The Latest from Pastor Steve: A Glimpse of Sunday, Feb 26 & Building Update

"It's now or never!" I've had that urgent attitude as I have visited people who are dying or near death. I want them to understand that it's never too late to make a commitment to follow Jesus--never too late as long as they have breath! Sometimes we may write people off if they haven't made a decision to accept him as Savior by the time they are close to death. But we see from the life of Jesus that he himself was able to help one of the thieves who died next to him on a cross join him in heaven. It was never too late for Jesus to reach out, even as he was dying.
The second cry of Jesus from the cross is a cry of salvation, and features the thief that made a "death-bed" decision to follow Jesus. And follow he did--that day--from the cross to heaven with Jesus. I will expand on that this Sunday in my message, and it will be a clear message of how a person can become a Christian. If you have a friend who is asking questions about how to become a Christian, this would be an excellent time to invite them to church.

The Start of Lent
Lent started yesterday with Ash Wednesday. Rituals can be an excellent way to merge a concept or truth into our experience so that it becomes fresh and alive. The season of Lent provides a built-in time to do something special and different so that we make Good Friday and Easter not just a short, quick program, but an opportunity for spiritual growth.
I always try to read a devotional or book during this time that points me toward the cross. One book that I have started at least a dozen times, is the book by the late John Stott, entitled, The Cross of Christ. It is one of the finest books on what Jesus did on the cross available. It's a bit deep, but well worth your effort. I am determined to finish it this year. You can preview it at http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Christ-John-Stott/dp/083083320X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1330039296&sr=1-1.
Another, shorter book, but one that is filled with many views of the cross is Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. It is by John Piper, a great pastor and teacher at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. It seeks to answer the question, "Why was Jesus Christ crucified?" The 50 reasons are 2 pages each, making it an excellent book to read each day of Lent and beyond. You can find it at: http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Reasons-Why-Jesus-Came/dp/158134788X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330039611&sr=1-1.

The Building Project Moves Ahead
Many workers have pushed our building project forward this week. Plumbers have connected new gas lines that lead out to the kitchen and have run piping for the fire sprinkler system. You can see pictures of the lines that run through the auditorium and into the lobby. The concrete slab was poured today. Three concrete trucks came to empty revolving barrels of concrete to pour the foundation slab for the new entry way, bathrooms and kitchen. With the great weather we have had, we have been able to pour the concrete and now have to worry about the water in the concrete freezing before it sets up and firms up.
Enjoy the pictures below of this week's work:

The big black pipe is the sprinkler system pipe.

Gas pipe coming into the auditorium.

Concrete trucks pouring the concrete, 6 men scrambling to move the concrete around the forms, then smoothing it out to a nice finish. Makes me appreciate my day job as a pastor!