Steven Gibbs

Sunday Night Ramblings

Good stuff today as we ended the WHY> series. Had a few things going on:

• Mark Brown was great today leading worship. Maybe we can get him up a little more in the future.
• Our next series is going to deal with 2 topics that everyone struggles with.
• Our Segue Live! Tours are filled up for the upcoming weeks. That’s exciting to see so many new people getting plugged in.
• I’m ready for my family to be home!
• I love our band. Those guys are tight.
• Spoken word element at Stonecreek – that’s a first for me. I got a lot of positive comments, and it’s funny most of them came from our crowd over 50.
• It was great to be back today. When you come back you realize how much you miss it.
• Splash! theater opens this week. Our kids are going to love it.

Our plan is to bring John home this week. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for praying. I’ll have an update on his eating progress tomorrow.

Sunday Night Ramblings

Just a few thoughts from the weekend and the series.

• I need a disclaimer from my last post. Many people were baited into believing I lost my mind. I hope you read the end (smile). I didn’t expect people to take it so seriously.
• I’ll post the story I read during the offering in tomorrow’s post. It was incredible, and evidence of what God is doing at Stonecreek.
• Don’t forget your One Life. We have 2 weeks left in the series. It’s time to invite them. In 2 weeks, they MUST be there. Let’s make it happen.
• I hear they have good chili in Cincinnati, I guess I’ll have to find out.
• I met 2 new families from Longwood, Florida that were unrelated. How random is that?
• Our Splash! team rocks. They were all in their places early. Any other ministry area listening?
• I love the way our church laughs. It’s a great sign of health and a great comfort level. I hope we’re always a place that has fun.
• Man Laws this Thursday.
• Brandon and Shanna Christensen made it to Guatemala. Continue to pray for them as they serve in that country with Hope for Atlanta.
• The Splash! theater opens in a couple of weeks. Be sure to go and check it out.
• Be sure and check out the new environment we’ve created for our adult Newcomer’s Class down the Nursery hallway.

High Rolling

The strongest evidence for me of the Bible’s validity is in a balance of all of the evidence. I am confident because of the manuscript and historical evidence. What I appreciate more, however, is the evidence I see of changed lives.

My life has been radically changed as I read and study Scripture. I have had several turning points in my life, and all of them have been guided by Scripture.

I see it in people who attend Stonecreek. They come for the first time, and don’t even own a Bible they can read. They take one of our free Bible’s with them, and then life change takes off. We hear stories of marriages restored and purpose found by people who read God’s Word.

Don’t take it for granted. It’s an incredible treasure. However, it’s only decoration if we don’t read it. It has no power. It’s only more paper and ink.

Not The Silent Type

Alright, today’s post is for YOU. Answer some (5) questions through the comment box.

1. How many times a week do you read your Bible?
2. What translation of the Bible do you use?
3. How much help has the Bible been in your life?
4. What would encourage you to read the Bible more?
5. How many free Stonecreek Bibles do you have?

Let me know.

Not The Silent Type

We take for granted the treasure we have in the Bible. God has given us the Bible not as words He spoke, but as words He speaks. Big difference. God has given us the Bible to speak to our lives today.

Too many times we take this for granted. Maybe we treat it as a crystal ball in an emergency when we need help. Maybe we try to read it then get too busy watching the Falcons or going shopping. Maybe we see no need at all.

God has given us the Bible to give us words of life. Words that bring help when we don’t have anywhere to turn. Words to help us make better choices. Words that tell us to get our act together.

Take the time and make it happen. Read your Bible. Start with 10 minutes/day. Then make a commitment to read for more time than you read the newspaper or your favorite magazine. I'm confident God will use it to change your life, so email us your story.

Not Enough Canvas

Today’s reading asked us to pick which characteristic of God is most fascinating. I’d have to go with gracious. Face it, there are times when we all do things that are, quite frankly, stupid. We say something that we regret or we get impatient with nothing. We are selfish with something that doesn’t matter, or indignant when someone else makes a mistake. God is patient, and slow to anger.

He has every right at times to thump us on the head. But he doesn’t. Oh yeah, he brings us in line. I love teaching about the grace of God. I love bringing hope to people. God is not a God of shame or guilt, but grace. What a phenomenal message.

Let me assure you, our culture needs this. Anytime someone makes a mistake, suffers from an addiction, commits a sin, they feel guilt and shame. Guilt and shame are a chokehold that strangles life out of so many people. How many times have you felt guilty or embarrassed about something this week? I’ll bet at least once. And you understand grace.

What about those who don’t? What do they face every day?

Don’t forget your One Life. They need grace, and you may be the best avenue for God to reach them.

What's In Your Wallet

My basic thoughts on God are that God created me and wants what is best for me. At times, that may mean discipline, my favorite, so that I do not get off track. At other times it may mean protection or provision.

At the end of the day, I have a firm conviction that God is for me, and I must respond in faith to that fact. It challenges how I see the world. It gives me clear perspective on what happens to me and around me. It changes how I relate to others.

Most of us have a description of God and we don’t even know it. We have kind of fallen into what we think about God. This can be dangerous. When stuff starts flying around us, we better know what we think about God. What is your description?

Why Post

I want to use today’s post to emphasize some of the fundamental’s of our Why emphasis.

In the book of Acts, it states the early church moved together with “one mind.” Certainly they didn’t agree on everything. Some wanted the carpet of the temple blue, other’s red. Some wanted the music louder, some not so much. Some wanted the services shorter, while other’s … never mind, no one wants longer services.

Anyway, you get the picture. So what does “one mind” cover? It is clear that the early church had one mind on worshiping God and reaching their community. Through our Why emphasis, every area of our church is on the same page, studying the same material, pursuing answers to the same questions. This has generated a lot of synergy in our ministry areas, and we have seen positive momentum since the beginning of our series.

Also, we have been challenged with our “One Life.” Your “One Life” is the person you are praying for who needs to know Christ. But it doesn’t stop there. We must INVITE. The early church exploded because people took the responsibility to invite those who needed to hear about what was happening.

If you’ve been praying for your One Life, you also need to go for the ask. Invite them this Sunday. There are some unique elements planned. There are 4 more Sundays to this emphasis for all of us, and we don’t want to miss this opportunity.

One Mind – One Life.

We also want to hear your stories. You can email them to stories@stonecreekchurch.org. I would enjoy a chance to anonymously share your story so that it can encourage others. I also don't have to share it if you aren't comfortable with sharing. Let us hear what God is doing. Please take the time and shoot it to us.

What's Your Take On God

Jesus taught that what people believe about God is reflected in their actions. If you want to know what someone believes about God, examine his or her life.

We all know people who try to appear godly, but they treat others like hell. That has been one reason so many people are turned off by so-called Christians. Put a fish on the back of your car and then “express yourself” to people in traffic. That’s nice. Why not just tell people that God hates them? Or that God is dead? Or that He doesn’t care about them? People who act in such a way deny their belief in God by what they do.

Then there are those who are truly in the battle. They want to do right, but they only make it so far. But, they are making progress. God’s grace covers them. Their actions show that they believe in God, even if they don’t get it right every time. These are the people who help others, who lead others to believe in God. They make the difference.

This is the core of authenticity. This is what God can use. Other people see this and acknowledge it as growth.

If YOU can’t seem to get it right, don’t beat yourself up. Join the rest of us who are trying. We’ll see you Sunday at Stonecreek, along with those friends of yours that see God working in your life.

God, are you out there?

The question for today’s reading brings a lot of thoughts. “When have you wondered whether or not God exists?” After a long Sunday, sometimes I tell people I’m a Monday morning atheist (smile).

At certain times in life we do struggle with this question. As we look at the bible, we see many people struggle with this question. Gideon, Paul, Thomas – and God didn’t strike them dead! It’s good to ask questions. It allows us to own our faith. Sometimes we need God to show up in response to our questions. If He doesn’t, then He’s not God.

Our belief about who God is will translate to actions. What component of your life are you excluding God? Is it your relationships? Do you trust God to bring reconciliation, or do you think it’s too far gone? Is it your finances? Do you trust God to provide, or do you say you don’t have enough to be generous? Test him out,