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You can always check out the new calendar.   We update it continually.   Also, because it is a google calendar you can add this calendar to your own google calendar.  If you like you can also sync it with Microsoft office.  You’ll always know when it is happening at New Life through this interactive calendar.

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If you would like a daily devotional we’ve added that.  Everyday you’ll find a new devotional.

http://nlag.net/sermons/devotions/

We’ve also added PDF’s of many of Pastor Mike’s Sermons.  You can check them out here.

http://nlag.net/sermons/sermons/

Finally, you’ll notice that we’ve added headlines on the front page.  These are updated everyday.

Ignited to serve

 

This is a sermon that Pastor Mark shared on a Sunday morning
recently.

Isn’t it a blessing to be in the house of God today? This morning I want to thank you for the work you do to reach this community for Christ. We as a church and we as your pastors wanted to say thank you for everything you do for children. Tonight Pastor and I want to say thank you for sharing Jesus with the least of these.

Today we have people from all facets of ministry. We have people from the nursery, children’s church, kidz zones kids church, Bible Discovery Zones, Royal Rangers, Mpact Girls clubs, VBS, Toddler’s Church, Mega Sports Camp, Breakfast clubs, PrimeTime, Easter Candy Hunt, Summer Camp, Kidz Zones at Freedom Fest, Junior Bible Quiz, etc. etc. We have deacons who here who help give us facilitate our vision. There are Sunday school teachers, parking lot attendants, maintenance helpers, pot scrubbers, homebuilders, Over 200 ministries. There are a bunch of us. Last year we had over 180 volunteers for all of our events. In the Kidz Zones Annual report I list on the back some of the statistics from these events. But often these statistics represent numbers. There are people behind these numbers. I’ve asked a couple of people to share briefly a couple of those stories and why they are involved in those ministries.

TESTIMONIES

Anyne here love opera? Well after today’s message you’re all going to appreciate it a little more.

DVD Paul Potts 1 Be Ready

How many of you have seen American Idol or America’s Got talent? Why do many people watch these shows? Especially the first couple of weeks? Exactly, they like to see the goofy singers and the people who don’t have talent. In Britain they have a show called Britain’s Got Talent. I downloaded some elements that I though you might enjoy night

Dvd element at the end of this sermon. Watch it and enjoy

Can you say wow! Paul Potts was amazing. But did you catch the judge’s reaction to Paul when he first came out? They look at this slightly pudgy man who has some bad teeth and the look on their faces says “here comes the fun.” You knew they were waiting for the punch line. Did you see Simon Cowell when Paul started to sing. His pencil in his mouth dropped. His attention was grabbed.

I believe God has a vision for you today. I think God’s vision for you will make your jaw drop. I believe He has a vision to utilize ordinary people, doing ordinary jobs, to do extraordinary exploits for God- I believe you are those people and I believe this is that Church He will use.

Let me share with you our foundational scripture

Powerpoint 2

Eph. 2:10 “10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I believe that the people we minister to are created in Christ Jesus to do Good works and God has prepared those things ahead of time. We need to be there for them to show them what they can be.

Paul was asked, what are you here for Paul? As a Pastor I say that to you and to the kids we minister to. What are you here for? What we need to be about is discovering the works that God has prepared for us. Many of you have dedicated yourselves to do just that. I remember one time I was with a team of individuals from Chicago and we just finished a sidewalk Sunday School and we were in a circle praying as a group. When I opened my eyes a little Indian girl was standing in the middle of our circle. She addressed us and asked us why were there. It was as if God were saying through that little Girl. Mark – What are you here for. I remember kneeling down and sharing with that girl God’s plan of salvation and praying with her. That’s what I’m here for God not only prepared the work ahead of time, He brought the little girl to us.

Diamond Trick

Did you hear the female judge. She said what I we have here is a little lump of coal that is going to turn into a diamond. You know maybe you feel like you are insignificant. Or maybe you can pour your life into a boy or girl who does not see their significance. But you believe in them and God believes in you. If you spend the time and allow God to cover you. He can transform what you see as small and insignificant and turn it into something wonderful. Just as we value diamonds we can see the diamonds God has stored in these boys and girls. I look out into this group and I see fields of diamonds. Sure it might look like coal right now, but when you look through the eyes of God you can see diamonds.

Did you here the crowd scream when she said she saw the diamond? They saw it too. They were a resounding sound of encouragement. Speaking of crowds, I was reading in Sports Illustrated the other day that if you were to put your name on the waiting list for Season Packer Tickets your number in line would be 74,659. At the rate of attrition of 70 people per year you would have to wait until 3074 just to get season tickets. Which isn’t so bad because you could possibly still catch Brett Favre’s last season. I started thinking about Sunday School teachers, PrimeTime Bus leaders, Ranger Leaders, Missionette leaders, etc. Could you imagine for a moment how estatic I would be if I had to tell a person they had to get inline behind 75,000 other people just to get on the waiting list to be a teacher. I’d be doing back flips down the aisle. That however isn’t reality today. We all know that. But if we really believed that there were diamonds out there to be discovered. If we really believed that we were created to do this. We’d get in line. I’ll tell you I know one place that I could get that many people on a waiting list. If I were allowed to go to heaven for 10 ten minutes and ask who would be willing to pour their lives into these kids, I’d fill the list in 10 minutes. I’d have a waiting list, because they know. They know what is at stake. They know what could be. They see the diamonds.

Let’s look a little more at Paul Potts DVD second Segment

Paul Potts was a victim of bullying. He struggled with self – confidence. Can you imagine the people and kids we minister to and the ministry they will have when we have the attitude toward them that when ever they’re around we want them to do well? As your pastors we root you on. We want you to do well. Every time you man the nursery or board the bus we want you to do well. Everytime you serve a meal, teach a Sunday school, help park cars, work with troubled marriages, visit the sick, pray for our services. We want you to do well. Everytime you help clean a dirty nose, dirty toilet, dirty mind, We want you to do well.

I realize you might feel like you are insignificant. You might feel like what difference can you make? What difference have you made? Let me tell you. You may not see the results now. You maybe planting seeds. But when you train and release people and kids to be who they were created to be you will realize your own significance. You’ll be producing diamonds

What kept Paul from his dream? He was afraid to audition. But he faced his fear. Maybe your fear is standing in front of a crowd, facing a room full of two year olds. But when you face those fears and be who God created you to be, you’ll be like Paul Potts. You will feel like you are dreaming. You’ll be like you’re on that roller coaster and you don’t want it to stop. You’ll want to pass that blessing onto these kids. You’ll want them to feel that adulation you feel when you are truly serving God.

Gary Smalley in His book the blessing said that there are 5 things we need to do to pass on this blessing. Maybe as you minister to kids you can remember these.

Powerpoint 3 each point is a click

1. Provide Meaningful touch - Kids and adults need the meaningful touch. They need to know they are loved. They reach out through the internet, just to find friendship. The reality is God gave them that friend just in the next room, but they reach out to the next reality because they are not finding it in this reality. Hey a virtual friend is better than not friends.

2. A Spoken Message. – Kids need to hear the blessing. We need to speak it. How can they hear it if we aren’t there.

3. Attaching High Value to the One being Blessed. We need to give a high value to the kids to whom we minister. What higher value can they have but to have our Time, receive our talents and benefit from our treasures. The scripture says where your treasure is your heart will be there also. Matthew 6:2 Time is today’s money.

4. Picturing a Special Future for the one being blessed. The most special future anyone can have is the one that God has for them. We really need to pray and ask God to help us help others discover their special future. As parents and teachers we can do that. If we are going to be a blessing we have to do that

5. An Active Commitment to Fulfill the Blessing. You have shown me you are willing to commit to this task. The obstacles we face are enormous. The pressure to quit is ever present, but the will to go on is God inspired. I pray that you will commit your commitment to prayer. I pray that you will ask God to help you fulfill it.

Pastor and I want to thank you for committing to serve this community. You are honored today. However, this little party we’re having this morning is not a retirement party. It’s an encouragement and appreciation for your past achievements, and your future endeavors. It’s a statement that says we see in you a sparkle of greatness. We see in you a diamond that’s looking to come out. We see in you the ability to pass that onto our kids. Our kids need you to be that kind of visionary to them. This community needs you to be that diamond that God sees in you. Thank you.

Powerpoint 4The scripture states that creation 18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. Romans 8:18, 19

Creation awaits for you to be revealed. It maybe painful but there is a whole host waiting for you to be that diamond you were created to be.

Well, now as Paul Harvey would say…Here’s the rest of the story.

Powerpoint 5

What ever happened to Paul Potts? Paul went on to Win last year’s Britain’s Got talent.

Last July Paul Potts Cut his first Album aptly titled. “One Chance.” His album quickly shot to the top of the charts. In a field of professionally trained daily manicured Opera voices Paul Potts a mobile phone salesman, is a millionaire. His album One Chance became the top Billboard Classical Crossover album. It is within the Top 11 Internet albums of all genres. In the first week the album sold 125,000 copies. He is currently on a World tour playing in Glascow, edinborough, Liverpool, Christ Church New Zealand, Sydney Austrailia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Even New York City. A mobile phone salesman who decided he was Paul Potts and he’s here to sing Opera. How about you what are you here to do today? As for me I’m Mark Kilcoyne and I’m here to minister to kids.

Powerpoint 6

I have a copy of this album here tonight. I’m wondering who would want this?