepted by God and that the only requirement that God makes from us is faith. Micah 6:8 says, "And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Merry Christmas to you all!

A Christ-Centered Faith

I have just started to read Michael Horton's book, Christless Christianity, and I am captivated by every page.  I have yet to make it past chapter one, "Christless Christianity: the American Captivity of the Church", because what he has written is so important to the state of the American church today.  Here are some of the quotes I have enjoyed:

I think that the church in America today is so obsessed with being practical, relevant, helpful, successful, and perhaps even well-liked that it nearly mirrors the world itself.  Aside from the packaging, there is nothing that cannot be found in most churches today that could not be satisfied by any number of secular programs and self-help groups (pp. 16-17).

The focus still seems to be on us and our activity rather than on God and his work in Jesus Christ.  In all of these approaches, there is the tendency to make God a supporting character in our own life movie rather than to be rewritten as new characters in God's drama of redemption.  Assimilating the disruptive, surprising, and disorienting power of the gospel to the felt needs, moral crises, and socio-political headlines of our passing age, we end up saying very little that the world could not hear from Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, or Oprah (p. 18).

My concern is that we are getting dangerously close to the place in everyday American church life where the Bible is minded for "relevant" quotes but is largely irrelevant on its own terms; God is used as a personal resource rather than known, worshiped, and trusted; Jesus Christ is a coach with a good game plan for our victory rather than a Savior who has already achieved it for us; salvation is more a matter of having our best life now than being saved from God's judgment by God himself; and the Holy Spirit is an electrical outlet we can plug into for the power we need to be all that we can be (p. 19).

I have witnessed the captivity of the chruch that Dr. Horton speaks of myself; and I confess that I have regretfully participated in it.  I have listened to sermons, and delivered sermons myself, that have read more like the table of contents of a self-help book than the  proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I even heard a sermon delivered by a pastor that didn't mention the name Jesus Christ nor use the word "resurrection" on Easter morning because the pastor didn't want to offend "seekers" or "pre-Christians" who were coming to the church for the first time that morning to "find truth." How can we expect seekers to find truth if Jesus Christ is not proclaimed?  I agree with Dr. Horton, we must return to Christ-centered preaching; we must return to a Christ-centered church; and we must return to a Christ-centered faith.

"Jesus is Boring!"

On Wednesday night I went with a group of kids and parents from New Hope Community Church to an assisted living apartment complex.  About thirty seniors had gathered to hear the kids sing Christmas carols and help the kids with a craft.  The evening began by decorating Christmas door-hangers that the seniors could hang on their doors.  The hangers had the little town of Bethlehem already pre-printed on the background and the kids and the seniors were supposed to add Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the stable.  As one little boy worked with one of the seniors, the elderly woman explained the story of Jesus' birth to him.  The boy became filled with joy and excitement as he seemed to learn of the real meaning of Christmas for the first time.  He was so overjoyed that he wanted to tell someone the good news that he had just realized.  The boy came running over to me and a few other parents with great enthusiasm and excitement in order to tell us the good news.  With a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face he wanted to say, "Jesus is born!", but instead, he blurted out, "Jesus is boring!" 

As I left the assisted living building, I wondered how many times we Christians send out the message that "Jesus is boring" when what we really want to communicate to the world is that "Jesus is born!"  Somehow we've forgotten what good news the birth of Christ is to a dark and lonely world that so desperately needs to hear that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, has been born.  I wish we could all capture the enthusiasm, the joy, and the excitement of this little boy and communicate the message of Christ's birth to the world.  This Christmas let's help the world to believe that Jesus is born; not boring!

Black Friday Evangelism

My wife, Linda, only does her Christmas shopping on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.  She goes through the newspaper the night before, examining all the sales.  She clips out the adds and organizes her plan of attack like a soldier going into combat.  The next morning, actually in the middle of the night, she awakens our daughter and the two of them sneak out of the house with blankets and folding beach chairs in hand while I'm still dreaming about turkey.

On Black Friday, she sat in her beach chair with coupons in hand and reading a Christian book while waiting in a long line to buy two boys bikes for twenty-five dollars each.  What a deal!  Two ladies behind my wife commented on her book and that they enjoyed the author.  As the two women, who were also in line to buy bikes, continued to talk they discussed the need for them to find a church where both their families could worship together.  The ladies were best friends but one preferred to worship in large churches and other preferred small churches.  So they began to wonder if they could find a medium size church that they could worship together in.  Then, one of the ladies mentioned a church over on Guadeloupe, near Val Vista.  She said that she had heard that the church just got a new pastor and that some very exciting ministry was happening.  My wife couldn't keep silent anymore.  She interrupted the conversation and told the two women that she knew something about the church; in fact, she was married to the new senior pastor.  Linda invited the two to church.

It's exciting to know that our community is becoming more aware of what is happening at New Hope Community.  It is nice to know that our ministries are having an impact on our community for the Kingdom of God. 

Why I don't still live in Michigan

This is picture of Michigan's first 'big snow' of the season sent to me by a friend of a friend.  People from back home usually send me these pictures and then ask, "So, do you ever think you will move back to Michigan?"  I do miss family and friends and I do miss the four seasons.  But...well, how can I say this...when I asked a man in church one morning why he moved to Arizona from the north, he said, "I got tired of shoveling snow, so I strapped a snow shovel to the top of my car and drove south until someone asked me, 'What is that?' and then I knew it was time to stop driving and stay." The man settled here in Gilbert.

Some very good friends from Kalamazoo, Michigan came to visit us for the last few days of October, Jim and Lori Gasaway.  We had a wonderful day kayaking in Canyon Lake, just 30 minutes from our house.  As a comparison picture to the one above, I submit to you this picture.  This is the typical 'winter weather' that we need to 'suffer through' on a daily bases.  Anyone want to come and visit us in Arizona?

But, don't come in the summer or you will be like this Arizonan ice cream truck!

End-of-Year Pastoral Letter to New Hope Community Church

I’m so proud of the New Hope Community Church.  It is the type of pride that you feel when your child takes his or her first step.  I am proud of our Faith in Action Day and the wonderful acts of kindness that we provided our community. I’m proud of our staff because of their “can do – whatever it takes” attitude and their willingness to make enormous personal sacrifices. I’m proud of our many volunteers who work hard all week in their jobs, provide for their families, and still manage to contribute significant amounts of time and energy to the church.  I’m proud of the people who quietly pray and who persistently call upon God for His protection of this ministry.  I’m proud of the highly competent lay leadership in this church.  I’m proud that New Hope is a place where broken people can come to find grace, healing, and hope. 
This past year, God has taught me some very valuable lessons about what it means to be unemployed, unable to make a mortgage payment, to lose all of one’s savings, and what it means to lose your home.  Not that I ever want to repeat those circumstances again, but as I look back at what my family experienced this year, I am actually thankful for the lessons I have learned.  I have learned that there is much more to life than what I thought I needed and I have learned how proud I am of my family for their willingness to adjust their lifestyle so that our basic needs could be met.  I know that in the midst a poor economy it has been difficult and all of us have had to cut back.  I empathize with those who have lost their jobs or their homes, who have been forced into bankruptcy, or who have had to support loved ones because of medical or financial difficulties.  I want to thank you for whatever contribution you have been able to make to New Hope during your struggle.  Please do not feel that you need to make any further contribution to this ministry until you are able to make ends meet once again. Our prayers and thoughts are with you.

I am proud of New Hope Community Church because in light of the current economic situation, we have cut our expenses by $45,475 from what was budgeted.  However, we are $72,750 behind in what we had budgeted for income.  Our goal is to make up the difference of about $30,000 by the end of the year so that we can start the New Year afresh.  To make ends meet we have had to take money out our savings to pay basic bills and we have had to compromise some of our goals. 

I am proud of all of us who continue to provide for this ministry whether it is through time, talent, or treasure, or most importantly through prayers.  But for those of us who have survived this economic crisis and who have continued to feel blessed by God in a special way, I ask that you consider making a year-end gift to the church.  Perhaps you give every week but you know you can do something more; please consider giving something additional above your regular contribution.  Or perhaps you are working toward tithing but you are not quite there.  I am thankful for your goal to tithe and I encourage you to continue to give in that direction.  Or perhaps you already tithe because you recognize the value and joy you receive from making that kind of sacrifice.  Perhaps you might consider making a gift to the church that is above and beyond your normal giving. 

May God truly bless you and your family this Christmas and in the New Year!

In Christ,
Pastor Jim Poit

From the Refrigerator

Last week my youngest son, Joshua, opened the refrigerator door and said, "Mom, it's time for you to go to the store; I've tasted everything in here!"

Visit to Santa Cruz

Last week our kids had fall break and we went up to see our oldest son, Adam, at UC Santa Cruz.  Joshua, our seven year old, heard us talking about our trip and he thought that we were going on a cruise.  He was disappointed to learn that we were going to a city called Santa Cruz instead of going on Santa's Cruise.  He expected presents and reindeer and Christmas cookies.  Zachary, our nine year old, was disappointed when we visited the Golden Gate Bridge and he realized that it wasn't golden at all; instead, it was the color red.  I posted his reaction on Facebook and a friend responded, "The bridge is red because it was left out in the rain." 

We had a good time with Adam.  He wanted his keyboard and the matching leather chairs I had in my previous office.  He gets along well with his roommates and likes his classes.  He continues doing website development for various people and he now has a job doing it for the university.

We love the church that God has called us to in Gilbert, AZ.  New Hope Community Church is a healthy congregation with a passion for outreach, discipleship and service to the community.  On October 4, we canceled our morning worship services in order to perform service projects in the community.  One group went to clean up a park, another went to clean the yard of an elderly person, another went to a nursing home, another took lunches to homeless persons and ate with them, another group stayed at the church and made blankets for the Indian reservation, and my group went to a home for teenage girls and we planted gardens.  There were so many groups that I can't list them all.  We had a good time and the congregation can't wait to do it again!

A Week of Firsts

This has been a week of firsts.
* Yesterday was the first time that the high temperature was below one hundred degrees since we arrived in July. It was the first time the pool temperature went below eighty-four degrees (it was still 80 degrees this morning at 6:00 a.m.).
* It was the first time my kids went to All Stars for Jesus at church and they absolutely loved it (they told me that they can't wait to go back next week). All Stars is a fantastic youth program for the kids where they do many service projects in the community.
* This week we also sent our first son away to college for the first time.
* This morning I was considering wearing my jeans to the office which would be the first time I didn't wear my shorts and flip-flops. But, I decided it is still too hot for me; today we are supposed to have a high of only 97. Arizonians are beginning to say, "Well, it's beginning to cool down a little. Isn't the weather getting nice?"
* On Saturday I am thinking about taking the kids for their first hike in the Arizona wilderness. I hope we don't see our first diamondback snake or our first scorpion.
We are having a lot of fun in Arizona and we are enjoying the sun shine.

Son Off to College

My oldest son is off to college. He is attending the University of California in Santa Cruz. The campus sits up in the Redwood trees, overlooking Monterey Bay, about 30 miles south of San Jose. The temperature stays in the mid-60s to the mid-70s all year around. You can almost see the surfers from his dormitory. He keeps telling me that he will just be another poor suffering college student. Yeah right!

I will truly miss him. I will miss his persistent explanations of how computers work and the latest, greatest news about the internet (of which I never understood a word he was saying). I will miss his opinions and observations about politics and religion. I will particularly miss our theological discussions. And most of all, I will miss his constant encouragement. He would always tell me how proud he is of me right when I needed it the most.

Even his younger sister and brothers will miss him. They were all sad to see him go this morning.

Adam, your mom and I are so proud of you and we love you.

Sorry that I went missing.

I'm sorry that my website went down. Many family and friends have been asking if I'm still writing devotionals and updates. When I moved to Arizona my new web provider does not allow me to host my own website from home and I am too cheap to pay for the service.

I'm excited to be blogging again. Hopefully this will be a great way for friends to stay in touch and to find out what I'm up to.