Hey Cedarcrest,

This is Wally Smith, and I’ve borrowed George’s blog to share with you how through Cedarcrest’s partnership with Samaritan’s Purse you can help flood victims from the recent storms.  This past Saturday a team from Cedarcrest went into some of the hard hit areas of the community and began the clean up process for a local family. The impact this had on the family as well as the volunteers was incredible. Please check out this video to learn more about this past Saturday.

Hutson’s Interview from Cedarcrest Church on Vimeo.

By partnering with Samaritan’s Purse, we have an awesome opportunity to send out more teams on Saturday, October 10th and 17th. If you are interested in serving on the 10th, please email missons@cedarcrestchurch.com by Tuesday 10/6, or email us by 10/13 if you would like to serve on the 17th. I hope you can join us as I know you will be a blessing and you will be blessed by serving! Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ.

One Life Can Make a Difference,
Wally

Are you aware of the needs around you? Do you know what is happening in the lives of your neighbors? Do you know the most pressing needs in your community? These are several questions I have been wrestling with the past few weeks while preparing to preach on the life of Nehemiah.

“Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 1:2

Even though Nehemiah had been removed from his home and had found a very comfortable life working as the cupbearer in the palace of the King of Persia, he did not become detached from the needs outside of the palace walls. He made the intentional effort to ask the men of Judah how things were going in Jerusalem. Nehemiah easily could have remained isolated and removed, ignorant to the needs of the people, but instead he made the decision to become aware. This is so huge to consider as we seek to live a life that makes an impact. Do we really know what is going on with people around us? Are we aware of their needs?

It is far to easy to remain removed and isolated from the needs of others around us. But ignorance is no excuse to remain uninvolved. God has placed you where you are for a specific and intentional reason. It is time to become aware!

I want to challenge you to open your eyes to the needs of others and become aware of the needs around you.  If you long to make a difference with your life become aware to the needs of others. As you become aware of the needs, ask God to show you how He can use you to be part of the solution. You may be suprised how big an impact you can actually make when you open your eyes in awareness and become available to be used by God! You may also be suprised of the fulfillment and passion that you find when you realize God can use you.

One Life Can Make a Difference! Are you aware?

This weekend I was again reminded of why God put college football on Saturdays. After Saturday comes Sunday! I went to bed Saturday night mourning the tough Gamecock loss to the Dawgs and I woke up grateful to go to church! Isn’t it ridiculous how much I care about college football!

Worship on Sunday was incredible. Here are a few thoughts wrapping up the weekend.

- Darly Roberts testimony absolutley blew me away! It is incredible to hear a real life story of someone at Cedarcrest who has been willing to step out on faith to be used by God. I am excited about the opportunity we have as a church to support Orphan Aid. Daryl said “let the burden God creates in you wreck you in such a way that you have to do something.” What a powerful statement! I am incredibly challenged and inspired by the faith of Daryl and his family!

- The music was incredible! I love the version of “Be thou my vision” we sung yesterday.

- “Revolution Song” is my favorite worship song right now and nobody sings it better than Kayla! I love considering the “marvelous mystery” of our God.

- We had several people join at Discover Cedarcrest yesterday. It is always a privilage to get to share the story of Cedarcrest and reflect on the great things God has done in a few short years at Cedarcrest.

- My inlaws where in town and came to the 10:00 service. It is awesome to have family visit Cedarcrest! I am forever grateful Megan’s family and the love and support they have given to us.

I can’t tell you how much I love being the pastor at Cedarcrest. God is doing great things and this is only the beginning!

This past Sunday part of the message dealt with the story of the rich young ruler’s encounter with Jesus in Mark 10. This is haunting story as this young man who has all the world can offer walks away from Jesus “saddened” because, while he wanted to inherit eternal life, he was not willing to let go of the comfortable lifestyle that his wealth provided. If you have not read Mark 10:17-27 lately, go read it now! In short, this rich young ruler was more in love with his lifestyle than he was with following the way of Jesus.

After preaching on this passage last Sunday it caused me to ask the question of my life, “Is the love of Jesus enough?” Would I be willing to part with every material possession I have to pursue the love of Jesus? Would I be willing to give my stuff away for the benefit of others?

These are difficult questions for anyone to ask and they create a tension in my life that makes me very uncomfortable. What would it look like if the love of Jesus really was enough for you and for me? How would it impact our decisions and affect our perspective? How would if change our lifestyle?

There is a very telling verse in this story in Mark 10 that shows us that the love of Jesus was not enough for the rich young ruler. Right before Jesus makes the million dollar statement that exposes the rich young rulers heart and reveals that he is more in love with his lifestyle than he is with the way of Jesus we see what scripture says in Mark 10:21: “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him…” Jesus is about to confront the heart of the issue with this young man. He is about to challenge him to choose between his lifestyle and the calling of Jesus. This young man is about to leave grieving because he is more in love with his stuff than with Jesus. Even though Jesus knows what is about to happen the bible tells us that “Jesus felt a love for him.” This is unbelievable! Even as this young man makes the decision that the love of Jesus is not enough for him, Jesus is showing a love for him. Even as this young man is about to reject Jesus and choose the things of this world, Jesus is showing a love for him!

The love and grace of Jesus Christ is so clearly on display in this story! The great news for all of us is that Jesus Christ feels the same love for us that felt for this young man who rejected him. Even if up to this point in your life the love of Jesus has not been enough for you, Jesus is still pursuing you with his love. Even if you have walked away from the love of Jesus to pursue the things of the world, Jesus is still pursuing you with His love. Even if you have been living with grief and sadness because of the decisions you have made, Jesus is still pursuing you with His love. To receive this love all we have to do is turn to Christ and accept it! When we return to Christ we will find that the love of Jesus truly is more than enough!

The question remains: IS the love of Jesus enough for you?