Easter 2010
I have been saying WOW all day today.
As Caleb and I drove to church today I was reminded as we drove by the Regal Theater that it was 3 years ago today that we launched The Chapel at Elmwood. Hard to believe that when we launched that day that we would just three years later experience a day like today and that Elmwood would be only a short sep in the journey that God has us on.
We experienced our 2nd Easter as Renovation Church today and i was jacked about it from the moment I woke up. In fact today has been heavy on my heart and mind for several weeks. We have been talking about the opportunity that Easter provides for us as Christ followers to “walk across the room.” Last week many of us wrote out our grace stories with the idea of being able to share it with people when ever God opens the door. Many of us also committed to asking people to come and celebrate Easter with us at Renovation.
All week people were commenting to me that they were inviting and bringing family and friends so there was a holy anticipation as Mark Batterson calls it. I knew we were in store for a pretty exciting day when I started seeing people walk in with guest at 8.30!
I don’t know how many first time guest we had total today but I did see a stack about an inch thick.
One grandfather had printed out 2 reserve signs to put on 2 tables for his family… he asked of that was ok and I said sure fill’em up and sure enough he did. I look over during the song God Is Alive… which is rockin tune… and he was almost dancing with the band looking very excited that his family and friends were with him and his sweet wife of 40 plus years.
One wife came up to me and told me that her son was there today and her husband for the first time as tears flowed down her face.
I presented three different characters that I think we all have a little bit in common with… all 3 resisted and rejected God till their last breath but I gave everybody the opportunity to respond as the thief on the cross did some 2000 years ago… I don’t know how many crossed over the line of faith today but i believe there were many!
I was proud to see so many leave their circles of comfort to walk across the room and enter the zone of the unknown for the sake of eternity!
We had 283 adults at the 9.19 gathering and 339 adults at the 11.00… you add another 95 kids and we had over 700 people hanging out with us at Renovation today!
To God be the Glory Great things You have done and still do!
