The hometown of Jesus! “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:48)

Nazareth was a very small rural town at the time of Jesus. In fact this town was so unimportant that when Nathaniel, who would become a disciple, heard that Jesus was from Nazareth he asked that famous question in John 1:48. It was with great humility that Christ became a man and part of this humility is shown in the town He was from. It was an incredible honor to see the town where Jesus grew up. This small little town has become one of the most famous towns in the world. Without a doubt, something great came out of Nazareth!

Nazareth from Cedarcrest Church on Vimeo.

This morning we visited Cana, the spot of the first miracle of Jesus. John 2 tells us the incredible story of Jesus turning the water into wine at a wedding feast. This miracle happened at Cana and signifies the beginning of Jesus public ministry.

Water to Wine from Cedarcrest Church on Vimeo.

Here is a short video from the shore of Caesarea. This is the place where the Gospel was first taken to people outside of the Jewish heritage. This was an amazing spot to see!

Untitled from Cedarcrest Church on Vimeo.

Unfortunatley the internet connection is not working at our current hotel. We will be at a new hotel tomorrow and I hope to have some new video up and running.

Here are a few of the highlights from our first full day of touring in Israel:

- We started the day in Joppa and studied the story of Jonah. Joppa is the city where Jonah got on the boat to run from God. (See Jonah 1-3) Joppa is a beautiful city on the coast of the Mediteranean Sea. It is amazing to be able to read one of my favorite bible stories where it actually took place!

- Our second stop was the highlight of the day for me. We went to the town of Caesarea. This town has huge significance in the history of the Christian faith. Caesarea is the place where the apostle Peter took the Gospel for the first time to a non-jewish person. (See Acts 10) Peter lead a Gentile man to Christ named Cornelius. Everyone who does not have a Jewish heritage that is a follow of Christ can trace their faith back to Caesarea. This is the place where God opened the door for the Gospel to spread to all the world.

- Caesarea is also the place where the apostle Paul shared the Gospel with the Roman King Felix when he was on trial. (See Acts 23) The amphitheater where Paul was on trial has been uncovered and restored and we were able to sit in the very place where Paul shared the Gospel with the Roman officials while he was on trial for his life! This is an amazing place!

- Our final stop was a vist to Mount Caramel. Mount Caramel is the place where a showdown occured in the Old Testament between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of baal. (See 1 Kings 18) It is an amazing feeling to stand on the mountain where God caused fire to come out of heaven to defeat the prophets of baal!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be on this trip and see the Bible right in front of my face. My passion for scripture continues to grow as I am able to walk the path of God’s word!

I look forward to sharing more tomorrow and I hope to have video up and running!

Israel Day 1 from Cedarcrest Church on Vimeo.

Megan and I are leaving on memorial day with a group of people from Cedarcrest to visit Israel and walk where Jesus walked. I am so excited about this trip and I can’t wait to study the scripture where the events of scripture took place. I will be using this blog to post video updates during our trip. I hope you will journey with us as we follow the life and ministry of Jesus from the Holy Land.

My next post will be coming to you from Israel!

I just have to say that I love our Cedarcrest Kids ministry! Thanks to Cedarcrest Kids everyday as we sit in the carpool line is a worship experience. I love it that my daughter, Mckenna, and our neighbor, Samantha, love to sing worship songs they learn in Elevate!

It is amazing being at a church were worship is exciting and engaging for our kids!

If your kids have not been to Elevate they are missing out. If you want more info about Cedarcrest Kids click this link:

http://cedarcrestchurch.com/children

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this weekend! Easter is here!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

There is no greater news that anyone could here and we get to share this good news with many people who are far from God on Easter Sunday. God love you! He gave His only Son Jesus for you! Through Christ your sin is forgiven and you have been set free!

Do you know anyone who needs to hear this good news? Do you know anyone who is searching for the truth? Do you know anyone who questions God’s love? Invite them to church this weekend! This is the easiest invite to church all year!

I can’t wait to see how God moves this weekend! I am praying that those who are far from God will find life in Christ!

Who will you invite to church to hear the Good News of God’s love?

To send an e-vite to someone click on this link:

http://cedarcrestchurch.com/currentseries

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

It is amazing how crazy busy life can become. The pace of life that so many of us live cause us to feel like we are constantly living in a fog. When busyness consumes us it is easy for the important things of life to feel neglected. The urgent quickly begins to take priority over the important. The more busy we becoem the less time we have to pay attention to the most important things in life. Time with those we love becomes rare. Stress and pressure increase. We can feel like we never stop moving and the idea of sitting still is a lost concept.

The problem with this busy life is it is in the stillness and the space to breath that the best things of life truly happen. To spend time with our loved ones requires time away from the hectic pace. To spend time alone with God and hear His voice in our lives requires and intentional effort to sit still. For a long time I felt that if I was sitting still I was wasting time, but I am learning the importance of being still.

It is when I sit still that I am reminded God is in control and I am not. It is when I sit still that I actually have time to think and realign my priorities. It is not easy to sit still in the busy world we live in, but I would argue that it has never been more important for us to find time to be still.

Are you scheduling time in your life to be still? Are you hearing the voice of God because you are willing to break away from the chaos of busyness? If you long to draw closer to God it is time to be still. Don’t neglect what is most important because you can only see what is urgent. When we make time to be still we will find that the urgent can usually wait and what is most important is available if we will just be still.