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When life gets busy, I usually look for ways to relax, slowdown, decompress, veg-out, chill-out, or just sack out on the couch!

Trouble is, whenever I choose an activity to simply "escape" form life, I return with more anxiety and stress than I had before.

The prophet Isaiah asked, "Why spend your money on what does not satisfy?" He called people to look to God, who satisfies his people freely, with abundance, and without conditions.

I find that simply meditating on Christ and reading a Psalm or a passage of Scripture is the best way to calm my mind and relax- and yet I find I resist doing it when life gets busy. Why?

I've often wondered if God laughs. I think he does laugh-- especially when we humans assume that he can't do something.

Several months ago when I was thinking about our church's situation of setting up every week and meeting in a school, the pessimistic side of me said, "Well, did I realistically think that our church plant would be in a new building in less than five years?"

Oh, how God must have been chuckling when I was thinking those typically pessimistic thoughts!

God had a building planned for our church. Recently we have purchased a facility on Dogwood Road- and we will have our worship service there this Sunday!

I think God does laugh.

I'm a movie person. I could watch the same movie over and over and be moved by the slight nuances of each viewing. One of my favorite movies is "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.

There's one scene in there that really captures the difference between going to church as a consumer versus being part of a church as an investor.

George Bailey and his wife Mary have just gotten married. As they are about to leave on their honeymoon, they see a panicked scene at the entrance to the Bailey Savings & Loan business. Old Man Potter has called in the loan and is trying to put them out of business. People are scrambling for their money.

Recently Barbara Walters revealed (on Oprah) that she had an affair with a married man some thirty years ago. Maybe it was just the slant of the news report, but I was disappointed in the way one of her friends advised her at the time:

The news report read something like ,"You've got to end this. It will ruin your career."

Now that all those years have passed, I guess it won't ruin her career if she admits the affair. But is that the best reasoning we can think of? Is the preservation of one's career the right reason to end an adulterous affair? Or is an adulterous affair simply wrong period?

This summer we will be holding our first set of membership classes: (dates will be June 11, 18, 25 and July 9, 16, 23)

This brings about the question, "Why have members?" Some churches operate without members, other churches have members, but that membership does not mean a whole lot--other than signing a pledge card once a year.

Why membership? Because it is biblical and its healthy for the church!

Last week two in our church family, John and Josh Simons, went on a missions trip to Paraguay with E3 Partners, an organization that specializes in evangelizing and planting new churches.

You can read updates about the missions trip on John's website: www.john-simons.com.

Also, attached is the prayer calendar so you can pray for John and Josh as they are on their trip.

To God be the Glory!

In church we often talk a great deal about forgiveness and God's grace- and for good reason! The only way to know God;s complete and total forgiveness is through God's Son, Jesus Christ and his work on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin.

But what's the path to receiving forgiveness? We don't often talk about the practice of confession, which is vital to how we experience God's grace. It's one thing to know the doctrines of the atonement and justification--that God has declared sinners righteous by virtue of Christ's work--but it's quite another to walk down the path of shame, guilt, and utter anguish over having offended a holy and righteous God. Only when we are brought to despair can we see the light that Christ brings.

My wife and I recently celebrated one year with our new ministry here in Ocala. We’ve had a lot of changes over the past year: new job, new home, new baby. After reflecting on the past year, here are a few reasons why I’m glad to be part of Christ Community Church:

In the 1980 movie The Blue Brothers, Jake and Elwood Blues (played by John Belushi and Dan Akroyd), are released from prison and find out that the home they were raised in (run by Catholic nuns) is destined to close in 11 days unless $5,000 is raised to keep it open. The brothers decide to reunite their old blues band and play a few gigs to try and raise the money. What’s their sales pitch to their fellow band members?

“We’re on a mission from God.”