Tim Blevins

Weekend in Review

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:03:27 GMT

This week at Lifecc was one of my favorite weekends in a long time. Of course I like most days at Lifecc but this one was just extra special. Not because we were packed out, which we were not (about %10 down), and not because the music was awesome, which it was, or the preaching was so impacting, which well maybe, but the reason Lifecc was so awesome was that those who were there were in such a good mood and the atmosphere was amazingly uplifting and encouraging. It seemed like each person or family walked in with a smile and desire to see each other. Church doesn't always have to be a big buzz and hype to be awesome. With that said, I look forward to everyone being back in church next week from vacationing. I missed you.

On a personal note...
Harriet and I decided for our Christmas present for each other that we would purchase a new mattress for our bed. Without embellishing, that mattress has made the most amazing sleeping experience ever.

Life is good!!!

Grateful Heart

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:28:54 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving

I read a book yesterday called The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. I wrote out a few lines from the book that I thought were applicable to Thanksgiving.

No one can choose your attitude but you.
We must cultivate a thankful attitude.
It is physically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time.
Being grateful floods the body and brain with positive endorphins and emotions and combined with walking is a powerful energy booster.
People often go to bed thinking about all of the things that went wrong when instead they should think about the one thing that went right that day.

Much of our life can be viewed from a positive attitude or a negative one. Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to begin a whole new way of thinking. We can choose to have a great, positive and thankful attitude everyday. I think our family, friends and co workers will appreciate the change. Regardless of the circumstances we need to cultivate a heart of gratitude.

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving

Heaven bound

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:20:00 GMT

This weekend a close friend and a member of our church graduated to heaven. Van Craver was a man who loved the Lord, life, his family, his friends, fishing and the Washington Redskins. Anyone who knew him quickly loved spending time with him. Van will be missed by all of us.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

Fortunately, we do not grieve like people with no hope. As a believer, we know that death doesn't deliver a final blow and death has no victory.

Grieving with no hope...
1- Despair and depression
2- Hopeful that time will heal
3- Is final
4- Produces confusion in others. What is there to live for if we just die and that is all there is to life?

Grieving with hope…
1- Sadden by our loss but joyful in the fact that our loved ones are far better off.
2- Time doesn't have to heal because the Holy Spirit brings comfort and peace.
3- It is not final. We graduate to eternal life in the presence of the Lord.
4- Produces purpose. Their is more to life than gaining toys and dieing. Life has meaning when you know that your life here on earth is only a small portion of eternity.

Grieving with hope doesn't mean those who remain will not be sad and broken hearted. God gave us emotions and the ability to be intimately close with other people.

Van you will be remembered and loved. See you in heaven one day.

Back in the saddle again

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:42:47 GMT

Several years ago I was thrown from my horse and then stomped in the back by that horse after he threw me. It only took me a few days later before I was back in the saddle again. Today it felt good to be back at church again after my hospital stay.

A few notes on today's service...

Second service was packed out with some rather rowdy "passionate" worshipers.
I shared my miracle healing story today. It's impossible to hold back such a great story.
We had many visitors today.
One person told me they had never experienced God's touch like they did today.
We had a hard time with the air conditioner today. It was freezing then it was blazing hot.
Once a month we include the children's church kids in the main service. We feel it is important that the kids learn to sit with mom and dad at least once a month. We want them to feel a part of the whole church. Today was that day when the kids stay in service but I totally forgot. I released the kids to go to their "blast room" after worship. Here is the cool part, one of the leaders in our church (Thank you Greg Bradshaw) recognized my error and headed back with the kid's. Rather than marching them back in and showing everyone I didn't know what I was doing, he improvised by staying with them and doing kid's ministry. Greg understands church isn't about just coming and getting something but looking for ways to serve others.
Today was my first Sunday without drinking any coffee. The doctor told me to stop drinking from the Java Bar. Fortunately, I haven't drank caffeine in over five years but I still love the taste of coffee. I did miss it today.
We prayed for people to experience miracles in their life today
The presence of the Lord was so amazing today that I didn't want to close out the service today.

Hope and Miracles

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:12:14 GMT

This week at Life Community Church at both services I will be preaching on Hope and Miracles. You can't experience the miracles of God without sharing it with others and I have experienced His healing miracles this past weekend. I am wrapping up our series on "Hope in the City" and I believe this will be one of those weeks that you will say, "I'm glad I didn't miss this week's service." If you know anyone who is discouraged right now, then bring them this week.

Psalms 43:5
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

I don't usually try to promote my messages beforehand for fear of sounding like I'm boasting in something that all of the credit belongs to God. So I am simply saying that God is going to use this week's services to touch our lives.

If you are thinking about visiting this week please visit our website for times and directions by clicking here.

Made Me Well

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:54:25 GMT

Crazy weekend.

Friday night I woke up to heart pain, numbness in my left arm. I called my brother in law to take me to the hospital and off we went. I spent all night in the emergency room then I was admitted in at about 4:00am. Saturday they put me through the stress test to determine my blood flow through my heart. My cardiologist confirmed what I didn't want to hear. He said there was abnormal blood flow through the top portion of my heart. He felt probably a stint would be in order for me.

I was scheduled to do a heart cath on Monday morning to see in detail to what extent the blockage was. The doctor sat with Harriet me before I was taken down for the procedure. He explained the risks involved with the procedure as well as possible solutions. He said 1 of 3 things will happen today. 1. Determine there isn't any blockage and we will send you home. 2. They will find some blockage and put in a stint. 3. They will ready me for by-pass surgery.

I asked my brother in law to read me the entire chapter of Psalm 91 and then off I went to the cath room. I asked them to drug me up well because I was chicken. When I woke up, the doctor said he found absolutely no blockage! There was blockage on Saturday but not any on Monday. God made me well!

Thank you Lord for healing me. Today, I'm home resting but not with heart problems.

Gratitude

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:50:39 GMT

I appreciate the men and women who have served and are currently serving our great nation. Your sacrifice is deeply appreciated.

Our church is collecting care packages for our military personnel. If you want to help support the troops with a gift, please visit www.lifecc.com and click on the graphic to learn how you can be a part of supporting our troops.

Thank you to all the Veterans!!!

Weekend in Review

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:34:30 GMT

In church there is something intangible that truly makes or breaks a service. It's that pre-service buzz of excitement and anticipation. Sunday there was that buzz. Maybe it had to do with free Krispy Kreme donuts before each service, maybe it had to do with the expectation that I was going to show a video clip that was going to cause some good tension, maybe because attendance was good, maybe because a lot of college students were in service, maybe because our serving team was early and ready to go, maybe because our kid's ministry was going to inflate a huge raft in service... maybe. My guess for why there was a good buzz this week is due to the fact that our church has now been fasting and praying for week and it is bring in God's blessings.

On a family note. Harriet accomplished her goal to run a half marathon this weekend. She ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 14 minutes. Wow.

An open letter from Pastor Tim Blevins to Life Community Church

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:19:27 GMT

Dear church members at Life Community Church,

Often God stokes the flames of our calling in me and I thought you should be reminded of our vision.

John 15:8
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
NKJV

I often try to find the best way to express the purpose of our church and this verse slams it home. Possibly some church's model for ministry is based on a superstar pastor where the people come and watch him preach with anointing. The pastor will win many people to Christ and become the hero of the day. I truly rejoice in the fact that many are being won to Christ but there is a model of ministry that is more fitting for us at Life Community Church. Don't get me wrong, I desire to preach with anointing. I believe the Word of God has the power to transform lives but their is a more complete model of ministry for us.

This model encourages the church members to become disciples who bear much fruit. This model equips the church members to see the power of God. This model inspires faith in the church members to believe in miracles. This model results in the church members making a difference in their homes, their schools and workplaces. This model makes the church members and the pastor the heroes of the day.

In John 15: 8 it says that God gets the glory when the disciples are bearing fruit. Jesus didn’t just gather a crowd but he also gathered men and women who were committed to discipleship and going out to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.

This month we (the leaders and the church members) are fasting and praying for our city. I believe God wants to turn this city upside down and transform it. I love going to church each week but I’m even more excited when people take the message of hope into the city. There should be more ministry outside the walls of our church than inside. We will transform our city when the church members receive their calling to take the message of Christ to people around them.

I’m not interested in growing a church where people observe the ministry and watch the worship team. Too often the church members become spectators rather than participators of ministry. My call is to encourage disciples to bear fruit not watch me bear fruit.

I’m convinced that this model will grow large numbers because I’m convinced that people desire to live with a passion for life beyond just watching the Sunday morning show. I’m convinced of this because I’m already seeing it happen. We are seeing more and more people drawn to something more.

So Life Community Church, are you up to it? Can we deliver hope in the city by you doing the ministry? I love being the pastor at Life Community Church because I believe in our vision. It is simply stated, “Encouraging disciples to make a difference.” So church, lets live up to our calling.

Tim

Life is still good!

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:57:01 GMT

This email has been going around. I recieved it from a member at church and I thought it was worth posting today.

Regardless of who our president is...

        1. The Bible will still have all the answers.

      2. Prayer will still work.

      3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

      4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.

      5. There will still be God-anointed teaching and healing.

      6. There will still be singing of praise to God.

      7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

      8. There will still be room at the Cross.

      9. Jesus will still love you.

      10. Jesus will still save the lost.

Are you struggling?

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:34:32 GMT

Weekend Blur

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:57:54 GMT

This weekend was a ministry blur at Life Community Church. I'm not a big fan of multiple meetings but there are some occasions that you truly don't want to miss. This weekend was one of those occasions. Timothy Carr and family ministered on Saturday night, both Sunday services and Sunday night. Trying to describe the ministry meetings is nearly impossible but the ministry time was deep, refreshing, transformational powerful, etc. The worship pulled you into a place of openness and brokenness before God. I watched so many people walk to the front with genuine hearts to simply be closer God.

I also believe that the prophetic voice was greatly valued. I had some people approach me and ask if I had shared their story about them before service. I assured them I had not and this was simply the amazing gift of God flowing through.

This verse comes to mind as I reflect back on the weekend.

Acts 2:17
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.

God is good! I pray you have a blessed week.

Worship Teams Unite!

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:49:11 GMT

Last night we hosted a worship team training with Timothy Carr and family. Eight churches were represented that came and were refreshed and instructed. We spent the first 45 minutes in worship and then next 30 minutes in instruction. I can only speak from my perspective... the night was an awesome team builder for us. We were shown and taught how to be patient in worship and to connect at a deeper level with the Lord.

After the instruction, we went back into worship for about 10 minutes and closed out with worship leaders praying for our city and for each other. I know the unity of churches is a breath of fresh air!

Just a few thoughts from the night.

I'm not used to that intense of worship for extended periods of time. It was good for me to learn to be patient or wait on the Lord. We are instructed in the Word to be still. This team stretched me in this.
Timothy Carr has 10 kids. I bet that is how they learned to be so patient.
They taught us that what we do on the stage must be from an overflow of our devotional time with God through the week. Timothy Carr and his family pray together for an hour and half almost everyday.
We plan on incorporating some of this devotional worship into our Sunday services. This doesn't have to change the service much but as a worship team and church we can learn to incorporate these elements into our worship. This will add depth to our worship and help us not miss one of the most important aspects of our life, "knowing God personally."
Last night I felt the Holy Spirit refilling my life. You don't have to be spooky and kooky to be a spirit-filled believer. No one has to run around and act crazy, you don't have to worry about embarrassing yourself or anything like that but God is moving and I want all that he has for me.
I think when each of the leaders prayed for our city we made a difference! God has his eye on our city.

Tonight is the college and young adult night. I hope many will be there tonight at 7:00pm!

This week at Lifecc

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:02:55 GMT

Timothy carr and his family are visiting our church all this week to impart strength into us through worship and prophetic voice. He has been involved in the worship ministries for IHOP (International House of Prayer) for years. Currently he oversees IHOP in Springfield Ill. and leads a church as well. He and his family are involved in the ministry and will be ministering several nights this week. They will be leading us to experience worship that is intimate, celebratory, intercessory and devotional. Their heart isn't to draw a crowd or put on a show but to help lead us into an encounter with God.

The current schedule is...

Wednesday: Worship leaders and teams from churches around our city are invited for this special night of both worship and instruction. They will be helping all of our teams get refreshed in the Lord and leave with a passion to lead their congregations. Meeting starts at 7:00pm. Anyone involved in worship ministry is invited.

Thursday: College and young adult night. This generation is highly influential in our nation! My desire is to see them be filled with God's Spirit and set them loose to make a difference in our world. They are invited to come this Thursday. The meeting begins at 7:00pm

Saturday Night: Attention to those who attend Life Community Church. This is your night to spend an evening in worship. Childcare will be available. Meeting starts at 7:00pm

Sunday Morning Services: Timothy Carr and family will be ministering both services.

Sunday Night Community Worship Event: Pack the house night. Bring a friend. Have you ever been to one of those meetings and you thought to yourself, "I wish so and so could have been here." This is that meeting. You will want to invite someone who enjoys worship or who might be in need of an encounter with God. Meeting begins at 7:00pm. Child care is not available at this meeting.

Weekend in Review

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:37:27 GMT

This week we finished our series on Romans 12:2, "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." This week's message was on "Avoiding Think Holes." A think hole is similar to a sink hole. A sink hole occurs when the foundation beneath the surface gives away and the surface collapses in. A think hole happens when we don't build up the deeper foundations of our walk with God and eventually the outer shell will cave in. Too many of us are not growing deeper in our faith and we are only thin layers of Christianity but through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit we can grow deeper in our faith through the studying and meditating on God's Word. Our thinking will change when we flood it with God's Word. When our thinking changes then our transformation is happening.

Sorry for the re-preach.

Worship was really good this week. I love that song by Jonathan Stockstill, "Open up the Sky." There is a line in that song that says "we wont be satisfied with anything ordinary" that just gets me stirred up. I know God is moving in our city!!!

Our newcomers lunch is always a blast. Food, new friends and an opportunity to share the vision. That's a great time!

Tomorrow I will be blogging about the ministry team coming to town from IHOP. (International House of Prayer)

Angel Food Success!

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:26:22 GMT

Another great month of serving. Each month we serve around 800 boxes of food to people in our community through the Angel Food Ministry. Today was especially awesome because we had several other churches involved with serving the boxes. One of the churches was Myrtle Grove Presbyterian Church. But listen to this their Pastor, Rev. Jim Glasgow came to serve with us too. I really, really think it makes a difference when churches actually stand in unity.

A special thank you goes out to Gary and Mindy McSmith for leading the Angel Food Ministry. They have embraced our mission... of making a difference. God bless you!

An Awkward Moment

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:51:35 GMT

As I approached the ticket booth alone, I knew that I was going to face some strange stares from the ticket people but I approached them with confidence. I walked right up, looked the young lady in the eye and requested 1 ticket to see High School Musical part 3. (In case you don't know; this movie was written by Disney for younger youths, most likely for younger girls. And it's a musical!!) The ticket girl just looked at me long and hard, took my money and then stared some more. I was feeling the temptation to explain myself but I just let the moment hang in the air until I couldn't take the awkwardness another moment and I said, "My daughter was already inside." I could see their faces show that, "I get it now" look.

I have often wondered what it would be like to go to the movies alone certainly not to see High School Musical but what is it like to just go it alone. Walking to the booth alone made me think that I would probably not enjoy it.

Have you ever been to the movies alone? Were you conscience that you were alone? did you feel like others were looking at you?

Weekend in Review Part 2

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:48:10 GMT

Sunday was one of those busy days. As a pastor, Sunday doesn't feel like a day off but thats ok- its worth it to live your dream.

After the two Sunday services, we held our student ministry at 6:23. Part of the discussion was about incorporating the students into the overall life of the church. One of the areas of student ministry that has concerned me is that they become separated from the rest of the church and they don't feel connected to the entire body. Several students had many great suggestions. 1. Using illustrations in my sermon topics that address them not just about work or other adult activities. 2. Involving students in worship and other ministry roles. 3. Involving students in serving roles on Sunday as well. I was so excited to see that they genuinely desired to be a part of the church and not just be a part of a youth group. One body with one vision to encourage others to make a difference.

Since I'm talking about student ministries and people making a difference, let me give a big "at a boy" to John Freshwater who is helping lead our student ministry. He using his gifts to make a difference in the lives of the students and doing a great job at it.
Rock on John!!!

Weekend in Review

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:44:19 GMT

As with most weekends I find myself standing on the sidelines of my daughter's soccer game. This week was slightly different because the temperatures were colder and the rain was blowing sideways. This cute little girls had to get down and dirty this weekend. I was reflecting with my two children on the way to the game about my soccer coaching over the past five years of both of their teams. We spent time recalling our win - loss records over the years and going into Saturdays game, my coaching record was 99 wins and 15 losses. Saturday was my 100th win. But who is counting?????

Speaking of counting. I have often said at church that I don't evaluate our ministry on numbers alone, yet I find this statement much easier to make when our numbers are growing. Over the last few months our attendance has been flat and at times down some but Sunday the place was packed. We had to pull out chairs and cram people in the back areas. Honestly, I wish numbers didn't affect me but I can tell you it is more exciting to see a packed house than an empty house. On a more humorous note, we served communion this week. As the people were coming forward to receive the bread and juice, I realized that we were going to run out of bread pieces. I had to stop the line and begin breaking the bread pieces into smaller pieces in order to finish the line of people. It was kind of like in the Bible... breaking bread.

As far as church goes... I left their feeling that we honestly gave our best worship, our best serving and our best in teaching. I believe God's was glorified!!! That makes for a great day.

Guys Night Out

timb@lifecc.com (Tim Blevins) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:57:14 GMT

Last night I went to Myrtle Beach, SC to see Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith in concert with five other guys. They called it the "Unity Concert." I love that. It is healthy for Christians to stand together even if we belong to different churches. I think God smiles when he sees believers standing in unity.

The concert was held at this church. I loved the concert but I was also over stimulated by visiting this church. The building was awesome and I was able to absorb some of their vision based on the bookstore and signs around the facility. I plan on meeting their pastor one day. He appears to have a "God thing." going on. I know you cant tell everything from the facility but I hope I'm right.

Here is a picture from the concert. Cool guys night out.