I’m so proud of our Renaissance Church folks for how they gave, served, and ministered to over 100 folks over Thanksgiving.

We delivered all the groceries for a complete Thanksgiving feast to the homes of families who needed a helping hand for the holidays.  We also delivered a lot of warm smiles, and shared a lot of hugs.  We were able to pray with almost everyone we served. Our volunteers did a great job ministering to our new friends.

Renaissance Church kids hand-decorated gift bags to distribute to the children of the families we served.  There were all kinds of cool things inside the bags, but I think the best part was the love that was conveyed on the outside.

Thank you to everyone who took part!

Some wonderful volunteers

A young man was going down from State College to Happy Valley, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A football coach happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, an athletic director, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

A “good Samaritan” was no where to be found within the athletic department in Happy Valley.  For it appears they loved the praise of men and the reputation of their football program more than they loved their neighbor.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”    Matthew 22:37-39

The part of this whole story that is so flabbergasting to me is not the heinously evil nature of the crimes committed by one man.  Sadly, we all knew that human beings were capable of such depravity.  No, what punches me in the stomach and drives me to my knees is the failure of otherwise good, moral human beings to do something about it when they had the opportunity.  They saw the unspeakable injustice, and they essentially crossed to the other side of the road to avoid having to deal with it.  And other young men were victimized because of their lack of action.

Before we “cast stones” at those men for their tragic moral failure, horrific as it is, Jesus reminds us that we should always be willing to see where we come up short as well.  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41)

Questions we all need to be asking ourselves:
Do we hate sin and injustice?  Wherever we see it?
What are we willing to do about it?  What does God want us to do about it?
Are we willing to ‘pay the price’ to love our neighbor, even if it costs us?
Because that’s what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

May God bless and heal the victims of this terrible tragedy and their families.
God, please help me to be willing to pay the price to love my neighbor, just as Jesus paid the ultimate price for me.

"Some real Renaissance men"

What great time we had at Church@theLake!  The weather was beautiful, and everyone had a blast relaxing, swimming, and canoeing.

We shared a nice meal together, and then listened to the Word of God, along with some great worship led by Marla and Anitra.  Perhaps the highlight for me was getting to baptize two more precious folks.

To see a lot more pictures, visit our Renaissance Church group on Facebook.  (And if you haven’t joined our group, why not do it now?)

We were about 80 people, and such a beautifully diverse group (including people who hail from 5 of the 6 inhabited continents!)

Did you attend Church@theLake?  Leave a comment below and tell us what you thought.

Listening to the Word of God after lunch

During a time of prayer in one of our recent Life Groups, a young woman who had recently become a Christian shared, “I don’t really know how to pray.  I don’t know what to say.”

Have you ever felt like that?

God doesn’t need us to speak to Him in fancy words.  He loves it when we call out to Him.

My 6 month old daughter started saying “Da-da” recently.  Let me tell, it melted this daddy’s heart. I didn’t correct her pronunciation, or rebuke her for not being eloquent enough.  No, I was thrilled.  Those two little syllables got my attention because they came from my precious daughter!   One word from her, and I’ll give her anything she needs!

John Wimber used to say that one of his favorite prayers was, “HELP!”       Been there, done that.

If it comes from the heart, our heavenly Father hears.  A few simple words touch His heart.  He’s a proud Papa, who loves us dearly.  He understands our weaknesses.

As we grow in our relationship with God, we’ll probably start sounding a little more “grown-up” when we pray.  Just know that wherever we are in our walk with God, it delights Him whenever open our hearts to Him in prayer.

At Renaissance Church, sharing the message of God’s love is something we love to do, especially with those who are going through hard times.  That’s why I loved our recent Thanksgiving outreach.

Volunteers delivered turkey and groceries to 16  families for Thanksgiving.  That’s over 90 smiles that were a little brighter because of the love of God demonstrated in a practical way.

We love the personal touch we can offer through this form of service:

1.  All the families we served were connected to us through relationships of people associated with Renaissance Church.    We get to know people on a personal level, because we hear their stories of hardship.  And there is the possibility of further relationship.

2.  Delivering the food to the home offers dignity, love, and a personal touch to those receiving.

3.  Opportunities for ministry abounded.  We prayed with almost every family.  Many Bibles were distributed.  Kids from church even included hand-made cards in the basket of goodies.

4.  It’s true: ‘Tis the greater blessing to give than receive.  Those who served and gave were deeply impacted by the experience.  I know I was.

Even in difficult economic times like these, we have so much for which to be thankful.  At the top of that list is the fact that God loves us so much that He gave His  Son Jesus for us – that we might have life.  At Renaissance Church, we’ve been proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to our neighbors here in Charlotte, and many have responded.

An act of practical loving kindness speaks volumes.  And nothing is more practical than offering a helping hand during the holidays to people who really need it.  This Thanksgiving, we want to help out as many needy families as we can by supplying them with a free turkey and groceries.  It’s a small gesture, but believe me, it will make a big difference to the recipients.

We need your help.  We have THREE QUESTIONS for you:

1.  Do you know someone who could really use help this Thanksgiving? Maybe a family that has been struggling to make ends meet because of losing a job, or unexpected medical bills?  If so, would you please contact us?  (We can only serve families in the Charlotte metro area.)

2.  Would you volunteer to help us with this outreach? We need people to help us with deliveries, help schedule the deliveries, and help buy the groceries.  If you can help with any of that, please call or email us.  (See right panel for contact info.)

3.  Would you give $20 to help a needy family this Thanksgiving? Or maybe you are able to provide food for several families?   Your gifts to Renaissance Church are tax-deductible.  To give, you can drop a check in the mail, or in the offering at church. Make checks to out Renaissance Church and send to PO Box 49523, Charlotte, NC 28277.  Please include a note that you are giving towards the Thanksgiving Outreach.  If you prefer, you can donate to Renaissance Church through paypal.

Thank you so much for helping!  May God bless you this holiday season!

We recently had a lot of frequent flier miles, and a limited travel window… so it was time for a quick family vacation in the Caribbean.   It was a great time of much needed relaxation and family fun.

We enjoy activity – even when we’re relaxing.  So the ocean sport activities at our hotel were ideal.  After taking the boys out with me on the ocean kayak a few times, our oldest (who is 7) decided he’d like to take one out for a spin by himself.

At this point, the wheels in my head started turning.  What are the risks here? This is the open sea.  How adept is he at paddling? What would happen if he tipped over? He’s a good swimmer.  What would you do?

After weighing all the probabilities, we decided to let him go for it… BUT with Daddy in his own kayak nearby.  Not bad, huh?

After the first couple of times out by himself, the young lad was really feeling his oats.  The 3rd time he wanted to go to the other side of the bay.  Which would have been no problem, except for the strong wind on the return trip.  About half-way home, the little fellow completely ran out of gas.  The wind was blowing him backwards every time he rested… and he wasn’t getting anywhere.  He started getting frustrated… then scared and confused.

When I realized coaching and encouragement from a safe distance wasn’t going to cut it, I paddled over next to him, clipped his kayak to the back of mine, and safely paddled us home.

By the time my son got back to the beach, he had forgotten the fear, and was basking in the glory of his accomplishment.

In life, we won’t accomplish much if we take NO risks.  Everything worth doing takes hard work and involves some degree of risk.

The key is to check with Daddy before you embark on that dangerous trip across the bay. If He says “no”,  you’d better not get in over your head.  But if he says “yes”… you know He’s got your back.  Faith is taking a risk when you know He’s backing you up. The Bible says that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6)

God is pleased when we attempt great things for Him.  We can take courage that He will be there to supply the power that we lack.

Comments?

Renaissance Church is very excited to welcome some international guests next week -  some young men and women from the youth group Mission72 of Eglise le Chemin in Hull, Quebec, Canada.  They are spending their spring break by going on mission.  Their mission?  To bless the city of Charlotte and assist Renaissance Church in reaching every person with the love of Jesus Christ.

(Off topic: “Spring break” in Quebec is the first week of March?!?  They’ve gotta still have 5 feet of snow up there, don’t they?)

After receiving some training, the youth will be busy throughout the week serving our community in practical ways and sharing the love of God.  The culmination of the week will be a Community Celebration on Saturday March 6th.  This free event will offer children in nearby apartment communities an afternoon of fun:  inflatables, food, and activities.

If you’d like to meet the youth or participate in the outreaches, please contact us.  There are plenty of opportunities to serve – especially for the Celebration on March 6th.

This was a Christmas gift from my wonderful and hilarious sister.  What can I say about this brilliant work of art?

I’m not sure I can access the deeper spiritual meaning of the electronic yodeling pickle.  Instead, here are a few points for you to ponder today.  I hope they enrich your life.

1.  First, you have to understand that on Christmas morning, of all the presents the family opened, our boys first and foremost gravitated towards this sonorous briny cucumber.

2.  The boys have perfected the lip-sync of the electronic yodeling pickle.  Classic.

3.  In my more philosophical moments, my mind drifts to an unknown factory in China, where workers there are fabricating the electronic yodeling pickle for export to the U.S.  What must they be thinking, as they complete their 10 hour shift on the assembly line of the electronic yodeling pickle?  What images of our society are conjured in their minds, as they contemplate a people who demand such a product?

Comments, please!