ARE YOU ON THE JESUS BOAT?

ARE YOU ON THE JESUS BOAT? This past Monday I could really relate to Pastor Mike as he spoke on Faith. The scripture that he based his study on was in Hebrews 3:1-2 "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house."

The American Heritage dictionary defines faith as 1 Confident belief or trust in a person, idea or thing. 2 Secure belief in God and acceptance of God's will. I prefer the second definition these days. Pastor Mike shared about his past, and how he was searching in all the wrong places for a power greater than himself that could restore him to sanity. 

He said that he once watched an infomercial that stated "Beat your addictions guaranteed! Results may vary. Hmm. Sounds a little suspicious to me! This is just one example, but Pastor Mike was seeking, searching, and looking to everything except the truth. Fortunately his search for faith and freedom from his addictions and chains led him to the cross and into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way the Truth and the Life.

Kudos to Mike who celebrated 6 months clean and sober this past Monday. Way to go and glory be to God for restoring this man's life.

Some Pics of Monday Night

Make sure that you take the Blog Poll at the left....Mike wants to know that ya'll are payin' attention to him!!!

Bike and Car Show - Operation 'June Bug'

Here's an advertisement for this Saturday's event in Salinas put on by Cross MC Ministries and Calvary Chapel Salinas. 12:00 to 6:00 pm at the Natividad Creek Park. Free food, music and children's activities. If you're looking for something to do and some great fellowship, stop by and enjoy the day in Salinas! (Thanks for the ad Louie!)

One of the Worshop Songs from Monday Night...

Counted 200 Seperate Sites!

I know...I know. We shouldn't really be counting. But I think that it's pretty cool that we can get the word out about some things. It's a birthday of sorts for the MEW Monterey Blog in that, since it's inception, there have been 334 hits on the blog from 200 various 'on-lookers'. (The counter registers new computers to the site, and differnt days, so it doesn't matter if you - 're-load' - your page...it won't count it.)

I'd like the hits to catch up to The Bridge, which just turned 800! Video's, music, teachings....maybe even worship sets! Let me know what you'd like to see, and I'll try to make it happen. Don't forget the 2:42 event happening after the 2nd service. It'll prove to be a great time of fellowship. And really don't forget to come tonight! See you there.

What a testimony!

If you are wondering about what goes on in the women's group, read on and come for a visit. This past Monday all of the women joined together to hear a powerful and encouraging testimony. The testimony was of repentance, obedience, and the freedom found in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Our dear friend and sister in Christ had a difficult childhood, one with abuse and neglect. As she continued through her difficult life, she was tormented for years by an eating disorder as well as chemical addictions, cutting, and suicidal tendencies. 

If you talk to her today, you would never guess that she had ever been this person that was so lost in her pain, but that is what happens when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. The Lord has set her free of the sins that plagued her life in the past, and He continues to wash and renew her mind daily. What a mighty God we serve.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

 

A Clip from Monday Night's MEW

Mike finished Hebrews 2 last night! He always seems to have a unique way of making a point. Not in the clip is his explanation of Kimchi/sanctification. You ask him! Anyway, it was another night of great fellowship and spiritual insight. There are also a few pictures of the women's group. Be looking for the postings of his messages, just as soon as I figure out how to post MP3 files of our own. Thanks for looking and listening.

Prayer Wall at GodTube

Hey, if you haven't found this yet, I encourage you to take a look. It's a Prayer Wall on GodTube that let's you post a prayer requests, light a candle, and see the needs of others in prayer. It's something that helped me to put things in the proper perspective, in that sometimes our situations are much smaller in comparison, but we tend to magnify them. We also get very familiar with the prayer needs of those around us, and in our minds, and maybe in our hearts we say: 'Oh yeah, so-and-so needs a job, or so-and-so has this problem they need help with.' These are only a smattering of the prayer requests that Almighty God hears continually....and works on continually. It's a really hard thing for us to get our minds around, but we should always keep in perspective how Big our God is, and His power and compassion....and how really small we are. Yet, He uses us. Take a look at the wall, and maybe even take up some prayer time in your closet for some distant saint that is crying out to the Lord for something big in their lives. Who knows, maybe one day in Heaven, someone will thank you for praying for them. HERE is the link.

Cookies and Cupcakes

I thought that I would share a few photos from last Monday, and I hope that you enjoy them. I also would like to encourage you to come and join us as we worship the Lord and enjoy the awesome fellowship, teaching, and love found at the Most Excellent Way. 

If you have never been to a gathering, I'll explain that we at the Most Excellent Way Love to celebrate milestones in each others lives. Each week we celebrate milestones in sobriety from 30 days up to one year and each month we celebrate all birthdays for that particular month. This month we all rejoiced with Tony as he is approaching the big 30, and don't worry, there are always plenty of cupcakes to go around so no one will feel left out.

One last thing, we don't always have cookies, but there is always something to nibble on during the break time. To learn more about the cookies, read the post from Mike and Ellie below.

God bless you and we hope to see you Monday night at 7pm.

Pastor James MacDonald

I just want to take a post to encourage you to listen to the messages that I update with James MacDonald. The 'Most Excellent MP3 Player' on the left should allow you to listen no problem. His series recently is called Experiencing the Holiness of God and is taken out of Isaiah 6. He talks about what happens when we see God, and the Glory that fills the Temple, and the change that should take place in our lives when we realize how 'Holy Holy Holy' God is. This should change us. It should make us realize what an awesome, amazing, powerful, majestic, magnificent, glorious God we should be serving. And He sent His Son to die for us. Do you get the distance in that?! Do you understand how far we are from God, and His attributes?! His ways?!...and He sent His Son to die for us.

Take a listen, because we need to hear, and be reminded of the God that we serve and the God that loves us to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Faith as a Mustard Seed

Mike departed from the section of Hebrews that was scheduled. He felt led to talk about 'How much faith does it take?' Everyone in the room raised their hand as he asked ' Who wants to have more faith?' And in return, he had cookies handed out. He then spoke about Matthew 17:20 and that if we had faith like the grain of a mustard seed, we could say the this mountain 'Move from here to there' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.
How much faith does it take? Do you have faith as a mustard seed? The cookie that Mike had handed out was much more compared to just a single grain of mustard seed. Just consider that Jesus wants you to realize that you already have what it takes to overcome the mountains in your life. Let's be people that exercise our faith, no matter how small it may seem.

Hebrews 2:10

So don't laugh too hard, but I must confess that I am a first time blogger. I try to be cool, I even bought a Mac, but I'm still a slacker when it comes to these "high tech" things. Sweet, the picture showed up! This isn't so tuff.

Tonight at the Most Excellent Way meeting, Pastor Mike taught and shared his thoughts on Hebrews 2:10-18.  His wisdom and humor always bless me. Ferrari seats in a 1977 thunderbird. Did I hear that right?

Anyhow, you might be wondering, why the picture of this crazy person on a crazy looking ropes course, high above the ground? And I would say that crazy person is me. Before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I was terrified of heights. It took all of my courage to look over the edge of a cliff, ride the chair lift up a black diamond run at Squaw Valley USA, or even to fly in an airplane. 

As I began my search for God, I realized that the reason for my fear of heights was an underlying fear of death. As the Lord began to teach me of His great love and with His promise and assurance of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ and eternal life spent with God himself, I began to loose that fear of heights and now you can't keep me off of the ropes courses.

Hebrews 2:14,15

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power over death-that is, the devil-15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

I hope this encourages you and that we would all have a deeper understanding that His promises are true and that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.