Pastor's Blog - February 2013

Greetings Family of God!

 As I sit down to write this, I am reflecting on the tremendous things God is doing in our body.  He has shown Himself faithful to our church and in our lives.  He has been faithful to send his Holy Spirit to move amongst us during our corporate gatherings. I am thankful that as a body we are choosing to press in to His presence and in to the things of the Spirit.

The Lord has shifted our body into the five-fold ministry, which will begin to bring the purposes that God wants for us closer to being fulfilled.  The Elders and I sense excitement in the atmosphere and we are encouraged to see many of you stepping into the callings of God on your life.

Ephesians four has been an area of scripture the Lord has been recently bringing to the church.  In verse three, Paul writes that we are to be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  The word endeavoring here means to be eager, to make every effort, to do one’s best, be zealous.  As we move forward in these exciting times, I want to encourage you to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit because when there is unity, there is the commanded blessing of the Lord – Life Forevermore (Psalm 133).

Continue to seek Him, press in, strive for unity and fulfill the purposes that God has for you!

Please join us February 24th at 2:30 p.m. for a Round Table Meeting in the sanctuary as we share the direction the Lord is taking His church.

Blessings,

Pastor Ryan

 

Pastor's Blog - January 2013

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
to which you were also called in one body;
and be thankful!  Colossians 3:15

 

Have you ever had one of those days when there was so much confusion whirling around your head that you felt like screaming, “STOP!”?

From time to time everyone has that kind of day, and when you do, your temptation is probably either to get in the flesh and react to someone in an ugly way or to get depressed, go to bed and forget about it all.

However, we know that neither choice will help you solve the problems you are facing.

Rather than throw in the towel and let your emotions get the best of you, why not stop right now and make a decision to let the Word of God rule you today?

When I say “rule,” I mean the supernatural peace dominating and governing every emotion and situation that confronts you. If you don’t make this decision and follow through with it, worry, fear, insecurity, doubt and many other emotions will try to take control over you.

 Instead, let the peace of God rule in your heart as Paul wrote in Colossians 3:15.

The word “rule” here describes an umpire or referee who moderated and judged athletic

competitions.

Paul is saying that God’s peace can work like an umpire or referee in our hearts, minds and emotions.

When feeling overwhelmed, just stop a moment and deliberately set your heart and mind on

Jesus and the Word of God.

Confession:

I confess that God’s supernatural peace dominates me. When I am tempted to get upset and my emotions try to take control of me, I put these emotions aside and allow the Spirit of God to release a supernatural, dominating, moderating peace to rule my heart, mind and emotions!
I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Bless you all,

Pastor Ken 

 

Pastor's Blog - December 2012

Celebrating Our Savior’s Birth

Dear Family of God,

Greetings this Advent season!

Advent is a Latin word which denotes the coming or arrival of Christ the Messiah.

As many of you know, I am not fond of Christmas, trees, lights, wreaths and such.

However, I am amazed at the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior.

This season of preparation, or to make room in our hearts for Christ, is so wonderful.

No wonder at all that we feel led to give and bless others during this season…

For God so loved He gave His only begotten Son.

The miracle of the Incarnation, God becoming man, is the crux of our Christian faith.

All we stand on is based on a virgin with child!

The cost, the sacrifice, that Mary and Joseph paid is a reminder of our Father’s great

sacrifice. Think of it, God gave up His only Son to save us from our sins.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David,

 A SAVIOR

who is Christ the Lord!

Our Savior has come first as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, now as our King

in our hearts!

May the wonder, majesty, joy and peace of our Savior’s birth fill you this season as

you celebrate His kingly reign.

Christ is Born — Hallelujah!

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Ken 

 

Pastor's Blog - November 2012

Dear Family of God,

Greetings in Jesus’ name!

I trust you are all experiencing the wonderful grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ and growing in His great love.

God has truly shifted our fellowship into His higher purposes. The momentum of the Holy Spirit is incredible and growing every time we meet.

We have entered into a time of truly experiencing His tangible presence in our gatherings and seeing His power manifest over sickness, disease and lack.

Be encouraged to enter in during these corporate times so that you can receive His fullness for every area of your life. Like never before, the entry is open wide and the Lord is beckoning us to come in and fellowship with Him.

Don’t forget to be thankful amid what may have turned out differently than expected.

God loves a thankful heart; in all things, be thankful.

Our God is on the throne and is still looking for those whose hearts are toward Him.

God wants to prove His ongoing goodness to His covenant people.

 

Never forget that you are in covenant with God!

The Almighty God, He cannot change. If God be for you, who can be against you?

Let’s keep a thankful heart especially during this season of Thanksgiving.

Bless you all and may the Lord bless your lives abundantly.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Pastor Ken 

 

Pastor's Blog - October 2012

Dear Family of God,

 Well, summer has left us but not yet its heat! Our region certainly has its own climate and strange ways of showing it to us all.

Family, I truly hope you enjoyed this summer and I trust you were able to vacate and enjoy some much needed time off and time away.

I encourage you to really move ahead now that we have all reconnected with God’s ongoing purposes. So many ministry opportunities are available to you during this “Spring Spiritual Season.”

We are bursting forth as a body into the “New” that Jesus has for each of us.

Be encouraged and contend for your fulfillment of the promises that God has made toward you. Now more than ever is our time of blessing, newness and fulfillment.

We have such momentum here at The Gathering; momentum that will launch us forward into Christ likeness, Christ greatness and Christ goodness.

Expect to see your miracles manifest.

Expect to see God bring your victory.

Expect your families to be overcome with God’s best.

Expect to see your turn-around now!

Family, we are praying diligently for each of you and we know in our hearts that the Lord’s impact is now upon each of you — just receive!

Just receive!

I leave you with this blessing!

Proverbs 3: 5-10

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Ken 

 

Pastor's Blog - September 2012

Dear Family of God,

Blessings to you from our Lord Jesus Christ!

Everyday I become more amazed at God’s love and grace for His people, His ongoing faithfulness and certainly His mercy which is new every morning. I need that wonderful mercy of God because daily I fall short of the mark. Yet God loves us so much that He refuses to condemn us when we miss the mark.

Family, I encourage you to really seek the Lord through fellowship and prayer and the study of the Word, by worshipping and waiting on His loving presence.

Lately, the Holy Spirit has been saying to me that we are entering into a time of His victorious moving. So be expecting to receive victory where you need it. It may be your health or finances or the need for family restoration; just release your faith and receive.

All of us are being exalted to a new place in Christ…

A new authority in Christ…

A new awareness in Christ…

A new dimension of favor in Christ…

A new release of passion for Christ.

So don’t hold back as fall arrives upon us. Before we know it, a new season has come, both in the natural and spiritual realm. This new season is your season to overcome and catch the wind of the Spirit as He moves us to a closer proximity in godliness and actual manifestations of God’s power and glory.

This is yours for the asking and taking!

We love you all and pray everyday for your lives.

Pastors Ken  & Tonja

 

Pastor's Blog - August 2012

Greetings Family of God,

As the new school year approaches, let’s take a moment to reflect on this summer. We had an incredible time at Family Camp, giving testimonies of God’s provision, God’s healing power and most importantly, seeing families connecting with God.

What a wonderful experience our youth had at Summer Camp! We had fun at the water park, shared a team-building experience kayaking, and went to Bubblegum Alley – an attraction in San Luis Obispo where you chew a piece of gum and stick it to a wall in an alley lined with chewed bubblegum! I actually chewed a piece of gum off the wall as a dare!

Besides all the fun, I was so encouraged that the youth who went were willing to go and meet with God.

Matt and Luke Valassis were our guest speakers and really ministered to our youth. It was so awesome to hear the Word of the Lord given to one young lady on how the Lord has given her wisdom at a young age and how successful she is going to be. Another young lady also received a Word on how the Lord has set her apart at such a young age. It was so powerful. The best thing about this was that Matt and Luke had never met any of these girls. It was amazing to see life being poured into our youth’s lives. All it took from those girls was to be willing. God is looking for a People who are willing. Gathering, let’s be that People.

It’s time for our youth to be excited about God’s will and walk in His power. Parents, let’s come into agreement for this school year and the rest of their lives. Let’s pray that our youth will not be ashamed of the Gospel and that our youth would unite to become a civilization of young people becoming like Jesus. Acts 4:32-33: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”

We will overcome!!

Pastor Tommy Templeton

Children’s/Youth Pastor