Ummmmm, Yah!!!

As promised, Cory Demmel and his team totally ROCKED the house at Remnant last night. They had a dance team, a funny couple of skits, and then some stories that really moved us towards the heart of the Father. Cory preached about the Prodigal Son story, and he emphasized on the "older brother" and the Fathers love for us who have turned away from God.

It was a powerful time to realize that no matter what we have done, there is a God who is wanting to restore you and shower you with love and forgiveness. Pastor Herbie also shared his story that we could all relate to. He is one of the other great communicators of our nation. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about.

At the end, we had their team just pray over all of our students that were wanting to start living out their faith for the right reasons. It was an amazing time and one of our best no doubt! I am waiting with excitement to see what God is going to do in this ministry in the next few months.

The Unexpected Story Next to You

Today I got to sit with an amazing young couple who are engaged to be married & have asked me to marry them. I'm so excited to be a part of their story. Here is a little bit about them:

Amanda was a teenager in my previous youth ministry, but after she left it, she couldn't reconcile what she read & believed about Jesus with the actions of many people she was around in church. She became an atheist and began to research things about it and even taught people some things she found. We hadn't heard from her in years, and then about a month ago, her, her sister & their friend walked into Remnant. I always say that you have no idea who walked in the doors tonight, and the way you treat them could dictate what they think about God for YEARS!!!

After receiving the love & care that is now Remnant's DNA, they all were amazed that they could actually be in 'church' and feel God moving in them without feeling judged, criticized or misunderstood.  I asked for those who wanted to give their lives to following this Christ of love, redemption, compassion, and hope, and all 3 of them came forward and prayed!! It was an amazing night for Remnant, them & God's story of love. They all said that they didn't believe a church could feel like this, and that the people were so different than any church they had been to.

Amanda, that same night, asked me if I would marry her & her fiance Nathan and we finally met up today to start our pre-marital sessions. I asked them how God was a part of their lives, and she said: "up until a few weeks ago at Remnant, I was an atheist. So I am just now learning a new (or as we say "ReDefined") way of understanding what Jesus is all about. We are excited to have Him in our lives and we know we can't do this marriage without him."

Whatever church you are apart of, never forget that every week a story walks in and sits right near you. Join in with God on His mission to write those stories of Life Change & hope & watch God use you in ways you can NEVER imagine. They are right next to you everyday!