Been Away

It's been a while since last post.  It has been that kind of season.  You know ... that kind where it seems like everyday there is something going on.  It can be work, home, school, kids, church, etc... I'm thankful for it and the experiences through it.  But, I'm also thankful for some days ahead of hopefully taking a breather. 

On The Homefront:
Sherin and kids are doing well but all have been going through a cold / cough bout the past few weeks.  I ask for your prayers for them for complete healing and everyone back to full strength.  Abi was a flower girl at her uncle's wedding - that was fun watching her get ready and walk down the aisle.  And yes, I did fast forward 20 years or so in my head wondering when I walk down the aisle with her.  Proud of my baby brother for taking next step in life and starting a family with a beautiful person - Jenny.  Welcome to the family!

Kayla is just growing up way too fast and in a couple of days it will be 10 months of her life in the history books.  We've tried our best and I think we've succeeded in some ways to take as many pics and videos of her as we did with Abi.  Usually, as #2 and others follow, less pics and videos of each.  Had both of them at my office for an afternoon and it was definitely fun having them around.  Little one was just crawling all over the place.  Can't wait to have them over my new CWS office soon.

        



At Church & Ministry:

We have just been in a God-ordained season of becoming stronger as individuals and as a church family.  We are going through the growing pains and challenges but we know its all for the best.  Lives are being healed, set free, and empowered to grow with God & in His Word.  The church has served those in need during Sandy relief. The church has helped those in need within the family as well.  It's great to see lives encountering the love and power of Jesus. 

Also, had the honor to minister in Scotland for a youth conference they hosted for the first time.  It was truly a different and blessed experience for me.  Being away from Sher and kids was tough especially since it was right after the storm and we still had no electricity at home when I left.  The people, church, and host family were great in Scotland.  I truly believe that conference was a catalyst for many lives, leaders, and churches. 

There's more to come but I'll pause for now.  Keep us in your prayers.  Just hoping to be the difference to make a difference all for Him!

Enjoy The Ride,

Pastor Cee

Need a Lift? by Mark Evans

There is a good side and a bad side to most people, and in accordance with your own character and disposition you will bring out one of them and the other will remain a sealed book to you.

Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; He directs it to whatever ends he chooses. Proverbs 21:1

Today's Thought (from The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork by John Maxwell)

With good leadership, everything improves. Leaders are lifters. They push the thinking of their teammates beyond old boundaries of creativity. They elevate others' performance, making them better than they've ever been before. They improve people's confidence in themselves and others. While managers are often able to maintain a team at its current level, leaders are able to lift it to a higher level than it has ever reached before. The key to that is working with people and bringing out the best in them. For example:

• Leaders transfer ownership for work to those who execute the work.
• Leaders create an environment where each team member wants to be responsible.
• Leaders coach the development of personal capabilities.
• Leaders learn quickly and encourage others to learn efficiently also.

If you want to give a team a life, then provide it with better leadership.

 

Father in Heaven; I know that leadership is not a position; it's the ability to bring out the best in people. Please help me today to be more aware of how I can give my team a lift. In Jesus name. Amen.

Enjoy the Ride,

Pastor Cee

Lasts For More Than A Night

Dear CWS & FCOG Family,

It was definitely unusual and weird that I just had to show up not knowing what it entailed.  As a lead pastor, that's definitely not the norm when it comes to an event / experience in the church.  But knowing that there are great leaders, team players, and superstar servant volunteers, you really don't have to stress out and can just show up, relax, and enjoy the night.  I say thank you to all of you for doing what you did. 

"I never had a chance to sit with my father on the stage of ministry." - Pastor Moni Mathew (my dad)

That statement really touched me because you realize its a privilege and honor to serve God as a Pastor but to follow in your grandfather's and dad's footsteps is tremendous. Hearing how my dad started serving in the church early in his life reminded me of doing exactly the same things in my journey. I thank God for my heritage.

Church, I am so blessed by your love, thoughts, encouragement, and support not only this night but thru every step on this journey.  To see, hear, and experience your thoughtful expressions of love will never be forgotten. I love to do what I get to do; which is to serve, to lead, to preach and teach, to encourage, to push, to share the message of Jesus' love, grace, and hope. Let's do church together, not one person or one family or a few people, but all of us TOGETHER, let US BE the CHURCH.

This scripture was shared by the MC for the night and it is my prayer.  2 Timothy 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Greater things are yet to come for this local church.  Get ready to be amazed.  A scripture that has truly under girded our family and ministry is Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  We're not perfect but human. We're not always right but we're learning. We're not superhuman but have supernatural calling. We're not always ready but we trust God. We're not scared but confident in Him. We're not settling down but moving forward. We're not happy with mediocrity but expect excellence.

God bless you all!  Thank you and we love you!

Enjoying The Ride,

Pastor Cee

The Community Comes Together To Help

Genuine, Heart-to-Heart, Gut-Level Fellowship

Genuine, Heart-to-Heart, Gut-Level Fellowship
by Rick Warren


“But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:7-8 NCV)

In Christian fellowship, people should experience authenticity. Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level sharing.

It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow conversation.

People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.

It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other .… If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7-8, NCV).

The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.

Why would anyone take such a risk?

Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG).

Talk About It
•When was the last time you had a genuinely transparent conversation with a friend?
•Why is it important to confess our sins to each other?

Enjoy The Ride,

Cecil

Baggage Claim

Baggage Claim

by Chris Hodges

One of the most overlooked stories in the Bible involves the father of our great father in the faith, Abraham. He experienced a painful loss that ended up preventing him from reaching his intended destination. "This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth" (Genesis 11:27-28).

In the next verses, we see God trying to move in Terah's life, trying to get him to Canaan, the Promised Land. In fact, I wonder if God's original call was to Terah, not Abraham. "Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran " (Genesis 11:31-32). Although this family moved from their native land toward the land of milk and honey, Canaan, Terah never made it. Perhaps when he and his family reached a city that just so happened to have the same name as his dead son, he couldn't go any farther.

Terah had to pass through Haran in order to go where God was calling him. Once there, I suspect that he must have been reminded of his pain. And he just stopped. He couldn't go on. It was too hard, too painful, too demanding. It seems he could not let go of his grief in order to embrace the joy that lay ahead. He likely could not believe the God was still in control and had not abandoned him. He stopped short based on his own perceptions, rather than pursuing the truth of God's destination. As a result, he never reached the place God wanted to take him.

Like Terah, many of us are shaped by our negative experiences and never overcome them to discover the destiny to which God is calling us. Too often we stop short, refusing to believe that we can catch our breath and enjoy an abundant life. We succumb to fears and false perceptions. The enemy defeats us with lies that bog us down, causing us to lose energy and hope. We get stuck in the doldrums, a dead zone from which we just can't seem to emerge and get back on track.

Life should come with one of those big signs that you see on ocean beaches, the kind that cautions swimmers to beware of riptides. Only this one would read, "Warning: When we are hurt, we're not very smart." Pain can cause blindness and obstruct objectivity and common sense. Things may look calm on the surface, but a swirling vortex below waits to swallow us up. We let the past define the future and never move on. We think we're doing the right thing, but often were simply doing whatever alleviates our pain in some way. When we reached debilitating places, as the land of Haran was for Terah, we must allow ourselves to need and to trust the people in our lives.

Certainly, the enemy’s lies pollute our other relationships. Terah’s decision affected his whole family. In Genesis 12, we see that God had to separate the family. He told Abraham to move on, leave his father's house, and follow God's leading. What an incredibly difficult decision that must have been.

The problem with baggage is that it affects other people's trips. Have you ever been traveling with a group and had one person's lost luggage impact everyone on the tour? You're traveling together, perhaps for a work convention, on a church mission trip, maybe a field trip at school or just a vacation with friends. Almost everyone packs light and reduces their luggage to carry-on. And yet there's the one person who checks two bags and still drags an overstuffed duffel on board. It's bad enough that the entire group has to wait at baggage claim upon arrival, but if the person's luggage gets lost, that causes delays, frustrations, and disappointment.

The same is true for us. The more baggage we carry with us, the more it slows us down. And our relationships are affected when we can't handle our own issues and constantly force everyone else to deal with them too. Our wounds get transferred to the people close to us. And unless they are vigilant and know how to handle us, the pain becomes contagious and compounds our heartache.

We make decisions that aren’t good for us and create defense systems to ensure that we're never hurt in the same way again. We become controlling and rigid, suspicious and skeptical of others' motives. Our insecurities accumulate from an ocean wave into a tsunami of paranoia, fear, and distrust. The most tragic result of unresolved pain is that it can destroy our relationship with God. After Abram moves on, Terah is never heard from again. His story ends there.

God actually intended people to be a source of life, a community of support and fellowship, taking care of one another. I'm fascinated by Paul's shout-out to his friend Onesiphorus, whom he described as a breath of fresh air (2 Timothy 1:16, TLB).

I gained a new appreciation for this kind of friendship when I was preparing to plant Church of the Highlands in 2001. The first thing I did was assemble a team of people who wanted to help me. I called this committed team of thirty-four people the launch team. John Maxwell once said that "it takes teamwork to make the dream work.” That is so true. None of us could even have come close to accomplishing individually what we accomplished together. Our shared vision, commitment, and devotion made us better together

Genuine fellowship, that sense of having a few people in our lives who really know us, accept us, and love us, can make all the difference in the world. A sense of community can make our trials bearable and make our triumphs worth celebrating. We can listen and share, help and encourage, support and be supported.

Enjoy The Ride,

Cecil

We're not perfect but we're growing to be solid rock followers of Christ. The vision is clear and the mission is Biblical. The vision is becoming reality and the mission is being lived out. We're on a journey and there is room for you.




Enjoy The Ride,

Pastor Cee

Twice Adopted

Powerful testimony by Anthony Gatke. Talk about laying baggages at the Cross!
We overcome by the blood of the Lamb & word of our testimony! Healing taking place, baggage let go, church growing!



Enjoying The Ride,

Cecil

A Shift Is Taking Place

A shift is taking place before our eyes. We have the honor to pastor a church not contained in a building but made of living people who strive to change their world. Hurting people who are being healed. Imperfect people experience grace and mercy. Hungry people being fed. Growing people who fall but get back up. Broken people made complete in Christ. Loving people who don't judge but teach and encourage. Sick people experience comfort. People in need shown kindness. Faithful people giving generously. Desperate people given hope. This is the BODY OF CHRIST! It's amazing to see. Just IMAGINE...Ephesians 3:20


- Pastor Cee

Elmont's Renaissance...

It won't come from the left or the right or the middle, it will come from ABOVE.

It won't come from town hall, county-house, or statehouse; it will come from HIS HOUSE!

It won't come from schools, civics, agencies, activists, which depend on each other for existence; it will come from the reason for all existence, the CREATOR!

It won't come from tax codes or plans, ec...onomic policies, banks, or businesses; it will come from the GOD THE PROVIDER OF ALL RICHES!

Elmont's renaissance will be initiated, cultivated, and completed by a loving, merciful, and blessed God who loves the 34000 individuals/families in Elmont. God makes promises and He follows through on all of them. He's the only one who sacrificed EVERYTHING, and His name is Jesus Christ. He wants us so badly that He died for us; so we can live life abundantly!

It will be reality only when the church – His body, His children – comes together to pray, believe, and live out love & compassion.

Pastors, can we stand up, not alone, but with each other?
Churches, can we come together to believe, pray, and do?

So, we have a choice for a better life in Elmont; there's no debate about it, its Jesus!

Enjoy The Ride,

Cee

Baggage Tweets Part 3: The "G" Word

The "G" Word snippets in 140 characters or less ...

My guilt has burdened me like a burden too heavy to bear, said David. Are you saying that today? Let go of baggage called GUILT.#theGword

Have you given or been given "guilt-trip" for something in the past? God has forgiven you/them. Encourage each other. 2 Cor. 2:7#theGword

God doesn't want His children to suffer from guilt. How do I know? It's called Grace. Lay down guilt and take on Grace of God #theGword

Don't let our hearts be concrete that true guilt is ignored. It's like a warning light in car for something is wrong. Deal w/it #theGword

You can be guilty of sin based on Word & still not feel guilty. True guilt should lead to repentance & restoration via grace #theGword

False guilt is just the lie & trick of Satan in your ears. We "feel" guilty for something which God has already forgiven. #theGword

Is he using "emotional blackmail" to hinder your growth? Tell Satan to shut up when he whispers in your ears with false guilt #theGword

Handle true guilt by: grieving, confessing, repenting, reconciling, & praising! Thank God for His love & grace. #theGword

If we fail to accept & apply Word of God, our attitudes & actions will display the hurt and pain caused by guilt. Let it go. #theGword

Guilt holds us back from moving forward. Don't be stuck in your past. Live looking forward to what God has in store for you. #theGword

God devised ways starting back in Genesis to not be separate from us. His final plan was to give up His prized possession #theGword

I might be guilty of sin but I'm also aware that grace abounds more than where sin abounds. Romans 5:20&21 #theGword

Let's understand grace give us opportunity to raise our standard of living. If we realize the power of this love, we get it. #theGword

You have been declared NOT GUILTY because of Grace. Titus 3:7 7 Inherit your new life in Him. #theGword

You are made right with God because of what He did, not what you did or didn't do. Thank God for grace. #theGword

But now in a single victorious stroke of LIFE, all 3 - sin guilt death are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ, Thank God! #theGword

Set your eyes heart & mind on heavenly things since you have been given a new life. Not much compared to what was given to us #theGword

Enjoy The Ride,

Cecil

Baggage Tweets Part 2

Trading Places ... turn in your grief & pain for joy & strength.
Snippets in 140 characters or less from week 2 of the series: Baggage. 

Cecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

We'd be fired a long time ago if God did a performance eval on us? Thank God 4 His grace. He still see us great investment!#tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

Who's the CEO of your life? #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

He'll give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. Is. 61:3 #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

You might be tortured but He will not abandon you! #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

You might be pressed but you are not crushed! #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

Trade your pain for joy! #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

Trade your grief for comfort! #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

We mourn over our regrets, broken dreams, jobs, careers, loved ones lost. He will comfort us so we can comfort others! #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

Grief is not a disorder, it's necessary. Mourning's part of it but don't make your home there. Jesus says He'll comfort you! #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

Fear frustration fatigue and failure are end results of baggage! Rather not have those realities! What about you? #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

God's waiting for us 2 resign from being CEO & director of our life! Can we stop playing God? No one does it better than Him#tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

It's natural for us to do wrong! It's natural for God to do what's best! He loves you & that's the best! Accept & enjoy it! #tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

Check in your baggage! He wants to take it off your shoulders! Admit your need for God! He wants you, misses you, loves you!#tradingplaces

Expand

•  Reply 
•  Delete 
•  Favorite

23 SepCecil Mathew ‏@Cecil_Mathew

Trade offer from God: give Him your grief sorrow and pain, He is giving you comfort & joy! Weep for a night but joy comes now!