Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Guide, Grow, Go...Our 3-Fold Mission

As we seek to Glorify GOD by Treasuring JESUS CHRIST and spreading His eternal JOY, we are specifically focused on 3 primary desires:

GUIDE people to Christ
GROW in Biblical Maturity
GO with the gospel!

Our prayer is that this will become the heartbeat of the people of Grace Church, not simply her pastors. Thank you for joining us in this prayer!

Grace!
Bryan, Nathan, & Jordan

We Exist...

Grace Church exists... To glorify GOD by Treasuring JESUS CHRIST and spreading His Eternal JOY!

1) God is the most joyful of all beings (Zephaniah 3:17; John 15:11)!
2) Jesus Christ is the most valuable Treasure in existence (Matthew 13:44-45)
3) Christians have the great honor of spreading His excellence to all people (Matthew 28-18-20; John 20:21)

Pray that we will glorify our Joyfully Valuable Excellent God through this church plant!

Grace!
Jordan, Bryan, & Nathan

Grace Church - Memphis, TN

Our hearts rejoice to share with you that the Lord has confirmed to us in many ways that we are to plant Grace Church in Downtown Memphis, TN! We covet your prayers as God continues to prepare us to begin the efforts in the fall of 2006.

Here are a few encouraging websites that detail life in downtown Memphis:

www.downtownmemphis.com

www.memphisdowntowner.com

A fascinating research study on downtown's booming residential and business market can be found here.

Every church currenltly listed in Memphis’ downtown district is listed here.


Grace!
Jordan, Nathan, & Bryan

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

A Thankful Prayer

Phil. 4:6 - do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful season of year.

Pray with us...

Father in heaven, with inexpressible thankfulness, we bring these requests before You... Show us Your glory! Dazzle our hearts with Your Son! Make us as fascintaed with Christ as You are! By Your Spirit, enliven our spirits to delight in You! Incline our hearts toward Your Word! Unfold to us the majesty of Your Person! Cause Your staggering beauty to consume our every fiber!

Father in heaven, with great thankfulness, we pray that You would raise an army of saints, through this church plant, who Treasure Jesus Christ supremely and who are passionate about spreading His joy throughout the nations...and all of this, for Your well-deserved glory!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Jordan & Tracy

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Through The Prayers of Many

"...you also joining in helping us through your prayers, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed upon us through the prayers of many" (II Corinthians 1:11).

The more who pray, the more who will give thanks because of what the Lord does through His people! My, how many people there are who are praying for us, and for this future church plant! With great thankfulness to God for you, our prayer for you is two-fold:

1) May God answer every God-centered & Christ-exalting prayer you pray for this church plant! Pray more of them!
2) We pray that the Lord will bless every one of our intercessors by "filling them with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects..." (Colossians 1:9-10).

"...that thanks may be given by many persons...for the favor bestowed upon us (by God)...through the prayers of many" (II Corinthians 1:11).

Grace,
Nathan, Bryan, & Jordan

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Never claimed to be...

I never claimed to be a poet, and this is a shoddy attempt, but the prayer of my heart for the future flock of Grace Church...
(read with much poetic grace)


For years I have plead.
For years I have prayed.
GOD knows all I've said.
Each supplicaiton made!

To see Christ formed,
In you're heart's recesesses,
All His glories adorned,
Is what each prayer possesses!

His bride, my honor!
Our joy, His glory!
Oh to ponder!
Oh what a story!

Grace Church our name.
Christ Jesus our banner!
Promoting His fame,
In a passionate manner!

You will come along,
Albeit, without the notion,
I've been singing your song,
In each day's devotion!

Though we are small,
We are here by His hand!
Oh, Grace, Christ is our All!
You are God's eternal plan!

Rise and praise Him!
Give Him all glory!
Rise and tell them...
God's been writing their story!

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

"OH"

"OH, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Thy presence." (Isaiah 64:1)

"I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here am I, here am I,' to a nation which did not call on My name." (Isaiah 65:1)

The drawing near of God, in a manifest way, always comes upon two groups of people. One group is the "OH" group. The other group is the "Non-OH" group. In Isaiah 64:1, Isaiah is begging for the nearness of God in a manifest way. He is part of the "OH" group. His vocabulary takes a back seat to his heart's passion. He wants God to draw near! Instead of eloquence, he retreats (or ascends!) to passionate pleading! Isaiah is longing for God to express the reality of His nearness by causing the mountains (sin) to quake! God answered his prayer! Isaiah 65 opens with the God of the universe "permitting Himself to be found" which means He drew near!

The catch is that God "permitted" Himself to be found by a multitude of people who were not even looking for hIm,
(65:1) much less crying out in desperate desire with an "OH" to God. Therein lies the beauty! This is exactly the type of prayers we are praying, and call you to pray with us, for this new church plant!

Yes, there are dozens of people praying for God to use us, for the lost to be saved, for missionaries to be sent out, for new churches to emerge...but those who will be affected by God through this new church don't have a clue. Apart from those who are already believers that the Lord will send to be part of this new plant, many of the ones who will be touched by it are probably coasting through life with little thought of God. Until...God shows up in answer to our prayers! There will be a day, Lord willing, when we can sing the song of Isaiah and say, "God has answered our prayers! God has ripped open the heavens and manifest His presence among us! God is permitting people to seek Him who we previously indifferent to Him!"

This, we invite you to pray with us!
Jordan, Nathan, Bryan

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Unhindered

The last word in the Greek New Testament in the book of Acts is "unhindered."

The book of Acts is a radical account of God's passion to glorify His Name through the establishment of new Christ-exalting churches. In spite of gospel-proclaimers being nearly stoned to death, imprisoned, demonically confronted, "over traveled," "over worked," chased out of town, shipwrecked and a plethora of other difficulties, the gospel could not be contained! Although the book ends with Paul in prison, the stress of the last word is clear...the gospel was free! Our unhindered, all-powerful, life-giving, and God-glorifying gospel will not be stopped! Those who carry the gospel may be decapitated (Paul), but the gospel will not be hindered. Thankfully, this is the gospel we will preach in our new plant. The "gospel of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (II Cor. 4:4). Come what may, pray for us to preach the unhinderable gospel boldly!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Worship Pastor

Would you please join us as we pray for a worship pastor for our church planting team.
Blessings,
Jordan, Bryan, & Nathan