Your worst nightmare. 

What are you afraid of? 

As many of you get dressed up this Halloween, some of your costumes will be funny, others a fantasy and a few will probably be a little scary. 

When I think of Halloween I can think of some scary stuff. 

Ghost, goblins and the fear of a black cat crossing your path. Come on now, you know that’s scared you since you were a kid. Even when it isn’t Halloween, I’m looking hard when I see a set of cat eyes in the darkness, I’m looking to see if it’s black.

Moving right along …

Fear is something that we all deal with on a regular basis. Some of you may have a fear of clowns; creepy, crawly things (spiders, snakes); or even stepping on the scale. I would submit to you there is something that you should be more afraid of than any of those. It’s your worst nightmare. 

What’s your worst nightmare?

I’ll tell you what mine is: running into the man that I could have become had Christ not called me out of the miry pit and into the light. 

I don’t even want to begin to imagine what my life might look like had He not intervened and saved me from myself. But then again, on second thought, we should look back. It is by looking back that we see the man or woman that we once were and the person that we are now. It is in that moment of reflection that we have the greatest understanding of what grace really is.  We realize the person that He is molding and making us into. To be more like His son, Jesus. 

It’s a sobering experience. 

Quickly, I want us to take a look at someone in the Bible. A man named Saul. 

In Acts 8:3, under the heading of “Saul Ravages the Church,” Luke penned the following words under the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

“But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

Does Saul sound familiar? If not, there is somebody who has a similar name in the Bible. Think about it for a second. After meeting Jesus on that ole Damascus Road (Acts 9) his life was forever changed. 

How was his life changed? Well as we read into Acts 9, the Bible says, “And immediately he (Saul) proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” (v20) 

It goes on to say in verses 21 and 22, “And all who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.”

A few thoughts: (1) There isn’t anybody that God cannot save. (2) Christ personally meets each of where we are. (3) What does it say Saul immediately did? He was proclaiming Jesus. (v20) And once you’ve had an encounter with Jesus you should do the same. (4) Lastly, not only did Christ meet him where he was, he changed his life, he changed his mission, but He also changed his name! 

This man named Saul is better known to us today as Paul. He penned the majority of the New Testament. Paul — through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit — has been challenging Christians for almost 2,000 years. 

In closing, think back on Paul. What would have happened had Christ not met him? Can you imagine the countless Christians (followers of the Way, which is what followers of Christ were first called *that’s a free nugget) that he would have beaten, dragged to jail and murdered along the way. BUT GOD! 

So as you enter this Halloween weekend, I want you to think about how the grace of God has changed you! 

If you’ve never personally met Christ, well just call out to Him. 

I’d be glad to chat with you or you can find another Christian or pastor and strike up a conversation with them. Relationships begin with conversation. 

As you look back, thank God for all He has done. Oh and guess what? You’ll be one step ahead of the game as He prepares your heart for this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. 

As my grandfather would close his correspondences from time to time … 
(Thanks Gramps for this little nugget). 

A man for whom Christ died! 
Chris

1 Cor 15:58  

Let go. Let God!

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“We just have to learn to get out of the way and let God work!”

The following are some key points and thoughts that led to me stepping down as the pastor of New Life Church in Dalzell. I’ve attempted to make these thoughts as succinct as possible.  

Being transparent. 
I’ve tried to build the ministry God has called me to on transparency. Who has time for anything else? I pray this post is just that. Transparent. Real. Succinct. 

The following are areas that we prayed through in this process.  

We had a building, but not a church. 
When I got to New Life that wasn’t necessarily the case. We had a few families, however over time and for various reasons one-by-one those families moved on. 


As many of you were probably unaware, the church was loosely structured. This allowed for great potential in shaping the future of the ministry there in Dalzell, but after the families left there was no core group. 

After all the church is about God’s people, not a building. The church is to be structured with its people looking toward Christ, the head of the local church. 
   
Being good stewards. 
I believe that we are to be good stewards of what God has given us — both as the church and individually. That includes our time, money, resources and energy/efforts. This was a key factor in our decision making. 

Ministry cost. 
While our building was paid for, there were still monthly monetary needs. A few people + a little tithe = not a long way.  

Most people don’t like to think of the church as a business, but it takes money and good stewardship to minister to those in the church and the surrounding community. 

Help came from the least likeliest of places. 
There was also a shift in my philosophy of ministry. When there were just a few of us at New Life help came from the least likeliest of places. Where was that? Across the street from house — our neighbors.

For the sake of time I will not go into how God moved and brought them into our church family, but He did. We’re thankful and have enjoyed our time getting to know them more and growing spiritually as families. 

We’re called to reach those around us. 
Who did Jesus minister to? Those that were around Him! 

We are called to reach those that He places in our path. That shift I spoke of a moment ago came as our neighbors joined us. Why were two families driving clear to the other side of the county when we’re called to minister to those around us. 

Good stewardship = Blessings for others
New Life Church and its assets weren’t mine before going there, they’re His. You and I are just managing what He has given us, temporarily. All of these points I’ve mentioned lead us to where we find ourselves: Getting of the way so that others might be blessed. 

As I’ve mentioned, we had a building and no church. There was a church in our association that had church, but no building. They had been praying for years that God would open a door. In processing everything I was seeing and experiencing these last few months, I had to ask myself, “Why should we stay in Dalzell and struggle to reach a community we are not a part of when there is another group that could better use these resources?” When I talked that over with God, I knew the choice I had to make. Let go. Let God! 

Onward & Upward! 
In closing, as my buddy Jim Johnson would say, “Onward & Upward!” 

As we move forward the Moore family is excited about what God holds in store for our family and the ministry that He has called us to. We look forward to announcing our plans in the coming days. 

I think we all should remember, some chapters are longer than others. This chapter at New Life was definitely a training ground, preparing us for a future assignment(s). I wouldn’t change our decision to go there, the lives we had the chance to be a part of and the stretching — physically, mentally and spiritually — that has taken place these last few months. 

Again, we look forward to what God has in store for our family in the coming days, months and years. 

To God be the glory! 

A man for whom Christ died,
Chris

Spreading hope!

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Just a thought to kick off your week … 

Did you know that you can be a missionary in your hometown? And in your daily life?

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but you hold a valuable piece of real estate every time you eat out, it’s called a receipt.

That receipt can be used to spread the hope and love of Jesus (as seen in the example picture). 

I can’t remember where I first heard about this idea, but I try and utilize this space every chance I get. I usually write something similar to what is pictured, “Thanks for the great service! … Jesus love you! =) … Jer 29:11” 

People are looking for hope. People are looking to be told that they are loved.

I can’t think of an easier way to share the love of Christ! 

Is it about proselytizing or keeping a scoreboard of how many people we’ve “won” to Christ? Getting them to attend our church? Absolutely not! It’s about sharing His love along with the peace and hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. It’s not about me or you, it’s about being faithful and obedient. It’s about planting seeds. “The seed is the word of God.Luke 8:11 ESV  *Read Luke 8:4-15 http://bit.ly/19ZImjd

Also it is never us, listen to the truth in this verse, “… The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Acts 16:14 ESV. He’ll open their hearts, just be obedient. 

Will you spread hope?
CM

CHIME IN: How do you spread hope? 


Do you take notes?

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Do you journal? Do you take notes while your pastor is preaching? If not, you should. 

Pictured are some of my sermon notebooks. This is only since late 2010. Within these pages are numerous sermons and messages I’ve heard preach at church and conferences. 

You know what I find most interesting? 

When I pick one of these up and start reading back over my notes, the Lord blesses me all over again. It’s amazing the “nuggets” that are tucked away in these pages. 

So, I encourage you, if you aren’t already, find a notebook and start taking notes of sermons and/or keeping a journal of how God is working in your life. Lastly, it has been interesting to write out prayers and questions I’ve had and then look back and see how God has worked in my life and His church. 

Love and appreciate you! 
CM


Free e-books!

Who doesn’t like something for FREE? … I know I sure do! 

If you have an e-reader you need to sign up for the weekly emails from David C. Cook. They give away at least one (1) FREE e-book each week. The retail value of the books range from anywhere from $10 to $18. 

What’s the catch? No catch! You just visit their website www.dccebooks.com and sign up for their emails. 

*If you don’t have an e-reader you can get a cloud reader (read the books via the web) or get the Kindle app for our iPod, iPad or any other smart phone. 

Happy Reading! 
CM

Links of interest: 
Kindle Cloud Reader — https://read.amazon.com
iBooks for iPhone, iPad, iPod — https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks/id364709193?mt=8
E-Readers reviews, how to, advice — http://www.pcworld.com/category/e-readers/

Turning a page … Here’s to a new chapter!

It’s bittersweet to get rid of something you’ve created. 

These last few days I’ve been doing some major clean up of my digital world. It started with decluttering my server space of sites I no longer host, then I sorted through the domains (website names) that I own. The goal was to cut down on the number of renewals that I get hit with every year. It was hard to turn some loose, but my wallet will enjoy the few extra bucks. 

I then had to decide what to do with www.mainstreetmin.com, which has been the hub for all of my ministry related projects since 2011. The projects have included a prayer network (sumterprays.com) to a daily “nugget” site (mydailynugget.com) where I would share a verse or encouraging quote. As well as my daughter’s site, www.doyouhavejesusinyourheart.com. 

Due to a shift in my ministry after becoming the part time youth and outreach pastor at First Baptist in Turbeville, SC, in August 2012, those other “branches” have been cut. 

The site you are on is the new and improved www.mainstreetmin.com. It will be interesting to see where God takes this site. My prayer is that He will use it to bless those that find their way onto these pages. I pray they are encouraged, inspired, challenged, etc. From time to time I’ll be sharing my thoughts on this section of the site with topics ranging from technology to our daily walk. 

So here’s to turning a page and starting a new chapter! 

CM