Community Fellowship Church 
June 3, 2008
The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.
______________________________________________________
June 2, 2008
"If there is nothing to endure, you cannot learn endurance."
-Warren Wiersbe
______________________________________________________
May 30, 2008
"The only way to coast is when your going downhill." - Rick Warren
______________________________________________________
May 28, 2008
"Very soon after you step out to live on a larger scale for God, you will realize that overwhelming new obstacles are mushrooming right along with your grand new opportunities...only you have remained as small and weak as ever. Not a happy moment humanly speaking, but an enormously promising one spiritually." - Unknown
______________________________________________________
May 14, 2008
When you're unreliable, you're being unloving.
______________________________________________________
March 18, 2008
The best thing about Bible study is not the learning but the Living!
______________________________________________________
March 13, 2008
“Christians who like to argue various “points of view” may be only fooling themselves. They think that their “discussions” are promoting spiritual growth, when in reality they may only be cultivating the weeds.” --Warren Wiersbe
______________________________________________________
February 18, 2008
Faithfulness is a characteristic or a qualification that you must have in order for you to be used by God!
______________________________________________________
February 7, 2008
Face your faults. Forget the past. Focus on the future. Fight to the finish!
______________________________________________________
January 31, 2008
Discouragement has a way of spreading, but so does encouragement!
______________________________________________________
January 28, 2008
At the same time that we beckon the Spirit to “come,” our slander, backbiting, and division yell at Him to “go away.”
______________________________________________________
January 24, 2008
I thank you Lord for my inadequacies. For my limitations are opportunities for You to show what only You can do. In my weakness You are strong! Use me, Lord! Not in spite of my difficulties, but because of them.
______________________________________________________
January 10, 2008
God hasn't blessed you so that He might have less of you.
______________________________________________________
January 4. 2008
“Once a person is focused on him/herself, worship ceases. Don’t worry about how you will be perceived. Only be concerned that you do the will of the Father.” --Frances Thomas
______________________________________________________
January 2, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
MAY THE LORD RICHLY BLESS YOU IN 2008!
_____________________________________________________
December 4, 2007
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. –Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
_____________________________________________________
November 30, 2007
Focus on strengthening your relationship with The Vine and the fruit will follow naturally.
November 14, 2007
There’s a vast difference between “remorse” and “repentance.” Judas (the betrayer of Jesus) was remorseful, but he went out and hanged himself. But, the apostle Peter was not just remorseful for denying Jesus, he was also repentant, and God used him to make a huge difference for the kingdom of God. You see, what God requires of us is not just remorse. He requires repentance. Repentance is to turn 180 degrees and to begin the process of walking in the opposite direction. Now, we can’t manage this journey on our own, but we can through Christ. He gives the strength. Remorse (or feeling sorry about our sin) is not enough. It must lead to repentance. Dr. Henry Brandt suggests that true repentance is a five-step process. First, we must admit that we’ve sinned. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Secondly, we must say, “I’m sorry.” These words are very difficult for most of us to say, but they’re so necessary. You cannot blame your bad behavior (your sin) on someone else, on your background, on the circumstances of your life, or on the devil himself. Ultimately, you must accept responsibility for what you’ve done. Step number three is to ask God for forgiveness. The Bible says, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He does forgive. And He will forgive you. The fourth step is surrender. In surrender we put our confidence in Him with the understanding that we can’t make it on our own. And the fifth and final step is empowerment. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Be filled with the Spirit.” Trying to act like a Christian is admirable, but it’s counterfeit. “Will-power” won’t get the job done. We need “His” power to live out the life that He’s called us to. So, repent, and turn to Jesus who is God’s Son. The Bible says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and there’s no way you’re going to get to heaven but through Jesus. That baby born in Bethlehem came to die for your sins. The Greatest Gift of all is Jesus. A gift simply does you no good unless you open it. This Christmas, let me encourage you to open THE Gift…The Ultimate Gift…salvation through Jesus Christ. ____________________________________________________
November 6, 2007
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
Attributed to Sir Francis Drake (1577)
October 30, 2007
Here’s a list of the books that have impacted me the most thus far…
1. Experiencing God – Henry Blackaby
2. The Purpose Driven Life – Rick Warren
3. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire – Jim Cymbala
4. The God Chasers – Tommy Tenney
5. Fresh Faith – Jim Cymbala
6. Fresh Power – Jim Cymbala
7. The Purpose Driven Church – Rick Warren
8. The Next Generation Leader – Andy Stanley
9. Developing the Leaders Around You – John Maxwell
10. The Prayer of Jabez – Bruce Wilkinson
11. The Dream Giver – Bruce Wilkinson
12. Visioneering – Andy Stanley
13. Courageous Leadership – Bill Hybels
14. The Applause of Heaven – Max Lucado
15. Finishing Strong – Steve Farrar
16. The Volunteer Revolution – Bill Hybels
17. Fresh Encounter – Henry Blackaby
18. Love and Respect – Emerson Eggerichs
19. Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri Nouwen
20. The Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
21. Don’t Throw Away Tomorrow – Robert Schuller
22. More Ready Than You Realize – Brian McLaren
23. How Full is Your Bucket? – Tom Rath
24. Partners in Prayer – John Maxwell
25. The Maker’s Diet – Jordan Rubin
26. What to Say When You Talk to Yourself – Shad Helmstetter
27. The One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard
28. Your Best Life Now – Joel Osteen
29. God’s Favorite House – Tommy Tenney
30. Secrets of the Vine – Bruce Wilkinson
October 23, 2007
I believe the most courageous prayer in all of Scripture is recorded in Psalm 139:23-24 where David prays…”Search me, O God, and know my heart. See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” If you want to get serious about your walk with God, pray that prayer from your heart. I believe it’s so difficult for us to sincerely pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart” because we’re not really interested in knowing the true condition of our hearts, for the truth exposed would require change in us. Change is difficult and humbling. Ignorance is a much easier choice. We can’t fool God, but we sure can fool ourselves. Sadly, I believe that for the most part, most of us are perfectly content never delving into the painful process of heart examination, but without it we will never progress in the faith.
_____________________________________________________
October 19, 2007
My Life’s Verse(s)...
One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 3:13-14 ESV
_____________________________________________________
October 18, 2007
Oftentimes as Christ-followers we have a tendency to put God in a box. As long as He operates within the confines of the box that we’ve created for Him, we’re just fine. But if He were to operate outside our predetermined parameters (where He usually does), we just might be uncomfortable. And that’s the last thing we want in westernized Christendom, for we have a “make me comfortable or else” mentality in our churches today. Well, it’s my prayer that God will bust out of our stagnant boxes and break down all of those barriers that would render us ineffective for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. _____________________________________________________
October 17, 2007
Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless – that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here’s what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what He’s asked; But He turns His back on those who do evil things. –1 Peter 3:8-12 (The Message Bible)
_____________________________________________________
October 16, 2007
Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. –1 Peter 2:17 (The Message Bible)
_____________________________________________________
October 15, 2007
Purify your inner life…Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out…Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. --James 4:8-10 (The Message Bible)
_____________________________________________________
October 11, 2007
“Faulty Focus” #4…The Focus on Experience
I’ve often quoted the phrase from the old Morris Albert song “Feelings” made famous by Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis, Julio Iglesias, and others…“Feelings, nothing more than feelings.” Friends, worship is not the pursuit of goose bumps or a heightened state of emotion. It’s not about “feelings.” The goal is not an “experience,” but an encounter with The One True Living God. There is a difference. Preparation, planning and the structuring of the corporate worship service should be done so with The Father in mind. He Is The Target. It’s really not about the individual consumer who comes for the worship “experience.”
_____________________________________________________
Pastor Dave
October 8, 2007
“Faulty Focus” #3…The Focus on Tools
By tools I mean things like…lighting, video, candles, banners, drums, guitars, piano, keyboards, choir, band, worship team, accompaniment tracks, and our voices. These “tools” should never be the focus. They are simply a means to the ultimate end…God’s glory on display. The focus in worship must be “God’s glory above all else.”
Pastor Dave
_____________________________________________________
Pastor Dave Burgess
WORSHIP…WHAT’S THE GOAL? --Part 3
As promised, here is “Faulty Focus” #2
The Focus on Tradition
Now don’t fool yourself. Although CFC is only ten years old we have established traditions. A tradition is simply something we’ve done more than once. I’d like to think the traditions established here are good ones. But the honoring of tradition for traditions sake is scary. To accept only what I’m familiar with and what makes me comfortable is improper focus. Our own comfort is not the goal. When comfort and familiarity become the focus we become rigid, immovable and we render ourselves ineffective for the Kingdom. Remember the seven words of a dying church…”We’ve never done it like that before.”
________________________________________________
Pastor Dave Burgess
WORSHIP…WHAT’S THE GOAL? --Part 2
As promised, here is “Faulty Focus” #1 when it comes to the corporate worship setting.
The Focus on Musical Styles
Do things need to unfold in a certain way? Does a certain style of music need to be used to truly engage God? Does God have a preference when it comes to musical style? Some would have us think so. But when we promote a musical style that’s to our own liking, aren’t we making a huge assumption that our fellow brothers and sisters like it just as much as we do? Music is simply a tool (although amazing one), but music in itself is not the point. He Is! To promote one’s own preference when it comes to musical style results in selfishness and insensitivity. If we are the focus, if what we like and don’t like is our focus a consensus on musical style is highly improbable.
________________________________________________
Pastor Dave Burgess
WORSHIP…WHAT’S THE GOAL? --Part 1
Having been raised in a Christian home, I’ve seen so many changes in the church’s approach to worship over the years. I began leading worship in the corporate setting in the early 1980’s, and over these past 20 plus years the changes have become even more pronounced. I find as I get older that change is more and more difficult. Any of you in that boat? Well, the fact is none of us like change. But deep down in my heart I know that change is inevitable and yes, even necessary. Doesn’t seem fair though does it?
As a worship leader, I’ve always been concerned about how our own likes, dislikes, and personal agendas come into play when it comes to corporate worship settings. It seems to me that at times we have made worship about us. What is our role anyway? Is it that of a consumer or consumee (not a word, but you get my point)? Louie Giglio states, “the point of worship is not for people to consume the worship, but for people to be consumed in the worship for the glory of God.” I’ve often wondered just what the statement, “I enjoyed the worship today” means. Seems to be off point? Although there is legitimacy to our “enjoying” worship, it most certainly is not the goal.
So what is the goal? What is the ultimate purpose? Where should our focus be? Well, the answer is obvious. Over the next few entries I hope to share with you a few faulty focuses that when focused on can hinder genuine worship. Stay tuned.
