HCLM BLOG

I know it’s not something normally that a pastor would admit but I do love watching poker on TV.  I love it when guys or girls risk everything they have and go all-in.  Their adrenaline is pumping and they don’t know if they are going to make it through or not.  The cards that are about to come are going to tell them if they are going to double up or if they are going to be out!  Most of the times the people that go all-in have something good or something strong in their hands.  And they have no control over what’s going to happen next.

I think God is calling us as the church to go all-in.  We don’t know what’s going to happen in the world…we don’t know what is next.  But we can stand up, push all our chips in and say “I’m all-in” for God.  Going all-in means risking everything you have because you believe what you have is best and nothing will beat it!  We are not going all-in with nothing; we are going all in with the promise that God will be with us!

Paul, the guy we preached about this past Sunday knew what it meant to give everything.  Check out what he says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

This Sunday, 20 people are committing to be a teammate and member of theCross east lake.  They’re saying, “We agree to the mission/vision of the church and we want to use our gifts to help this church go all-in.”  I’m excited to be the pastor of theCross and to see so many people committing to this mission and pray that God will bless us as we go all-in together and see what great things might be possible here in Lake County!