Decade Of Destiny, Year 2- Goals & Strategy

2013- DECADE OF DESTINY-  YEAR 2, INCREASE 

God has been gracious to our church as we have thrived by witnessing hundreds of people make decisions to follow Jesus, dozens more be baptized and powerful ministry occur in environments geared toward children, youth, young adults, married couples and others! 2012 marked the beginning of a 10 year vision for our church called, "Decade Of Destiny."  Year 2 begins this year and we are prophesying a year of INCREASE over our church family.  John the Baptist said this in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease.” (NASB)  Our desire is to decrease in the areas of our lives that are not a part of God's plan and to increase in those that are.  The Bible says, “... Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”  Luke 2:52 (ESV)  That is our prayer for this year and these are our goals.  To read more about our Decade of Destiny goals, click here.

2013  GOALS AND STRATEGY

1.  We will establish a new small group and discipleship strategy.  This will enable us to  more effectively build community within our church family.  We will utilize 2 forty day campaigns in the first half of this year to begin.  Our goal is to have 40 different groups meeting in the life of our church.  Upcoming 40 day campaigns include:  The Bible Challenge (Feb. 3 - Mar. 10), What On Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, Apr. 7 - May 12)
During the summer of 2013 we will be training our core leadership and small group host/leaders in our new discipleship process to help people move forward in their faith through one on one relationships.
2.  Numerical- Break through 1,000 in consistent weekend attendance as people get planted in God's House so they can flourish in life.
3.  Salvation- Our goal is to see 1,000 people take their next steps in following Jesus this year in our community and all over the world!
4.  Church Planting/Missions-  We will partner with other organizations to plant 10 churches in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and here at home.  We also support missions work in Haiti, Honduras, India, and other parts of the world.  When you give towards our goal of $50,000 for missions, you are helping us accomplish this goal.
5.  We will continue to develop our community care / outreach strategy.  We currently give financially to various organizations, such as the Parkesburg Point, and offer a food bank that feeds up to 50 families each month.   We will begin new initiatives to better serve our community and share the gospel message to each person within our reach.
5.  Financial-  $1,250,000 (including Decade Of Destiny)  Through the sacrifice and dedication of God's people we will supply the vision that God has given us for this year.
6.  Expansion Fund Goals: $250,000---$150,000 towards the purchase of our new property that will be the site of our new strategic location for the future of Freedom Life! $100,000 will go towards establishing our new location in Coatesville and preparing for our next site in 2014.  This will enable us to reach into surrounding communities with our message of hope in Jesus. Commitment Sunday will be on January 27, 2013!
7.  We will increase our leaderships team capacity to multiply and grow with the vision.  To do this we will continue to offer FaithWorks Hillsong Extension College (www.FaithWorksCollege.tv)  on Monday evenings for enrolled students. Growth Track classes will be available to every person in the church to help them move from an attender to contributor.  Growth Track will meet weekly at both locations.  We will also have quarterly leadership summits for all of our volunteers and quarterly gatherings for all of our team leaders that will empower their leadership along with one on one mentoring.
9.  We will invest into marketing and promotion to enable us to grow to the next level.  For years we have heard people say, "I didn't know this place existed or I would have been here sooner!"  We want to make it hard for people to go to hell in our community so we will be exploring new ways to reach more people through television, media, mailers, social media and so on.
10.  We will continue to focus on special services / events / conferences that build peoples lives.  They include:
-Marriage Retreat, Women's Conference, Men's Conference
-1st Wednesday Celebrations that combine all campuses to celebrate communion and be inspired by guest speakers.
-Relevant Biblical series to help you grow such as:  The Bible Challenge (Feb 3- Mar 10), There's An App For That! (Mar 10-24) What On Earth Am I Here For? (Apr 7- May 12), Solomon Says (July), My Back Story (September), Follow (Oct / Nov)

Isolating Insecurity- Book Review

I recently read the book "Isolating Insecurity," and thought that it was fantastic so I wanted to review it and share some of the highlights!  I highly recommend investing into yourself by picking it up.  You can click here to purchase your own copy.  This topic is of great interest to me because I've experienced the effects of insecurity in my life and I have seen the effects that it has on the lives of so many others.  Here are a few thoughts that Pastor Paul de Jong shared in this important book.

Insecurity exists in all of us.  We are all riddled with the limiting power of insecurity.  Consider this:  any unchallenged limitation will always end up producing future restriction.  Only as we understand insecurity can we begin to isolate it.

Here are the 12 ways that you can identify insecurity in your life.  Insecurity:

• Fosters self-doubt (self-doubt is the voice of insecurity)
• Focuses on the safe (Insecurity breeds a 'play it safe' gene)
• Block affirmation (Value is found in a revelation of who God has made us to be)
• Justifies a lack of personal responsibility (Personal responsibility gives insecurity little room to move)
• Develops in the dark room of discouragement (Discouragement is usually the outcome of disappointments that have not been handed back to God)
• Becomes defensive and unteachable (Insecurity resists the acceptance of wise counsel)
• Keeps you subject to the past (If we don't resist the past we restrict tomorrow)
• Continues to place judgement (Judgement is our smokescreen to our weakness)
• Resists relational connection (Insecurity repels the very connection we long for)
• Constantly finds itself comparing others (Comparison stops you from discovering who you really are)
• Controls or is controlled (Unrestrained insecurity often expresses itself in domination)
• Creates a future of compromise (If you don't deal with insecurity today, it will compromise your tomorrow)

You can begin to isolate insecurity by putting into practice these 7 keys:

1. Acknowledge it's presence (We render insecurity powerless when we stop pretending)
2. Confront it's dominance (Your loudest voice will dominate your life)
3. Release your past (We must let go of what we can't change)
4. Understand your uniqueness (Accept who you are, God does)
5. Embrace your future (Our greatest failure is expecting never to fail)
6. Establish effective boundaries (Insecurity grows once we are isolated)
7. Continue insecurity check -ups (I am a work in progress)

Remember-  If you don't isolate insecurity, it will isolate you!

Christmas Year-End Offering 2012

The Christmas Year End Offering is a year-end giving initiative that focuses on expanding our reach to people who need Jesus. This offering is above our normal tithes and offering. We will be receiving our Christmas offering beginning on Sunday December 16 & continuing the rest of the year. Please pray about being a part of this exciting opportunity as we spread hope into the new year!  

4 Ways That We Will Spread Hope This Christmas Though Our Year-End Offering!

#1 - In conjunction with the Spangler’s, our missionaries to Honduras, we will establish a church plant by providing facilities & support for their community outreach.

#2 - We will continue to help with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts by partnering with Oasis Church in Staten Island, NY to minister to that community.

#3 - We want to continue to expand our amazing youth ministry by providing a new van.  This will enable them to bring more teens to experience Jesus every week.

#4 - It is important that we continue to spread hope in our community at both locations by ending the year strong here at home.

OUR END OF THE YEAR CHRISTMAS OFFERING GOAL IS  $75,000

You can make a pledge or give to our year-end offering by clicking here!

Join Our 30 Day Fast From Negative Thinking This Weekend!

Isn’t it time to move forward into the life that God has for you?  This weekend we begin a 30 day challenge that will forever change your mind and your life!  You will never have a positive life with a negative mind. Negative thoughts disrupt God’s plan, and will steal your joy, peace and contentment in life.  Over the next 30 days you will learn how to overcome negative thinking so that you can experience God’s goodness in every area of your life!  Here’s how you can be a part of this life-changing experience.

1.  Be a part of our church each week!  Join us live (Christiana or Coatesville) or online (www.freedomlife.tv) during this series for Bible based messages that will help you keep moving forward in your faith!

2.  We're encouraging each person to wear a rubber band on their wrist.  Why? Well, the rubber band will serve as a visible and physical reminder for you to learn to patrol & control your thoughts.  Pausing and considering the implications of negative and toxic thinking will forever change your life.

3.  We're encouraging each person to follow along with our reading program for the next month.  Together we will read a devotional called, "30 Thoughts For Victorious Living," by Joel Osteen.  We will be giving away this booklet at our weekend experiences as well as posting the daily thought on our facebook/twitter.  We will also be focusing on reading 2 books of Bible over the next 30 days: Ephesians and Philippians. (consider using the online Bible app youversion.com) This will empower you to change your pattern of thinking.  The old way of thinking must be replaced with a new focus.  

4.  A 30 Day Small group will provide an opportunity for you to study deeper as well as develop better relationships within the church family.  You can host a small group together with your friends, or enemies ;-), all you need is a DVD player.  To find out more about hosting or being a part of a small group, email info@freedomlife.tv!

For more information about how to get connected to the life of our church, visit our website at www.freedomlife.tv!

MOVING FORWARD —>>> 30 Day Fast From Negative Thinking

This past weekend I adapted a message from Pastor Rick Warren for the launch of our new series called, Moving Forward!  Below are 5 things that are true about your life whenever you make the decision to follow Jesus.  When you confess Jesus as Lord of your life, you move from being God's creation to God's child and all things become new.  Consider these thoughts and scriptures below...

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  1 Peter 2:9-10

Part 1-  YOUR NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST

1.  YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY GOD.
“He chose us in him before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in his sight by his love.”  Eph. 1:4
“You have been CHOSEN by God himself!”  1 Pet. 2:9 (LB)

2.  YOU HAVE INCREDIBLE VALUE.
“You are a HOLY nation, a people BELONGING to God!” 1 Peter 2:9
“You are a people holy to the Lord your God… his treasured possession.” Deut. 7:6 (NIV)
“God says, ‘You are precious to me.’”  Isa. 43:4 (TEV)

3.  YOU ARE LOVED BY GOD.
“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.” 1 Peter 2:10
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT)
“God’s love is eternal and his faithfulness lasts forever.”  Psalm 100:5 (TEV)

4.  YOU ARE COMPLETELY FORGIVEN. 
“At one time you did not know God’s mercy, but now you have received his mercy.” 1 Peter 2:10 (TEV)
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 8:1
“I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you.” Isa. 43:25 (TEV)

5.  YOU ARE FULLY EQUIPPED. 
“You are royal priests … chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (NCV)
“The capacity we have comes from God; it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant…” 2 Cor. 3:5-6 (TEV)
“I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13

4 Declarations To Jumpstart Your Week

God is given many different names in the Bible.  For example, he is called our Redeemer, a Rebuilder, a strong tower, our healer, a shield and many more.  One I think that often gets overlooked is God as Restorer.  From Genesis to Revelation, God is all about restoration.  Restoration means the following:

Restoration-  re·stored, re·stor·ing, re·stores

1. To bring back into existence or use; reestablish: restore law and order.

2. To bring back to an original condition: restore a building. 

3. To put (someone) back in a former position

4. To make restitution of; give back: restore the stolen funds.

Key Question-  Do you believe that God desires to restore every area of your life?  

What you believe about God will always determine what you believe Him for.  If you believe that He is a restorer, you will believe that he can restore your life.  Faith is the key to receiving anything from God.  Hebrews 11:1 reminds us,"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (see also Romans 4:18, Psalm 119:81)

Why not determine right now to have a “restoration” mentality.  Now is the time to release your faith.  Here are 4 thoughts that you can declare over your life today!

#1  God Is Restoring My Soul

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul...”.  Psalm 23:1-3

Encourage yourself. Don’t settle in the valley of darkness. That is not your destination. Keep moving forward.  The Bible reminds us to speak to our soul and to make a declaration of hope! (Ps. 42:5-6, 11; 43:5).  Regardless of how you feel, why not go ahead say, "God is restoring my soul!"

#2  God Is Restoring My Wasted Years

“Then I will make up to you for the years that the... locust have eaten...”.  Joel 2:25 (NLT)  God is able to restore even wasted years.  Though you may feel down, with God, you're never out! Proverbs 24:16 reminds us that, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again...”. (NLT)  God can make the latter greater than the former.  Instead of focusing on what you have been through, begin to focus on what God is bringing to you.

#3  God Is Restoring Double For My Trouble

“Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.”  Zechariah 9:12  I am sure that you have heard the expression, “When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade!” Today, rest in the understanding that when the devil throws lemons at you, God Himself will make lemonade!  The Bible says that God works all things together for your good. (Romans 8:28) Believe that God can restore double to you, so that you end up having more than before, if not in quantity, then in quality! Remember Job in the Old Testament. When he lost everything, his wife told him to simply curse God and die. Instead, he responded to God in faith, and “the Lord gave to Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10)

#4  God Is Restoring My Dreams.

“When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! 2 We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.  And the other nations said,  “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” 3 Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!  What joy! 4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. 5 Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. 6 They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”   Psalm 126:1-6

This powerful Psalm is a reminder that God is a restorer of dreams.  You may find yourself in a season of tears, but today is a new day.  Choose to begin again and prepare for a harvest of joy!

Declare today that God is restoring your soul, your wasted years, your dreams and that He is giving back to you double for everything that the enemy stolen from you!  GOD IS A RESTORER!

What Is This Church About & Why Are So Many Of The Pastors Bald?

As our church family prepares to become 1 church in 2 locations, I've been answering questions about who we are as a church and what we are all about.  Maybe you follow me, or our church, on twitter or Facebook.  Maybe you've received an invite or simply got REALLY lost and happened to walk into one of our services and thought, "What is this church all about and why are so many of the pastors bald?"  I wanted to post some thoughts to help you understand both of these question.  First, the baldness is genetics so we can't help it. Second, the church is the family of God and it exists for very specific Biblical reasons.  

Every church needs to have a purpose statement that answers the question, “why do we exist?”  The answer to that question is simple, the church exists for JESUS!  According to the Bible, the church should be based upon the 5 purposes that God has for the church and for each individual Christian.  These purposes are found in the following 2 verses:

“Love the Lord Your God (Worship) with all your heart…soul…and mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love Your Neighbor (Ministry) as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:36-40

“Go and Make Disciples (Evangelism) of all nations, Baptizing Them (Fellowship) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching Them To Do (Discipleship) everything I have commanded you.”  Matthew 28:19-20

These 5 purposes enable us to have a Biblically balanced life and church by doing the following:

• Worship- worshipping God weekly.
• Ministry- Serving other people unselfishly.
• Evangelism- Sharing our faith effectively.
• Fellowship- Connecting with the church regularly.
• Discipleship- Growing in maturity daily.  

These purposes have enabled us to define the reason we exist in this one simple purpose statement: “Freedom Life exists to help people experience the freedom and life that only God has to offer!”     

OUR MISSION: Love God, Love People and Love Life!  

OUR CORE VALUES:

Lost people matter to God, so they matter to us
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Investing into the next generation through exciting children and youth ministries
“… We will tell the next generation about the Lord’s power and great deeds and the miraculous things he has done.”  Psalm 78:4

Fellowship through small groups and serving
“We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. We should not stop gathering together with other believers…” Hebrews 10:24-25

Encouragement through relevant Biblical ministry
“… the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope.” Romans 15:4

In our church we see lots of people come to Jesus... lots of children and teenagers... lots of people in small groups, various ministries and serving... lots of people in our creative services and environments encountering Jesus.... Why?  We believe that if it's important to God, it should be important to us.  If you are interested in making it important to you, consider joining us this fall and making our church family, your spiritual family.  If you have more questions,  email us at info@freedomlife.tv today!