Here is the latest update for Forefront Church:
(embedded video below)
Forefront Hurricane Update from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
To help with PiN Ministry & the homeless outreach during the hurricane, CLICK HERE
One of the series I look forward to the most each year is “World Changers.”
The stories that are shared always inspire me
The lives of our people constantly amaze us as a church…
World Changers 2011 from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
I love music.
From touring with a band, playing shows to sitting with my iPod.
It’s so refreshing.
Music just stirs the soul. It’s remarkable.
So, with that, here are some of the songs I’m enjoying at the moment:
David Crowder & Daniel Bashta, “Like A Lion”
Bon Iver, “Calgary” (Snow Panda Remix)
Imogen Heap, “Hide And Seek” (Murdok Dubstep Remix)
Listener, “Wooden Heart”
Gym Class Heroes w/ Adam Levine “Stereo Hearts”
(this isn’t GCH, but I liked the acoustic version these guys did)
What are my late night people listening to? (include a link for me to check it out)
Jason
To be a part of something bigger.
To watch God perform the miraculous.
To let go of our own egos.
To be a part of the church instead of simply “showing up” @ church.
To be free.
To accept and trust in God’s promise.
To believe in that Jesus doesn’t make bad people good, he makes dead people live.
To give back to His church and others from the overflow of our hearts.
To be still- and experience this week after week…
Baptism: Jake & Kelly Lengel from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
Dan Almos, Rick & Chrissy Hoyt Baptism from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
Forefront Baptisms: Jordan Kay from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
Joe Flanagan, of 13 News, came out to take a look at what Pa & VA churches were doing for the folks down south. With all the devastation that has taken place in the southern states, someone has to help them. As a church, our call is to respond.
We teamed up with Legacy Christian Church in PA. They rallied people up north and we rallied the area in Hampton Roads. It was a great collaborative effort. David Scott, a fellow Forefronter, asked his company (US Food Services), if they would donate a truck, gas, and comp his time. They agreed. On May 12th, 2011 we filled the 18 Wheeler with food, clothing, and supplies as it headed to Alabama for delivery.
Thank you to everyone involved in making this great.
You can read mention about it here.
Check out the news story embedded below.
We’ll have a video w/ the whole project and delivery, edited and out in the coming week or so.
Forefront in the News: Channel 13 WVEC from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
*Count how many times I blink. Ha.
**Oh, and I am not the founding pastor. Just a guy trying to lead as he tells me.
Jason
I wish I had the time and energy to create something like this.
Ronen V is pretty creative, check out this video:
Ronen’s Adventure: Trapped in an iPhone from Ronen V on Vimeo.
You ever feel like that?
Ever have that “I feel like I am completely trapped” kind of feeling?
You feel boxed in. Isolated. No means of escape.
For all intent and purposes, the end is all that’s left inside your head.
Well, the other day our family was at the Outlets in Williamsburg.
I hate the outlets. Seriously. I would rather lay on I-264 than be there.
But, what mamma wants, mamma gets. And mamma wanted a day at the outlets.
So we went.
On the 1.5 hour drive back, I hear from the back seat, “Daddy, I HAVE TO POTTY!”
Super.
We were about 30 minutes away from the house.
I cannot pull over and let a toddler do #2 on the side of the road.
“She doesn’t wear diapers anymore, so it could end badly,” I thought.
Maybe we could drive really fast?
Nope, I’d surely get a ticket.
We could get off on an exit and use a bathroom at a business?
Nope. HOV lane.
Now, I normally don’t pick the HOV. But, remember… what mamma wants, mamma gets.
Carrie is always asking me to get in the HOV for times sake.
This time I took the initiative and got in the HOV with out her asking.
Yep. I knew what was coming…
“Well, we could get off on an exit if you didn’t get us trapped in the HOV lane,” she said.
We were trapped. No where to go but straight down the HOV lane with a toddler crying about her imminent “movement,” a baby screaming for her afternoon bottle, a wife letting me know I could have made a different choice, and me (breaking down on the inside like a kid who got beat up and had his lunch money stolen). Although many different options were running through my head, I could only drive and pray things didn’t end badly.
But, I made the choice.
I’m the one who had picked the HOV lane.
I didn’t ask my daughter if she wanted to use the potty before we left.
I placed the diaper bag in the far back of the car, where the baby’s bottle was.
I did it to myself.
It affected the people around me. Badly.
We all experience things in life. Sometimes it is completely out of our control (it’s usually pretty clear when these times are). But many times, it didn’t just “happen to us.” Our decisions and actions led to the tale of being trapped and now we’re reaching out from the hurricane we created screaming, “I have no idea how I got here?!”
Well, you made choices. Good, bad, indifferent- choices.
When we feel trapped in our daily grind (job, soccer practice, choral rehearsal, kids behaving poorly, domestic issues, lack of communication, etc), it’s because more often than not, we neglect to make the choices that can remove us from the cell we’ve become trapped in. The point of difficulty is when we find comfort in the cell, the walls are all we know, and we fear getting loose because the unknown is scary and awkward. But, it’s in those storms that we encounter (created by us or not), that we move ourselves towards God.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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 4:6-8
I struggle heavily with anxiety.
It ravages me internally.
This passage from Paul gives me peace when I’m feeling trapped and confined.
When you’re feeling trapped, focus on this truth.
Allow God to free you from the trappings of this amazing life American dream you keep chasing.
Growing up, you never know what kind of lasting impression you’ll leave on people.
For many, you don’t get the chance to speak into the lives of your childhood friends, as an adult.
Fortunately, that chance came around.
Joe and I grew up together.
We ran with the wrong crowd. Wait, we were the wrong crowd.
Not all the time, but we were definitely far from perfect.
Your parents warned you about… us. Ha.
We grew up, and parted ways.
Just over a year ago, our paths crossed.
He was wrestling through a broken marriage.
I was fumbling through pastoring a church.
We sat down in the mall food court and talked about life.
He shared his mistakes, and his deep love for his wife.
Joe wanted to make things right.
Melissa had been coming to Forefront for awhile.
She was searching for healing in their marriage.
God eventually brought Joe along to experience God’s love, through His church.
A year later, this is what God is doing…
Forefront Baptisms: Joe & Melissa Hunter from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
At Forefront, we embrace people’s stories.
Everyone has a story to share.
You might think it’s boring or uneventful, but you have one.
The amazing part, your story needs to be told.
It’s a part of the puzzle, a piece of the body, the scene in the movie.
Your story helps share this “good news” with others.
You telling your story matters.
We have a few people who are going to start a new chapter in their story this Sunday after church. They are taking the step to surrender to God and allow Him to transform their life. It’s another moment to watch the miraculous happen. I love it.
Here are a few recent baptisms that took place here at Forefront.
Awesome.
Forefront Baptisms: April 10, 2011 from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
Derek Smith’s Baptism from Forefront Church on Vimeo.
