Hold On To These Promises

7 Promises When You Are Afraid        

This is the WORD OF THE LORD ...
     

1. God says...I promise My Love has no fear
      2  Tim 1:7  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

1 John 4:18  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.

2. God says... I promise I am with you
      Psalms 23:4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

3. God says... I promise I will help you
      Hebrews 13:6  So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

4. God says... I promise I will protect you
      Psalms 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

5. God says... I promise I got your back
      Isaiah 35:4 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

6. God says... I promise I can do it again
      2 Corinthians 1:10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.

7. God says... I promise I've given you the victory
      Romans 7:37 - 39 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Enjoy The Ride,

 

Pastor Cee

It's Been A Great Ride ... Thank You!

Over five years ago, God orchestrated a shift in my "career" and life.  I believe it was based on a decision made 8 years ago.  When you commit to Him, He will lead you in a path that only He knows whats coming down the road.

I came in for the interview in a pin-striped suit and tie and that was the last time I wore that to work.  Pastor Steve and the leadership gave an opportunity for me to come on staff here at Bethlehem Assembly of God over 5 years ago.  God opened this door as a miracle for our family at that time.  Since then, this time, experience, relationships, and memories are lifetime miracles.  To you, I say, THANK YOU!

God placed me here on purpose to hopefully be a blessing to Bethlehem AG and prepare me for what lies ahead for our ministry life. I've been able to witness and glean knowledge, wisdom, insight, strategy, and courage to handle the: "what to, when to, where to, how to, why to, who to..." (and the NOT TO's) of church ministry from my time here. 

This time has truly been a preview for what lies ahead.  It's like when David got to walk thru the king's palace before his appointment.  I learned how a church with a clear vision, and a defined purpose, and a divine dream can serve, minister, grow, and operate.  To be honest, in the beginning, I wished how the churches I and my generation grew up in could watch and learn.  But as the years went by, the Holy Spirit kept reminding me, that He didn't bring me here to conduct "training sessions" but GO from here with what I have equipped you and lead by example for your generation & communities I will give you.  And over the years, He continues to orchestrate miracles after miracles in ministry. 

To all the pastors that I've had the privilege to work for and with, I say, THANK YOU!
To all the administration & ministry support staff, I've had the privilege to serve alongside, I say, THANK YOU!
To all the many ministry leaders, I've had the privilege to help, I say, THANK YOU!
To all the volunteers I've had the privilege to see bless the church, I say, THANK YOU!
To all the board members I've had the privilege to know, I say, THANK YOU!

The past 5 years of serving, working, and learning at Bethlehem Assembly of God has been truly amazing.  I believe and pray that the relationships from here will continue to grow, Bethlehem AG has greater days ahead, and together we will help lift up the name of Jesus higher!

Enjoyed This Ride,

Pastor Cee

Historic Day for Lives & CWS

Over the past month or so, we've been creeping up to triple digits in attendance and on Easter Sunday we had 112 people with over a dozen new people from community! It's great to see faces come in from a simple outreach.  The record attendance is great.  The outreach being fruitful is great.  The teamwork is great. 

But this is worth it ...

Three decisions for Christ and many lives at the altar crying out to God and experiencing the greatest EMBRACE ... from a risen and living Savior! 

PLUS ...

Let me share one testimony I heard from an out-of-town visitor that really sums it all up.  They walked into the church and experienced the presence of God.  The person went on to say that everything about the service and people are genuine and authentic.  They capped it off by stating that as often as they come back to NY, they found their church home.  We look forward to having them there. 

I ask you, are we going to see you there too?  Do you need a place to call home?  Do you need to experience the presence of God that will change your heart, mind, and life?  Have you tried everything else and still left with the same problems?  I tell you that Jesus can save, help, heal, and change you.  I tell you that Jesus is here at CWS because we are intentional about lifting Him high every chance we get. 

If you don't have a church to call home and want to experience what God is doing, we invite you to join us on Sundays at 930 am.  You'll have a testimony to share too. 

Enjoy The Ride,

Cecil

p.s. Thank you to all the volunteers that make CWS a blessing to many lives and many more to come!

This Is What I See God Doing

I don't know about you but, this is what I see God doing at CWS:

I see ... a fellowship hall with laughter, worship, & united in prayer.

I see ... a sanctuary full of people with standing room only.

I see ... overflow parking lots opened and jam packed.

I see ... a main road traveled by many on foot to get to church.

I see ... lives we know and strangers usually not seen in a church.

I see ... broken and hurting lives shedding tears of pain, hurt, and joy.

I see ... lives give their heart to the Lord.

I see ... people being set free by His grace, Word, and power.

I see ... lives living out love. 

I see ... families connecting to the church.

I see ... a church that is about to burst at the seams.  ENLARGE!

I see ... a weekend of fellowship, building relationships, prayer, hard work, reaching into the community, and a celebration of epic proportions.

I see ... this not just for "Easter" weekend but every time we gather.
Enjoy The Ride,

Cecil

When God Taps You On The Shoulder

When you get that tap what will you do?  I got that tap on the shoulder on April 26, 2005.  Almost 8 years exact to the day, I have made a decision to resign from my place of employment to enter full time ministry. 

I will be stepping into the river as Joshua instructed the priests before they crossed the river to enter the promised land.  We are trusting God to do His miraculous work through our lives for His glory and Kingdom.  I've thought about this moment for years and it didn't play out the way I thought it would.  He made it reality in only the way He could ... AMAZINGLY!  The announcement to the church was made last Sunday on Vision Sunday.  Watch it here:

When I committed my life for ministry, I said, "I don't know when, where, how but He will lead."  He has been preparing me through learning experiences in life, ministry, and employment at a large and growing multi-ethnic church (Bethlehem Assembly of God).

An excerpt from the always-in-process ministry manifesto:
"The selection, call, and results will all be because of His grace. Charles Spurgeon said it well, “I always say to young fellows who consult me about the ministry, ‘Don't be a minister if you can help it,’ because if the man can help it, God never called him. But if he cannot help it, and he must preach or die, then he is the man.” There is a passion God is burning inside of me to plant churches that minister to all people. My intention is not to be successful, but I want to be effective. God will take care of the success-factor. I remember Dr. Wallace Sibley stating at our ministerial commissioning service, “God didn’t call us to be successful but He called us to be faithful.” I have been called to live my life with a real-time awareness and consciousness of God. There has to be a dream and a purpose behind anything we do for the Lord. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18) I want to be faithful to God’s vision in and for my life.

God has been and is doing a great work in my personal life. My beautiful, loving, and discerning wife, Sherin is a tremendous blessing to me in life and ministry. God blessed us with two precious daughters, Abigail and Kayla.

I believe that everything that is happening in my life in these days is leading me to the ultimate step of faith of stepping out into the full-time ministry. He is moving all the pieces of the puzzle around me into place and in His time, He will move me into the right place according to His will. The life I have enjoyed literally and figuratively growing up in the church is a blessing for me and my family."  
Enjoying The Ride,

Pastor Cee