Connecting Point – September 6, 2023

In our September ALL STAFF GATHERING we heard some incredible testimonies of what the Lord has done in some of our Staff member's lives. All of our Staff members (ministry staff, administrative staff, facilities, staff, etc.) gather together on a monthly basis to celebrate what God has been doing through our Church's ministries; and to worship, pray, and learn together. Today, since we're beginning our CHOICES THAT LEAD TO CHANGE Spiritual Growth emphasis this Sunday, we decided to focus on hearing some testimonies of the changes that some of our Staff members have experienced as a result of the presence and power of God at work in their lives. Here are some of the testimonies that were shared on Tuesday.

• Javier shared how the Lord has worked in his life, transforming him from a self-centered person searching for pleasure and purpose to a man of God whose foremost desire is to serve the Lord and help others.

• Gabriella shared how at one time she was really mixed up in the drug dealing world, but the Lord came into her life, delivering her from her addictions to drugs and to having the money that came from drugs, enabling her to become a faith-filled woman of God.

• Sidney shared how as an older teen he'd walked away from the faith he grew up with to become really involved in the partying lifestyle of New Orleans, but when his brother went to prison for a capital crime he came back to the Lord and became a minister.

• Valerie shared how she met the Lord as a teen but walked away from Him as an adult, making her career her god; but then returned to the Lord after coming to Celebration, finding help and hope and healing from the strongholds of her lives.

As I looked around the room I could see many other similar testimonies. I could see people who had once struggled with hurts, bad habits, addictions, dysfunctional family backgrounds, etc.; but now they are great leaders and ministers in the kingdom of God. And I was reminded that the Lord can change anyone - if they surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, and then choose to deepen their relationship with Jesus and implement some key principles and practices that are found in God's Word. The changes that we should all want to experience in our lives come from making the right choices in our lives.

First, each week, our Pastors will teach in our worship services one of the choices that lead to change in our lives. Second, our Life Groups will explore each choice further through Bible study and discussion, and we will learn how to apply the principles that we're learning to our daily lives. Finally, daily devotions with family-friendly follow-up prompts will be available for personal in-depth study of each choice. You can pick up a book that includes the daily devotions in next week's worship services, or you can access the daily devotions at www.celebrationchurch.org.

So, plan to join us either in-person or online for CHOICES THAT LEAD TO CHANGE. And encourage some of your long-time, school, workplace, neighbor and even wild and crazy friends to join in with you. When we make the choices we need to make that bring about positive and powerful changes in our lives, we will find ourselves living vibrant, victorious lives.

Thanks for praying for the people on the Big Bend Coast of Florida, whose lives, homes and businesses were devastated last week by Hurricane Idalia. The Big Bend Coast of Florida is where I'm from, and where many of my family members and friends still live (including my mother and several brothers).

As we typically do when disasters occur, Celebration is sending relief supplies (food, water, fuel, tools, tarps, etc.) to the devastated area. If you would like to donate those types of items, bring them to your Campus this week or on Sunday. You can also give financially. If you want to help those who are being impacted by this storm at www.celebrationchurch.org/disasterrelief. Thanks for always being a Church that cares about others.