82 percent!

Wow…..I just saw the latest stats…..are you ready for this: 82% of unchurched folks in America say they would attend an Easter service is someone invited them!

82%!

What are you waiting for?  Only 3 more inviting days until Easter!

See you here – at 8am, 9:30am, 11:30am or 1:30pm (the last service is in Spanish)

Easter Celebration!

We’ve been so focused on our 20th Anniversary Celebration (and rightfully so!) that we’ve not spent enough ‘promo time’ on the BIGGEST Sunday of the year – this Sunday, April 4, when we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

I can assure you that we’ve prepared our best for this day that historically draws more unchurched folks to church than any other day or event on the calendar – with special music, dance, and a message straight from God’s Word.  We’re even planning to baptize some brand new believers, and to receive communion in remembrance of what HE did for us!

At the Tinley Park campus, we really need your help: most of our unchurched guests will attend the 9:30 or 11:30 services, which are generally already pretty full each Sunday.  So I’m asking (pleading!) for those of you who normally attend either of those services to instead worship with us at 8:00 a.m. this Sunday – unless you have guests coming with you for one of the later services.  If we can shift about 200 of you who normally attend one of the later services to 8:00 a.m. this Sunday, it will free up precious parking spaces and auditorium seats for the guests and prospects that we expect to attend.

One of the things I’ve long loved about this church is the way you step up to help us when there’s a need, so I thank you in advance for your cooperation this Sunday.  Of course, if you do have friends coming, or if it’s just not possible for you to make that switch, we STILL WANT YOU to worship with us at whichever service is most convenient for you!

Let’s invite and pray and expect GREAT THINGS this Sunday as we seek to introduce people to the Lord at CLC!

The only error at Sunday’s celebration…

It’s almost been 48 hours since we gathered at the Tinley Park Convention Center, and I’m still messed-up! Not only were your affirmations of love to us simply overwhelming, but I was honestly blown-away by every part of the service.  Most amazing to me was that such an elaborate schedule with each campus pastor playing an important role came off without a hitch or a hiccup – from the first “Uffda” (that really was a CLC first, Kristen) to the confetti cannon ending (another CLC first!) except for one glaring omission, and the culprit was yours truly.

We knew that having everyone together from all our campuses was the perfect opportunity to explain and promote the upcoming CLC missions trip to Israel this November 9-19, and the staff had asked me to share my heart regarding Israel.  It was on the schedule and it was in my notes, but I completely forgot!  So here goes:

• The Holy Spirit dealt with me very strongly while I was in the Philippines in June of 2009 over the fact that CLC is so missions-minded, with almost $4M sown into missions in our history, but until that point, not one penny had been given to reach the Jewish people.  I repented and promised the Lord that I would change that once I returned home.
• Since that encounter, as I’ve studied more and listened further, I’ve purposed in my heart that Israel will actually become our #1 priority in missions, ahead of any other nation in which we’re involved – in the words of Scripture, “to the Jew first!”
• Perhaps the most exciting development in these nine months is the connection we’ve made with Tikkun International – a Messianic, Spirit-filled coalition of ministries both in Israel and in the USA led by Daniel Juster. Dan is considered the leading Jewish Messianic theologian in the world today, and he’ll be ministering at CLC this July  25! And we already are sending more support on a monthly basis to them than to any other nation or ministry with which we partner.)
• This November 9-19 we will be leading a team of CLCers (hopefully from each campus) to the nation of Israel, where we will not only enjoy a tour of the Biblical sites, but also serve alongside these Messianic ministries.  We’ll enjoy a Shabbat service together; we’ll serve the poor & needy Jews; and we’ll have an opportunity to encourage our partners there.  I believe it will be the trip of a lifetime!
• All of the information you need is on our website (including a sample letter you can use to solicit help from family, friends and co-workers). In all my years of leading missions trips, I’ve never known of anyone who truly wanted to go who was not able to raise the necessary funds.
• But you must act soon! The deadline for the initial deposit to reserve your seat was April 1 – but I’ve asked the travel agent to give us a few more days.  I would urge you to get your deposit to Mauo Travel & Tours by April 15.  (Again, all the info is right here)

The Jews often say, “Next year in Jerusalem!”.  I’d like to suggest, for CLCers, it’s “This year in Jerusalem!”

If you have questions for me, leave them below-

Sunday reflections

There. Are. No. Words.

I left home a little after 6 this morning, and just got back home about 11 tonight.   During those 17 hours, I made 2 runs to O’Hare (not because no one else was willing, but because I cherish the windshield time for conversation with my mentors and friends) and, of course, attended two of the most special worship celebrations in our history.

There really are no words to describe today, so I probably shouldn’t even try.  All I know is that I’ve never cried so much in church and enjoyed it!

Thank you.  Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you.  THANK YOU! Thank you to the incredible volunteers who pulled off that incredible celebration at the Convention Center so smoothly – I don’t know how you did it, but I’m so thankful for each of you who played a part, from the ‘history road trip’ in the lobby, to the combined musicians and singers from each campus, to MY HEROES: the awesome folks who sacrificed their own chance to be in the auditorium to instead insure that our children had a great celebration, the ushers and greeters and set-up folks on Saturday and the tear-down folks today, to the camera operators and media team behind the scenes who played such an important part, to the 20 international readers who gave us a visual demonstration of the multi-national family that CLC has become, to our wonderful staff of pastors and directors who planned and kept surprises from me and did such an incredible job today with each facet of the celebration, to every person who offered personal congratulations and expressions of love that left me a mess most all day!

Thanks for emails and FaceBook messages and phone calls.

Thanks to Mayor Ed Zabrocki, not only for his kind words, but also for issuing a GREAT challenge for CLC to double in size in the next 5 years!

Thanks to my daughter Jen and our Media Director Eduardo Marroquin, who each pulled all-nighters on Saturday so the service would run smoothly on Sunday.  (Special thanks to Amber Marroquin for sacrificing her husband on the altar of CLC for the last few weeks)

Thanks to each of the “Read thru the New Testament” challenge participants, with special props to Susan Wilson and Roland Powell (and anyone else who stayed overtime without my knowledge) for staying with it until 2 a.m. when the last verse was read!

Thanks to the Binion’s for being the true worshippers they are, and blessing us all day long.  Thanks to my pastor, Bishop Garlington, for a rhema word tonight that answered my questions and gave me a prescription for the future.

A special thanks to the incredible woman of God that I get to share life with: Chris, as always, you made me proud today!

Finally, to EACH PERSON who gave financially or otherwise in order to honor us – with flowers, awards, the scrapbook, that gorgeous emerald ring, and the dream vacation (a 12-day Alaskan ‘land and sea’ cruise!).  Your love makes every moment of the last 20 years worth it all, and we are so privileged to be your pastors…….so THANK YOU!

The New Testament in 50 days – day 49

Woo-hoo, we’re there!  Today we’ll finish the reading of the New Testament except for the final chapter, which we’ll do publicly tomorrow at the Tinley Park Convention Center (in a very special way – don’t miss!). Our final reading at the Bronze level is Revelation 3.  Here are my thoughts as I read:

• It was sobering to read vv. 1-3 and realize that we could be dead spiritually and not even realize (because of the enemy’s deception) – but thank God that Jesus gives us a “wake-up call” so we can turn around!  (I’ve had a lot of those in my life, how about you?)
• Verse 4 (and others like it) make me know that regardless of environment or circumstances, we can walk with the Lord!
• Is Revelation 3:7 a ‘word’ for someone today?  HE STILL OPENS DOORS! (verse 8 is encouraging, too!)
• Read verse 17 again – sad to think we could be so deceived.  One of my pastors in Bible school used to refer to verse 18 in his homespun Texas way and say, “I want a 55-gallon drum of that eye salve to smear all over my eyes, so I can see!” That was 39 years ago, and I now feel the same way!
• Read verse 19.  Selah.  Read it again slowly. I’m thankful for His correction.
• There’s probably no more fitting verse for my final comment than Revelation 3:20.  As a child, my parents had a picture depicting that scene – and it’s still true today.  Have you heard His voice through your reading these past 7 weeks? If you have, and if you’ve opened the door of your heart, then you already know how precious the fellowship with Him can be!  I pray this is just the beginning of a lifelong habit of working the Word into your life!

I can’t wait to see you at the Convention Center tomorrow!  Before then, any final thoughts you’d be willing to share with us from your reading today? Please comment below-

The New Testament in 50 days – day 48

Almost there!  Our Bronze reading today is Revelation, chapter 2.  Here are a few random thoughts from my reading:

• In my years of ministry, SO many times I’ve heard people say, “God knows my heart!”.  Verses 2-3, verse 9, verses 13-16 and verses 19-23 make it clear He knows more than that! There is nothing about us that He doesn’t notice!  (I’m not sure if that’s comforting or frightening, but it is a fact!)
• Revelation 2:4 is an ‘ever-present’ danger for all of us.  I want my love for Him to remain red-hot!
• Verse 6 has been somewhat of a mystery for Bible readers, since the Nicolaitans are not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture.  The most plausible explanation I’ve heard is that the word from Greek means “to conquer the laity”.  Others have said it’s the opposite, meaning “laity rule”. I know this: God hates the system that divides us into “clergy” and “laity”, because in the New Testament, He planned for all believers to be ministers! (Eph. 4:11-13 makes that especially plain.)
• Over and over again Jesus makes the statement that first appears in verse 7.  I want ears to hear!
• Verse 10 is comforting to know: even though we sometimes do suffer, God always puts a limit on the enemy!

How was your reading?  Please share any insights below so all of us can ‘work the Word in our lives’-

Ask the Pastor

One of our CLCers recently wrote me on FaceBook to ask, “Do you believe or is there proof that your loved ones who’ve passed away can send messages to show that they are looking over you.  Or is It all mere coincidences”?

Great question….especially since it’s one that I suspect many others are asking.  Unfortunately, my answer probably won’t satisfy anyone.  In my opinion, the Scriptures give us no real reason to believe that our deceased loved ones can send messages back to us – or even that they are presently aware of what’s happening with us on earth.

Luke 16:19-31 is perhaps the only New Testament passage that deals directly with your question, and basically shows us the exact opposite, as the rich man could not get a message to his family, so he asked for assistance from Abraham.  Of course, Abraham told him that was not possible.

There is one much-debated passage in the Old Testament where the witch of Endor conjured up the departed spirit of Samuel at Saul’s request, but Bible scholars are not in agreement that she even succeeded, and, even if she did, there is no indication that Samuel could send messages to the living.

I know that popular TV shows and ‘politically correct’ thinking would encourage us to believe otherwise, but I simply find no support in Scripture for the idea that our deceased loved ones can or do send messages back to us on earth.  So any supposed messages would have to be “coincidences”.  AND I certainly don’t believe that they are “looking over” us.  Instead, our trust should be in the Lord Jesus, who IS our protector and guide!

Hope this helps.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

The New Testament in 50 days – day 47

We’re now in the last book of our journey – today’s reading is from Revelation 1.  Here are a few thoughts from my reading:

• have to mention Revelation 1:3, since it was part of the inspiration behind this challenge.  Have you been blessed by the last 46 days?
• Don’t you love John’s description of our Lord in verses 4-5 and 8?
• Verse 10 is ‘cool’ to me, because no matter what day of the week it may be, it is “The Lord’s Day”, and we have the privilege of worshipping in the Spirit!
• The description in vv. 13-18 starts off awe-inspiring, and I understand why John fell down as though dead – but I love the truth and the promise of verse 18!

How was your reading today?  Would you share your insights with all of us below, so that we can all ‘work the Word into our lives’?

I can’t wait!

THIS Sunday is the day that’s been on my radar for over a year: our 20th Anniversary at CLC, and I can’t wait!

We have pulled out all the stops in planning the biggest, baddest, OneFamily PARTY in our history: bringing together all four campuses and all seven weekend services into one Super-Sized Celebration at the Tinley Park Convention Center.  There will be lots of surprises (in fact, our staff has planned some stuff they won’t even tell me about) – lots of great music, dancing, a video recap of our first 20 years, and the incomparable worship ministry of The Binion’s. (I even have a ‘word’ from God to share!)

(And we’re bringing in Tim Hannig’s “Pro Kids Show” to insure tons of fun for our children while their parent’s are partying, too), so there’s literally something for everyone.

Worship begins promptly at 9:45 a.m., but since the Convention Center is a big place and it will take time to get from the parking lot, get the kids checked-in, etc., I URGE you to plan to arrive by 9:30 a.m. so you won’t miss a thing: some of the most special moments will happen right near the beginning of service, so you don’t want to be late!

And if all of that isn’t enough, after a short break for lunch, we’re going to reconvene at the Tinley Park campus to enjoy an “Encounter” service with the Binion’s and my pastor, Bishop Joseph Garlington, starting at 5:00 p.m.

Grab your party hat and your dancing shoes, and meet me there – I can’t wait!

Spread the word!

The New Testament in 50 days – day 46

Our reading today is from what is arguably the most-potent but brief book in the Bible, as there’s a LOT packed into the only chapter of Jude.  Here are a few random thoughts from my reading:

• Love the action verbs/order of verse 1: God calls us; loves us; and keeps us safe!
• And I love Jude’s prayer/desire for us in verse 2 - do it, Lord!
• Verses 3-4 wasn’t just a need in his day; it’s amazing how often certain false teachings keep coming around!
• Whenever I hear people teach the doctrine of ‘unconditional eternal security’, it seems not to measure up in the light of Jude 5-7.
• After a lengthy explanation of people in Christian churches who live only to satisfy themselves & who have no regard for authority, Jude 17-19 warns us that in the last days there will be those who create divisions among us.  Lord, help us!
• Which is the context and backdrop for one good reason we all need to pray in the Spirit, to fortify ourselves (verse 20) – and doing so also keeps us in the center of God’s love (verse 21)
• Love the benediction of Jude 24-25!

How was your reading today?  Any insights to share with the rest of us, so we can all ‘work the Word into our lives?  Please comment below-

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