I love/hate Valentine’s Day if I’m honest.

I love the story(ies) of Valentine, a Christian man from the 3rd century who reportedly gave his life for the gospel.  One legend reports that Valentine (Valens in Latin) was a Christian priest who was arrested for proclaiming the Gospel.  Just before he was sentenced to death, he prayed for his jailer and his daughter to be healed of her blindness.  Although he was still martyred, this led to the conversion of the jailer’s whole family.

Wow. That’s real love right there. Willingness to pray for your enemy’s daughter in the face of death. The decision to love… even when it kills you.

Then there’s the part of Valentine’s Day that I hate. Really hate. This is the left-over part of ol’ V-Day which finds its roots in the Roman festival of Lepercalia; a naked, druken, orgy-having, lust-fest something like Mardi Gras in a toga. This is the over-sexed part of Valentine’s Day which is still alive in well in our modern celebration of St. Valentine.

With that as a backdrop, here are some thoughts…

One.  If you are going to celebrate Valentine’s Day, remember the real guy. The priest who gave his life to see his enemy healed shows us the same love Jesus showed us – a self-giving, true love.  That kind of love is really worth celebrating.  And guys, if you come to your lady today and tell her you want to love her like Valentine did, then you better get ready to man up and commit to the same kind love.  Covenant love. Marriage love. “I’ll-never-leave-you” Love.

Two.  If you’re going to celebrate Valentine’s Day, don’t remember the stupid, loveless Roman sex-fest.  Why? Because it has nothing to do with love. Enticing one another with chocolates and candy so that we’ll give each other what we want isn’t love, it’s manipulation.

Three.  If you’re one of my lovely single ladies or my strong single men and you’re bummed that no one gave you candy, chocolates, edible underwear, or some other stupid gift, consider this: she who gets no gift to manipulate her into sex is not unloved, she is pure, and truly beautiful. Just because no one wants to trade sex for candy with you this year is no reason to be sad. In fact, it sounds like a great reason to celebrate.

Four.  This one is for the men.  If you’re thinking of dropping some chocolates and flowers off to that special someone today, please ask yourself, “am I trying to woo a woman I want to love with all my life, even unto death?  Or, am I simply trying to emotionally manipulate some vulnerable young lady to giving me the romantic vibes back so I can feel like I’ve got some mojo?”  One way treats women like treasures and sisters, the other like whores.  You pick.

Five.  Please don’t be plagued with sadness today. Each Valentine’s Day I get a handful of emails and phone calls from single men and women who are sad because they feel unloved. You are not unloved. You are greatly loved. Jesus loves you, with a true, passionate, self-giving love. And while you wait for God’s provision of the right man or woman, don’t miss the fact that some stupid boy isn’t trying to twist your arm with flowers for fornication. It’s a bad trade.

Love,

Pastor Adam

 

How We Build – Gospel Foundations

 

To download the VIDEO PODCAST from iTunes, click here.

To download the AUDIO PODCAST from iTunes, click here.

 

On February 5, we’re kicking off a new series…

It’s easy to go to church.  Show up on Sunday, sing, sit down, stand up, go home. For many of us, spirituality looks like this.  Just lather, rinse, and repeat, and bam, you’re a believer, right?

In the scriptures, we find that God’s dream for his church is something greater than simply a weekly meeting you attend.  It’s a vibrant, growing community of his people who are building with him; those who are working with God to see his Kingdom come on the earth. So, for the next few weeks we’re going to examine in a more focused way the particularities of how God has called us to build with him.  What we find may be surprising, convicting, and challenging.

Join us starting February 5 for this new series as we discover how we build.

Hey Church,

Check out the video for the updates.  Today is Day 4 of our week of prayer and fasting. Today we are praying specifically for our city. Let’s join together and pray for our city to be blessed, for leaders to make wise decisions, and for the glory of God to invade this place.

Just a reminder… We’re having our final Conference Call to pray together tonight at 8pm. Here are the details…
- Call into this number: 1-218-895-7944
- Use this Conference Code:  768241

Looking forward to praying with you today!!

 

Hey Church,

Check out the video for the updates.  Today is Day 2 of our week of prayer and fasting, and we’re praying for one specific thing: Discipleship. Pray that we would be the kind of church that makes disciples!

Just a reminder… We’re having a Conference Call to pray together tonight at 8pm. Here are the details…
- Call into this number: 1-218-895-7944
- Use this Conference Code:  768241

Looking forward to praying with you today!!

 

The Real Wealth Gap – Stewardship

 

To download the VIDEO PODCAST from iTunes, click here.

To download the AUDIO PODCAST from iTunes, click here.

 

Hey Church,

Check out the video for the updates.  Today is Day 2 of our week of prayer and fasting, and we’re praying for one specific thing: that many will trust in Jesus as their Lord, savior, and treasure.

Just a reminder… We’re having a Conference Call to pray together tonight at 8pm. Here are the details…
- Call into this number: 1-218-895-7944
- Use this Conference Code:  768241

Looking forward to praying with you today!!

 

Hey Church,

Check out the video for the updates.  Let’s pray together for our local church today!

Just a reminder… We’re having a Conference Call to pray together tonight at 8pm. Here are the details…
- Call into this number: 1-218-895-7944
- Use this Conference Code:  768241

Looking forward to praying with you today!!

We’re Fasting Together

Fasting and prayer are two prominent spiritual disciplines featured in the Scriptures.  As the people of God, we’re joining with the people of God for thousands of years and taking a special season of our church life to more intentionally focus on prayer, fasting, and being personally transformed by God.

We hope you’ll join us on this important project as we together humble ourselves before God and seek his wisdom and power for us, our church, our leaders, and our city.

Also, we’ve made a guide for you to have to assist you in your fast.  Please download it, have a look at it, and decide what kind of fast is right for you!

>>DOWNLOAD THE FASTING GUIDE

We’re celebrating our first year as a church and our exciting second year as we join forces with Beacon City Church!

Join us for a night of great worship, amazing teaching featuring Jim Laffoon, Ron Lewis and Dr. Stephen Mansfield, and hope for the future as we come together to celebrate so much.

This is going to be an amazing event that you won’t want to miss!  Looking forward to seeing you there!!

• When: Sunday Night, 5:30pm
• Where: Cambridge YMCA
• Note to Parents: Childcare WILL be provided!