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Dear Friends,

There is a story about Van Halen and brown M&M’s. They put into their concert agreement, amidst all the technical specifications about sound and staging, that they wanted a bowl of M&M’s. This bowl couldn’t contain any brown ones. Brown M&M’s would be grounds for termination and forfeiture of all monies.

Why? Because they found out the hard way that people skim contracts and don’t pay attention to detail. Eddie Van Halen figured that if he saw a “brownless” bowl of M&M’s he could be sure that the rest of the agreement had been read.

My point? Please read this whole blog entry. There is critical information for you contained here.

Troubled Teens
First of all, Sunday’s moment before the Lord was amazing. I think we all sensed that God was working with people. One of our young members, who is a probation officer, wrote me about a few of the troubled teens he invited to church. You will want to read this amazing true story:

Dear Father David,

There are a few teenagers that have recently been coming with me to a Bible study on Tuesday nights. These kids are not members of Christ Church or of any other church. These are some kids that I know who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Some of them have even been locked up in the county jail. They have a lot of questions about Christ, but they are still struggling everyday with their addictions

Two of these young men called me this last Sunday morning and asked me if I could pick them up so that they could come to church with me. They also told me that they were bringing a girlfriend of theirs with them. I picked them up and on the way to the church they confessed to me how they had been up all night partying and drinking. They smelled like alcohol. I almost turned the car around to take one of them back home because I wasn’t sure that he would be able to make it through the service! He convinced me that he would be alright and that he really wanted to go. I was nervous about this.

This young man (who was in the worst condition of them all) was drifting in and out of sleep throughout the first few minutes of the sermon. However, about halfway through, I noticed that he was suddenly very much awake and paying attention. As the sermon continued you began to talk about addictions such as drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc… I could see that the Lord was opening his heart. All three of these kids were now hanging on every word that you were saying.

Next came the time for communion. I did not want these kids to partake of the cup of Christ in an “unworthy manner” as Paul spoke of in the Scriptures. After all, they had just been up all night partying and getting drunk. Up until just a few minutes ago, the one next to me could barely stay awake. I told him that when we go up that he should just cross his arms and not partake. He then stated to me that he had asked Christ into his life when he was younger, but that he had been living apart from God for the last several years. He told me that he understood that communion was the partaking of the body and blood of Christ and that he really wanted to do this.

I still did not want to let him or any of the others do it but then suddenly I remembered this verse, “Let the children come to Me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God.” I reluctantly said okay. After taking communion, this teenage boy sat down next to me in the pew and began to cry uncontrollably in repentance. His friend who was sitting next to him began to weep also. After the service I spoke with all three of these kids and they stated that they all felt the love of Christ touching their hearts.

The Scripture says that “The Lord inhabits the praises of His people”. Every time I go to Christ Church I feel the presence of Christ because He is truly in our midst! He literally walks among us as we worship Him and is able to deliver even the greatest of sinners. How amazing is His love! I now realize that my job is to get people there and then get out of the way and let the Lord move. The Scripture also says that, “It is the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance”. I saw those words literally fulfilled in front of me today. The Lord Jesus is doing some amazing things in our church right now and I just wanted to share that story with you.

It is amazing to see God work. This week, please pray with me that God will take us to no less powerful places underneath His Word.

As we move into fall (can you believe it is almost fall??), please pay very close attention to the following efforts:

Middle School Minister
The search for a Middle School Minister is well underway. Thanks to Fr. Clint Kerley, the Parent Board, and a few “scouts” around the country, we have a promising candidate that we are interviewing. Please pray that we will be able to make an announcement shortly. In the meantime, we are moving forward with the program initiatives in place. It is a great season for our Youth Ministry and we hope every student and every parent takes full advantage of the many offerings and programs found here. Don’t let your teens miss out. These are critical years in their faith formation! Parents, look for an email update from Fr. Clint later this week.

Early Bird On Point
Over the years that I have been teaching On Point Bible Study on Tuesday Mornings, I have gradually seen a decrease in the the number of men who are able attend. The most commonly cited reason for this is the start time. On Point is therefore moving the start time to 6:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. beginning August 23.  The new time will allow more men to be part of a great Bible study, meet some other guys, and be on the road to work by 7:20 if needed. [By the way, if you've read this far and you're planning to be at On Point, I'd love to hear from you! Email the word "BROWNM&M" and your name now! Email]

About Our Radio Show
During Christ Church’s 25th anniversary year, we enjoyed the privilege of airing our sermons on WRR 101.1 FM radio on each Sunday morning. Feeling that the show has run its course, and desiring to focus on a new audience of potential first-time visitors, we have made the decision to end the show and redirect those funds. If you hear of anyone who is missing the show, please direct them to our website where they can view each week’s sermon video, or better yet, invite them to worship with us here each Sunday!

“The Screaming Mimes”?
As many of you know, when Josh Havens is not worshiping with us here at Christ Church, he is typically on the road with his band, The Afters. Here is a recent interview he did with the Billy Graham association about some events with Franklin Graham this month.

Holy Land Information Meeting
I hope you can make the Holy Land information meeting tomorrow night, 7 p.m. in Room. 200 of the Adult Education Building. This is an “information only” gathering—no commitments expected. I hope to answer all your questions about the upcoming trip.

Information Meeting August 17, 7 p.m.

I have led seven trips to the Holy Land since 1999. I can tell you without reservation that every trip is a blessing from God. The land is rich and wonderful; there is beauty and wonder nearly everywhere we go. The experience is life-changing for many people. We have had several people go back again because of the wealth of memories it produces. Please come and listen; I think it will heighten your interest in the trip. ‘See you tomorrow night.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

It is freezing outside! More than freezing! My weather app tells me it is 18 degrees and the wind chill factor is down into single digits. They call it a “wintry mix” and it hit hard last night. The church campus is closed today and tomorrow. But The Call must go out!  My thanks to the Communications team for making it all work.

This past week was a huge week at Christ Church. The campus was flooded with over 350 church planters who came to listen, learn, and grow in the hope and promise of planting new congregations and communities of faith across North America. Anglican 1000 has incredible momentum. In the past 19 months we have seen well over 100 new church plants. There was incredible energy and passion for this in the room.

I heard (perhaps 50 times) that the volunteers and staff of Christ Church had done an incredible job. Indeed, they had. Dozens of helpers and leaders and servants attended to the every need of these planters. They loved it. They loved the campus. They loved the food. They loved the “Texas-sized” hospitality. I was so proud and thankful for the heart and dedication of the Christ Church crew. You can read the press release here.

Now, here are some other things you need to know:

Renew!
At the same time, I also sense a lot of hope and excitement around the “Renew for Our Future” campaign. We have a job to do on several fronts. We are receiving resumes and interviewing now for a full time leader to direct and build our ministry to families, children, and youth ministry. It is not an easy position to fill, but our dedication to the task is sure. We are moving the Youth and Children’s Ministries to the forefront of our church’s focus.

In addition to that, the campaign will help us eliminate our indebtedness. We have had a mortgage on our property for 22 years. It is time to get rid of it. It is time to schedule a “mortgage burning party” sometime in the next two years! When we started the campaign, we set our sights on paying off the whole thing: $5.2 million. That is a mountain for us…and we will need every single family to be a part of it.

Be sure you go to our website and watch the great video and read the booklet that we have produced. There are dozens of piles of these books all around the campus. If you don’t have one and would like to receive one in the mail, please email us, or call us at 972-618-0222. We’d be happy to drop one in the mail for you.

Rebecca Egelston Caso with award recipient, the Rev. Carol Brooks

Congratulations to Carol Brooks

Last week, our beloved deacon, the Rev. Carol Brooks, was presented the Rebecca Egelston Caso Bridge Builder Award by the Collin County Council on Family Violence in honor of her work, particularly building bridges within the faith community to combat domestic violence. Carol established the Faith Symposium which specializes in training/educating those in the faith community on issues surrounding domestic abuse and violence.

New Vestry Members
We are happy to announce a new class of Vestry leaders for Christ Church. John Bourgeois, Cara Mark, Doris Chan, and Tony Jones join the current members of the vestry to fulfill their own three year terms. Thank you for your consideration of all the candidates. A word to all of the candidates: Thank you for offering your time and talent to the ministries of the church. We need all of you in the ministry here.

Rock and Worship Roadshow
I got an email this week from Josh Havens. His group “The Afters” are on the “Rock and Worship Roadshow” with Mercy Me and Jars of Clay. At Christ Church we have always been blessed with outstanding music. And in the last few years we have welcomed Josh into our worship team. He has brought great talent and heart. He loves the Lord and he loves Christ Church. While he is away and ministering in these concert settings, please pray for him, his wife, Cara, and their three children. These are long and grueling tours…but he is able to reach tens of thousands of people through his ministry.

Here is what he wrote to me:

Greetings from Huntsville, Alabama!

Josh Havens on stage with the Rock and Worship Roadshow

We just wrapped up the first leg of the Rock and Worship Roa dshow with Mercy Me which took us through Missouri, Mississippi and Alabama. We had the opportunity to worship with over 25,000 people over the course of 3 shows. In our set we speak of Gods faithfulness amidst all things. In Deuteronomy 31:8 it says that the Lord goes before us and is always with us. He will never leave its our forsake us, so there is no reason to fear. It’s the message of our song Light Up The Sky and a theme throughout our new record. We’ve heard so m

any incredible stories of Gods faithfulness from our fans and made a place for them to share those stories on our website: www.theafters.com/lightupthesky

Thank you all so much for for prayers…we need them and feel them. Please continue to pray for our families, safe travel, and that God would go before this tour and prepare the hearts of the people we encounter. My family and I are so thankful for Christ Church and have been deeply blessed by the friendships and fellowship we have there. I always miss worshipping with you all when I’m on the road and I take time on those Sunday mornings to pray for all of you and for the services.

See you soon and God Bless!
Josh

The Stage during a recent Afters concert

Super Sanctuary!

I am very excited about the Super Bowl this Sunday. I have been to the new Texas Stadium and was truly overwhelmed with it. It is massive…on the scale of nothing I have ever seen. The big screen in the middle of the stadium is overwhelming. In fact, it is 180 x 50 feet, which, coincidentally, are the dimensions of our sanctuary! 180 feet from opening doors to the far east wall, and 50 feet from floor to the top of the vault. And it hangs there over the field. Amazing!I won’t tell you who I think will win, but I do have one of these:

Remember, the game doesn’t start until 5:30 p.m., so I still expect to see everyone in church!

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

It is great to be back. The warmth and kindness shown to me at all services was overwhelming. Thank you for your prayers and support.

This church is a great place to preach. Very few of you have the vantage point that I have as I begin a message. I see people who are eager to hear the Word of God preached and applied; explored and explained. Heads look up. And it is only at the 27-minute mark that people start looking at their watches.

Something that you need to know is that we will change bible translations for our church pew bibles, the pulpit reading and the Bible that I use and preach from. Fr. Jason is writing a brief explanation as to why we are going to remove and donate the current NIV Bibles and replace them with the English Standard Version (ESV). I have been using the ESV for my personal devotions for over two years. It is an amazing text. It has the cadence and depth that you would want to find in God’s Word. The Bibles are on order and next week Fr. Jason will fill in some of the details about why this is a good move for us.

I am starting a new sermon series on August 8 called More than Conquerors. It is an 8-week series on the crown jewel of the highest theological and literary achievement of the apostle Paul. Many of you may want to purchase a new copy of the ESV from The Bookstore for this series. (I think we may end up memorizing a good portion of Romans 8. The ESV will make it grand!)

In the meantime, here are a few more things you need to know:

On Point for Men
Remember that On Point for Men (a Bible study that I teach with Jason Bowman) begins  August 24. Every Tuesday at 7 a.m., join us for an in-depth lecture, application of scripture and a spirited discussion of some principles found in God’s Word. No prior experience or deep Bible knowledge is needed to attend. The coffee is free…and the lesson we learn from God’s Word is priceless.

Coast Camp
Our youth group kids (many, many, many of them) are leaving Sunday, July 25 for a week at Coast Camp. They will be joined by youth groups from other Anglican churches in the southeastern portion of the United States. Their music leadership group will be none other than our own Josh Havens and his band, The Afters. It will be a great week for them. I plan to fly down to the camp on Wednesday to hang out for a day with the kids and attend The Afters concert that night.

I can remember those church camp moments when I was a young student in high school. Nothing was more profound to me that the moments I had coming to know the Lord. Camp introduced me to Christ and to His Church, and I was never the same. Many of you have a similar background. Please pray for our kids this coming week.

New Study Guides
It is a real pleasure and joy for me to preach here at Christ Church. The whole process of study, prayer, preparation, and final touches is one of my weekly habits that I truly enjoy.

But did you know that you can find a study guide for the sermon here on my blog? I began producing a study guide for this message that will be uploaded on Mondays following the sermon. Check out last week’s study guide. The purpose for this extra effort on my part is to help many people think about the message throughout the week. Small Groups can use these as their curriculum and, our radio audience can use these when we begin broadcasting with WRR on August 1. (By the way, do I need to say that lying in bed listening to a radio message on Sunday morning is NOT going to church?)

See you Sunday,

Fr. David+

Dear Friends,

I am very happy that I will be back with you this weekend at all services.  I have had a great recovery, thanks be to God.  When I came home on May 13th after a major back surgery…and tried to stand up on the 14th…I knew it would be a long haul for recovery.  Now, after two months, I am back at Christ Church and ready to rumble!

I know you know that the staff has done incredible work these past two months. Our clergy team did a great job (so I hear) leading all of our services. The music and worship was (as usual) excellent…from what I hear.  I have been in touch on and off with members of the Vestry and a few staff people.  I owe them all my thanks…and so do you!  They serve God in with incredible devotion and thus they serve you.

So many of you have written cards or emails over the past two months. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers. I really did feel prayed for. There were days over the past two months when I felt “carried” by the power of the Holy Spirit. It has been a time of healing, walking, reading, resting, napping and a reconnection with the healing process that God designed.

Now, here are some things you need to know:

The Afters Have a #1 Single

Top of the Charts
Our own Josh Havens is tearing up the charts at iTunes. His band, The Afters, has a new single called “Light Up the Sky” that has hit #1 in sales on the Christian chart. I downloaded it a few days ago and love it.  It is faithful, lyrical and beautifully done. You will be praising the Lord with this tune that simply won’t get out of your mind. Check it out.

Also, a radio interview with Josh will air during 94.9 KLTY’s New Music Café on Saturday, July 24, 7 – 8 p.m. The approximately five-minute interview will feature Josh and the Afters’ new song.

NEW Christ Church Radio Show
After a few years of thinking, planning and praying, a timely opportunity opened up to us and we are taking advantage of it. Beginning August 1, Christ Church will have our own weekly radio show on WRR 101.1 (classical station) from 7:30 to 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings. It will be broadcast to a radio audience of potentially 250,000 people here in the metroplex and streamed on WRR’s website for many more listeners all over the country. It will be a recorded (probably one week delay) blend of sermon and musical worship designed to extend the reach of our Sunday morning worship to a much wider audience…one whose demographics I believe are very compatible with our own church family. I am very excited about this and I hope you will tune in to hear it (and then come on in to church!)

St. Timothy’s New Home
Fran and I attended the Open House night for St. Timothy Christian Academy a few weeks ago.  This school, which got its start as a ministry of Christ Church, is now on its own with its own board and doing very well.  They have found a perfect place at First Christian Church in Plano.  I walked through the space at its open house and again just a few days ago.  It is a perfect space and I wish them the very best of God’s blessing and strength.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Fran and I were able to get down to Houston a few weeks ago. My son, Jed, and his two kids went with us. We lined up all five grandchildren on a picnic table and snapped

Our Five Grandchildren

a picture. For us, it was the gift of the summer. Here they are, from right to left and in descending order of age: Haley 5, Moses 4, Evan 3, Milan 2, Finley 1, actually six months. What a blessing!

REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey
I spent an hour with some staff members yesterday going over the results of the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey that we conducted in April. First of all, thanks to the 558 people who completed the survey.  Our consultant with REVEAL told us that was a great sample size–much larger than most churches. The survey was clear about a number of things. Our members are happy at Christ Church. They love the worship life of the church. We (you and I) are a good match…the church is happy with its leadership. But there were some very interesting and insightful glimpses into the heart of Christ Church. In the next few weeks I will make large portions of the survey available online. (It is a huge file with lots and lots of PowerPoint slides that frankly need some interpretation.)  But one thing I can tell you right now is that this church is ready for a challenge. There are an extraordinary number of people who are new to their faith and are growing as a disciple, and they are looking for a challenge, a future, a way of taking the next step in their faith. Wait until you see what’s coming up this fall.  Stay tuned!

Churches Being Planted!
I have been blessed in the past two months by seeing the kind of life that is emerging from Anglican 1000. This ministry (centered here at Christ Church) has touched a nerve around the Anglican Church in North America and the AMiA.  Guess what?  Churches are being planted.  In the past few months we have seen over 100 churches emerge, start-up, form together.  We are trying to keep up with them and have documented over 40 of them on the website.  It is constantly changing…so bookmark it, enter into some of the discussion on the blog, and check out some of the resources.

I have great expectations for the remainder of the year.  It will be a joy to be with you in worship this weekend and to open up the riches of God’s Word together.

‘See you this weekend.

In Christ,
David+