Conference & This Weekend

I've been out of town for a few days attending the Gateway Pastor's Conference in Dallas, Tx. It was fantastic. God downloaded a bunch of things to me while there. In the next few days I plan to share some of those thoughts.

Stay tuned!

Don't forget, our dear friend, Pastor Rick Bezet form newlifechurch.tv is going to be speaking at keypointchurch.com this weekend. It would be a great honor to me if you would make a point and come to one of our three services at either two locations this weekend.

I promise you, YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS CHURCH THIS SUNDAY!

SHARE this blog post with a friend and invite/bring them to church. If you have to, tell them Kris Allen is from New Life! :) - whatever it takes to get a soul to church! It's a fantastic opportunity to get someone new to come with you.

I anticipate God to show up big time this weekend and I look forward to seeing you and your friends there.

Have a stellar weekend. See you Sunday!

Stacy

The Four Things

It's almost that time of year to start planting gardens! Too bad I don't have a green thumb. In fact, I think mine is black because I kill every plant I touch, literally.

I was reading in Mark 4:8 this morning. It talks about the seed that fell on good ground. The four things that happened to that seed struck me.

- The seed Rose Up (came up). No matter what we face, God is asking us and will give us the strength to rise up!

- The seed "Grew". Get planed in a life giving local church and stay there so you can grow. You won't grow outside God's covering.

- The seed "Produced". This is a result of rising up and growing. You will produce great things in your life that will give God glory and help other people.

- The seed "Multiplied". This is what we should all strive for: to multiply ourselves in other people's lives. To multiply the wisdom, grace, anointing, love and power God has put within us. Raise up others. Multiply yourself.

I want to rise up no matter what, grow where I am planted and not uproot myself, produce God size things and multiply myself into other's lives.

You can do it. And when you do, you will begin to change the world around you.

xoxo today!

www.keypointchurch.com

ALL

I am always amazed at how God seems to take the worst of the worst and make something good of it. Think about it: David said over and over in Psalms that God redeemed his life from the pit. The New Testament speaks of how Christ redeemed this fallen world. He takes the worst of situations and morphs them into something great.

One of the definitions of redeem is this: "to take something that is unacceptable and make it acceptable." That takes supernatural power because the word "acceptable" would never be what I would choose to use to describe some of the things that have hit my life! Yet, over time in some sense of the word, they have become acceptable to me.

We've all had unacceptable things happen to us in our lives- some worse than others. But when we place that unacceptable thing in Christ's nail scared hands it becomes acceptable- able to be used for our good. Now, it may not be over night. It may be over a course of time with a lot of healing involved, but if allowed, He promises to redeem it-to take a messed up situation and make it right again.

That's beautiful.

Seriously.

That makes me want to take a deep breath and rest. Because I know that no matter what I face, it doesn't have to kill me. It can be made beneficial and will propel me further on for the good.

He redeems all things. ALL things.

Burn the Bridges

Jesus simply passed by and asked Levi to follow him. Levi left it all to live a life directed by Jesus and I'd bet Levi had no idea where the road would take him.

I've been there. Have you? When I blindly jumped out on a step of faith following the call of God. It required me to leave some things behind, especially my comfort and stability. However, anytime you stay in step with Jesus your future is promised to be fruitful and blessed.

Even after you've made the initial faith step God's adventure for you will require that you continue to live by faith. And when it gets tough and things don't pan out the way you thought, believe for the impossible.

Burn the bridges behind you, leave it all and follow Him. Strive to live in the impossible zone of life because that's the place you'll find Jesus. He doesn't hang out in mediocrity- and neither will you!



Make it personal: What faith risk is God asking you to take?

www.keypointchurch.com

5 Years of Great!

Five years ago today, Keypoint Church began in an elementary school. Casey and I had no idea who would show up and what to expect only that we knew God was in it! To our surprise, on Feb. 13th, 275 showed up for our first ever service and the ride began.

What a ride it has been!

We've gone from being a portable church to now having two campuses (one in Bentonville and one in Springdale/Fayetteville). God has blessed KPC with the most incredible people imaginable. We've witnessed our numbers grow, our buildings grow and our people grow spiritually.

To be able to build a life giving church that connected people with a real relationship with Christ, impacted communities, touched nations, helped free sex slavery, supported orphanages, helped earthquake victims and brought the Gospel to desolate countries was literally just a dream. I'm thankful to Christ that He gave Casey and I the courage to live life with NO RESERVATIONS and step out the boat to take the faith risk of planting KPC.

What God is doing at Keypoint is contagious and Casey and I are humbled and honored just to be able to be apart of it. As I look back over the last five years I'm amazed and faith filled for the next segment of what God has in store!

If God can use two cajuns from Louisiana who love crawfish and LSU then He by all means can use you!! Live your life with NO RESERVATIONS! You will never regret it!

Join us tomorrow at Keypoint Church for our Celebration Services!

www.keypointchurch.com

The Aftermath... His Tailwind

The aftermath of a tragedy is often a confusing time. You don't know exactly what to feel, think or act.

Yet, this I've found: to rest in the Lord's tailwind.

When an aircraft comes in contact with a tailwind it often increases the plane's speed and reduces its time to reach its destination. The tailwind is blowing the plane in the direction it needs to go so the plane doesn't have to put forth as much effort.

What a beautiful picture of God's power and grace in our times of adversity. It is like a tailwind behind us thrusting us on when we feel we can't go on any further. To experience His tailwind all we must do is get in His presence and stay there, put our hope in Him. We can rest as He carries us. And I have to say: You've never experienced rest until you've felt the Almighty's arms carry you!

Today, tomorrow and the weeks to come, STAY in His tailwind. The rest you find there is real and it's unmatchable.


Ps. 33:18
"The Lord watches over those who fear Him, who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from hard times.. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone."

What Can I Do For Those Experiencing Tragedy?

When you're not the one actually experiencing tragedy your first heart response might be: "How can I help- What can I do for them?" I've seen with my own eyes the anguish of those on the outside wanting to take the pain away from those who are on the inside of the tragedy.

Here is practical advise spoken from experience:

- Pray. We often think prayer is not enough. Prayer is the most valuable asset you can give. It's like sending rain on parched ground. Their spirits will soak it up and become stronger just because you cared enough to speak life through prayer.

- Love on the person/family going through the hardship. Don't assume that everyone else is. DO your part. However, this does not mean you have to be there at every moment- space is necessary. A simple text, facebook response, email, etc. will let your love be known.

-Send meals, gifts and money. It might sound trivial but it does mean a lot. When you go through tragedy, your world feels shaken. Time is spent off of work and money helps aid that need. Gifts are also important. Especially one personalized or engraved. It matters because it's a keepsake for many, many years to come. Even a decade later I get some of my gifts out and look at them. It touches the heart and makes you feel loved.

- Follow up. This is one of the most important yet, I think it's the one most often neglected. Six months down the road phone calls won't be blasting in. People won't be bombarding scriptures. Not as many questions will be asked. In fact, from my experience, the person dealing with the tragedy feels somewhat like the plague. When you walk in a room all eyes go to you and then away simply because people don't want to make you feel awkward. Natural response from people on the outside is to stay quiet because they believe you may not want to talk. While this may be true for some, most people experiencing trauma do want to talk. If they don't.... they will tell you. With that being said: months down the road, call, write, hug, ask, cook dinners still, encourage, love, make them feel all is not forgotten.

It might be over for you, but it certainly won't be over for them for a long time. No matter how strong they seem it will never hurt to speak words of life.

I love the body of Christ and believe this is where we shine!

Post questions if you have them. I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.

http://www.keypointchurch.com

I Don't Understand It

Often when tragedy strikes our human minds race to find a reasonable explanation. Yet, we won't always understand the events that take place in our life. But what we can understand is that God is an infinitely GOOD God that will never let the righteous be forsaken. Logically trying to figure out life tragedies will not bring peace. We must rest in the truth that God's ways are perfect, so much higher than ours. This truth brings comfort because we know there is a higher power in control of our lives as we yield to Him.

Our greatest moments of suffering are the greatest moments of God's presence being near. Neither life nor death can separate us from the love of God- nothing can come against our lives that He is not capable to heal.

"Surely when the might waters rise, they will not reach him (the righteous man). You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Ps. 32:6

God is good in every way, shape or form. Remember that as you ponder the happenings of life today.

Where Does the Time Go?

My daughter, Holland, is almost 11. Wow, where has time gone? Her world is beginning to revolve around her friends and her cell phone- which I said I'd never buy! Yeah, never say never.

My son, Hayes, is almost 9. I almost can't say it because it means it's real. He could literally be consumed with the computer and video games if I'd let him.

My youngest son, Hudson, well... he's into me when daddy or friends aren't around.

Yet, all this is okay because at the end of each night I get three big kisses, "I love you" and "Mom, don't leave my bedroom." Even if I know it's their way of stalling bedtime, I still cherish it.

I wonder how much God must cherish our time. We're busy people living in a busy society. But if I love the little portions of my day my kids give completely to me, I know He must be enthusiastic about the part of our day we carve out for Him.

Even more, what if we actually communicated with Him all day long? Some days are easier than others, but no matter.... He's waiting with anticipation.

Your thoughts.

A Defining Month: February

For those of you who live in NWA and attend Keypoint Church or download podcasts, I wanted to give you details about the exciting month of February.

We are kicking off our new sermon series "One Life" and Growth Track is starting back again.

Feb. 7th- Life Group Launch Day. Every life group will be kicked off this Sunday as you will be able to scan the church and find the right group to fit you. Be sure to get connected. Life is sooooo much better when done together!

Feb. 14th- Besides it being the day of love, it is also Keypoint Church's 5 Yr. Anniversary! This will be a very exciting Sunday for KPC. I don't want to give too much away, but worship will be extra creative and Casey and I made a neat timeline video explaining what God has done in the short 5 yr. span KPC has been in existence. Celebrate with us as we thank God for what He has done and will continue to do!

Feb. 21- We are continuing the "One Life" sermon series as we talk about no regrets, no returns and no reservations. Amazing words!

Feb. 28- This will be an extra special Sunday, one that Casey and I are thrilled about. Our dear friend, Pastor Rick Bezet from New LIfe Church in Central Arkansas (the church Casey and I helped plant 9 yrs. ago- oh and the church American Idol Winner Kris Allen is from... yes, shameless plug ) will be preaching. Invite tons of friends, this will be a hallmark Sunday you don't want to miss!

That's the overview of the busy month of February. I hope you can make it to all our services. I have this sense that God is going to define something in our hearts and church this month. Just watch and see!

xoxo

Are You an...?

Arm Lifter.

Like I said yesterday, the intimate relationships I have in my life have paid off huge dividends. They have lifted up my arms when I needed strength. So what does it mean for me to be an arm lifter for them?

It means praying for them in their time of need.

It means lovingly speaking the truth for their benefit even when the truth may sting.

It means listening to them vent in their time of frustration.

It means celebrating with them in their time of victory.... even when it's not YOUR time of victory.

It means encouraging them on when they feel weary.

It means being faithful.

It means loving.

Arm lifters don't have to be perfect. They just have to be present.

Would you say you're an arm lifter?

*Stay tuned to keypointchurch.com this weekend as we dive into relationships in our brand new series "One Life."

Biggest Need.

So what's your biggest need in life? Other than Jesus I think the answer is simple: relationships.

Moses understood this. I want to understand this.

God used two people to hold up Moses' hands in battle. Do you have your people?

It's easy to have alot of aquaintances, but real relationships take serious investment. I'm thankful for the relationships I have in my life. However, I've had to work for them. I've had to trust and put myself out there in hopes that they will respond. Some haven't, but the right ones have.

It's taken faith. It's taken loyalty. It's been worth it.

When you're desperate enough you'll leave your comfort to seek those who will enrich your life.

And when you're in battle, you'll be thankful you did.

Tomorrow we'll talk about holding up other's arms. Also, this weekend at keypointchurch.com we'll be launching life groups. This is a great time to take this information to heart and apply it!

What's your biggest fear when it comes to relationships?

The Long Route

Exodus 13:17- As God was moving His people out of Egypt away from Pharaoh's grip, He wisely re-directed them down the long route instead of the shorter path. ALL because He knew that if they prematurely faced war (which they would on the shorter route) they might change their minds because of fear and return back to bondage.

Wow.

Wow.

That is a picture of a beautiful God that intimately knows His children's heart condition. He knew their hearts were not yet ready to face adversity. God knew how much they could handle. They might become discouraged, throw in the towel and chose a life of slavery.

I wonder how many times God has lovingly directed us on the "long journey" because He understood our fears would inevitably cause us to choose bondage over adversity. God handles us so gently. He longs for us to continue and grow, and He is patient enough to stick with us and lead us down the long route if necessary.

Many times we complain because of the long route, yet all along it was meant for our protection.

I know I can relate, but have you ever experienced this?