mattfry

Preparing For a Great Future

We kicked off the year challenging you to renew your mind, soul and body.

Mind ~ through reading the Word

Soul ~ through a Daniel Fast

Body ~ through exercising 20 minutes a day.

My challenge to you is to keep it going. Don’t let it be just a 21 day thing but a lifestyle thing.  Let's prepare for a great year!

1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

 We have 2 options…

WE CAN PREPARE OR REPAIR

 Are you living your life to where you are preparing yourself for what God wants to do in your life or are you living your life to where God is going to have to do a miracle and your life is in need of healing and repair?

• PREPARE YOUR MINDS ~ Renew your minds daily
• KEEP SOBER IN SPIRIT ~ Be Holy Spirit led
• FIX YOUR HOPE ON GRACE ~ Remember that the future is in God’s hands of grace. 

 

PREPARATION TAKES PATIENCE

There are no shortcuts to God’s blessings.  We live in a culture that wants things now. We can get so impatient with God. 

 

PREPARATION TAKES DISCIPLINE

It’s a daily discipline.  If you want to have a blessed year, it happens one day at a time so make every day count.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow isn’t here yet. Today is what matters!

 

PREPARATION TAKES INTENTIONALITY

Are you living your life proactive or reactive?  You can pay now and play later or play now and pay later.

 

Let me encourage you to live 2014 being proactive not just reactive.  When you are proactive, you are preparing.  If you are reactive,  you are repairing.

 

Preparing Lets You Focus on Today

Repairing Makes You Focus on Yesterday

 

Preparing Increases Efficiency

Repairing Consumes Time

 

Preparing Increases Confidence

Repairing Breeds Discouragement

 

Preparing Saves Money

Repairing Increases Costs

 

Preparing Pays Now for Tomorrow

Repairing Pays Now for Yesterday

 

Preparing Takes You To a Higher Level

Repairing Becomes an Obstacle to Growth

 

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

 

God has prepared for us and has a plan for our life.  We need to be prepared to walk through the doors that He opens!

 Make a decision that you are going to Be Different in 2014!

 

 

21 Day Challenge - Renewing Your Body

This is the final week of our 21 Day Challenge and I want to encourage you to finish strong with exercising for at least 20 minutes per day!

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says:  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; You were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies

 

Here are a few ideas to incorporate exercise into your day:

 

• Take a walk on your lunch break

 

• Substitute TV time for a quick workout

 

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator

 

This 21 Day Challenge is a great fresh start for your health.  Join a gym, start a new fitness class, or even begin to train for our next C3 5K!  I encourage you to continue the Daniel's fast and reading through the Bible.  Join us next Thursday, January 23rd for our next Hot Night with Herbert Cooper!

 

 

Day 15:

Hebrews 1-6

Day 16:

Hebrews 7-13

Day 17:

James

Day 18:

1 Peter

Day  19:

2 Peter/

Day 20:

1 John

Day 21:

2 John/3 John/Jude

Hot Nights are Hot!

We are off to a great start in 2014 and our Hot Nights kicked off strong with Pastor Zhenya Kasevich from Hillsong Kiev!

Join us tonight as I share a Hot Night message that God has laid on my heart.  I am praying that it will help you to a have a blessed year.

 

 Also, join us for our next 3 Hot Nights:

January 23rd with Pastor Herbert Cooper from People's Church in Oklahoma City, OK

January 30th with Pastor Phil Dooley from Hillsong Cape Town in South Africa

February 6th with Pastor Chris Hill from The Potter's House of  Denver, CO

 

Check out this Hot Night video and share with others!  

See ya tonight!  It's gonna be a HOT Night!

 

 

21 Day Challenge - Renewing your Soul

Today we continue our 21 day challenge through fasting for the next seven days.  I believe that, through prayer and fasting, God can reveal a breakthrough and a sense of direction that you may need in your life as you begin this journey in 2014.

Ezra 8:21 and 23 says:  

And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled.  So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.

 

 

Normally, fasting means to abstain from food and/or drink for a certain period of time as a religious practice.  However, it may extend to anything that may be a source of pleasure, satisfaction or personal gratification such as technology or television.

 

The Daniel's Fast is a partial fast, which means that we will eliminate some common things from our daily diet, but will have generous options available.  We will focus on eating fruits and vegetables that are pure and simple.  The list of suggested foods to eat will be available for you at our information desk in the lobby and also at http://www.c3church.com/events/mindsoulbody 

 

 

As we prepare for this time of prayer and fasting, I  would like to encourage you to log on to http://marthafry.org for recipes and meal planning ideas.

 

I also encourage you to continue reading through the bible with this extended reading plan:

 

Day 8:

Galatians

Day 9:

Ephesians/Philippians

Day 10:

Colossians

Day 11:

1 Thessalonians/2 Thessalonians

Day 12:

1 Timothy

Day 13:

2 Timothy

Day 14:

Titus/Philemon

 

I'm excited to see all the God is going to do.  We are stronger and better together!  See you at our next Hot Night on Thursday January 16th!

 

21 Day Challenge - Renewing your Mind

Today begins our 21 Day Challenge!  

Here are some suggestions as you begin reading the challenge scripture: 

1. Unplug from technology - whether it's turning off the TV or putting down your phone, tablet, etc., take time to unplug from the world and plug into God's Word

2. Wake up 30 minutes earlier in the morning. Nothing gets us ready for the day like spending the first moments with God and His Word. 

3. Read during your lunch break. Stopping in the middle of the day to get into God's Word and invite Him into our day is a great way to deepen our relationship with Him. 

4. Listen to the audio version of The Bible. You can do this while you're getting ready for the day, driving to work or while exercising. 


I can't wait to hear all that God is doing in your lives as you begin the 21 Day Challenge spending time in His Word.

 

                              

 

 

21 Day Challenge - Are you in?

Sunday, January 5 we begin a 21 Day Challenge!

We will have 3 focuses as we begin the New Year: MIND, SOUL, BODY.

The first seven days we will be reading beginning in the book of Acts and will read about 10 chapters a day. The next seven days we will begin a Daniel Fast where we cut out the meats and the sweets, and the final seven days the challenge is to exercise 20 minutes every day. 

If you want to take it to another level, add each focus as you continue the challenge so by the final seven days you will be reading the Bible, eating fruits and vegetables AND exercising 20 minutes a day! Imagine all that God can do in your life and our church family as we give God first place in the new year!

And join us for each of our HOT NIGHTS beginning January 9 as we celebrate and encourage each other!
Check out this video and share with others. I can't wait to see all that God does!

 

 

Hot Nights 2014

Hot Nights 2014 begins next week and my prayer is that we could use these Hot Nights and the 21 Day Challenge to get us focused on Jesus and what He wants to do in our lives and our church family.  Make plans to be here and bring a friend! I believe that the next 5 Thursday nights are going to be life changing!