3 Things About Reaching Victory

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

On your way to victory you might have to get over 3 types of people (based on 1 Samuel 1):

 #1 Rivals (v.7) - These are the people that deliberately come against you. They will do whatever they can to make your road bumpy. Solution: Ignore them.

#2 Quick Fixers (v.8) - These people might even be closer to you and unaware will try to minimise your efforts and/or try to provide 'easy steps' or 'quick fixes' to your problems. Present comfort and happiness for them seem more attractive than significance. Solution: Explain you can't let go of your goal. Delayed reward is far more important than instant gratification.

#3 Misinterpreters (v.13) - These people misinterpret your efforts and use their critical analysis to bring you down. They might say that what you are trying to achieve is based on pride rather than altruistic reason. Their misinterpretation is usually fruit of the own insecurities so don't let them put it on you. Solution: Know who you are and don't let anyone put labels on you.

Stand your ground. Press on, keep going and do not give up, your victory is right around the corner (v.27).

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Shaping Culture

Message Focused

At D7 Church we believe that our message does not start when the speaker stands up and starts talking. The message starts before people even walk through the front door. The message usually starts in the car park. When you come to one of our experiences (we refer to our services as 'experiences' because one of our goals is to build a community of people that will feel welcome, loved, valued and celebrated. Ultimately, showing Jesus as relevant and real by creating such an awesome environment that people will not be able to stay away - we want you to experience something irresistible. 

We also understand that people are message carriers. We all have a message (good or bad) to share. At D7 Church we go to extreme lengths to consistently communicate one message: "You are so valued and loved that Jesus died for you!"

People Focused

We want everyone who walks through the door to feel like they are the most important person in the room. The way we make that happen is by:

1. Focusing on the people. Even though we have a job to do, the number one focus of our team at D7 Church is the people. People are the most important part of what we do because the people are why we do what we do. It’s all about people, Jesus died for people and we are commissioned to reach out to people. It’s all about people – nothing matters more than the people.

2. Giving people an experience. The experience starts with the welcome team member, to the worship team, to the pastor then back to the welcome team again until that person leaves at the end of the service.

This is one of the ways we shape the culture in our church.  

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Breaking The "I" Barrier - A Lesson in Humility

I once shared with our team about our responsibility in cultivating a humble heart. Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. Humility is essential and it is the key if we want to stay usable and if we want to reflect God. Here it is a little bit of what we discussed.

We are not individuals on a team trying to succeed in our area of expertise. Rather we are a part of a team trying to see how we can serve our team with our area of expertise so that the team can succeed. The world does things a certain way but we are Christians and we do things differently.We live in the world but we are not of the world (John 17:15-16)

Self Promotion vs. Humility

God favours humility and will take you much higher than your self promotion ever can. Don’t be scared that if you are humble you will lose out! God sees and He will lift you up - when the time is right! (James 4:10)

Remember God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5)

Tips to stay on track:

1. Watch your attitude
Does it need attention and self promotion? Is it seeking the kingdom first? - Think Matthew 6:33. Check your attitude towards your team and your church, is it focused on the big picture and serving the vision? Do you even know what the vision is?

2. Know why you do what you do
Why do you serve on team?, Why do you come to church?
Do you even know God? Do you have a relationship with Him?

3. Stay humble
Stay humble by watching what comes out of our mouth.
Stay humble by watching what you ponder on in your heart.

4. Follow the Son's example - Serve!
"...Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28)

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Understanding Faith

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.  

 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)

Do you believe that God can unleash his power in your life in such a way that the dormant potential in you will be released allowing you to lead a life full of purpose and abundance?

Pastor, do you believe that your church can unleash God’s power in such a way that you will see your community changing before your eyes like never before? The 1st Century Christians did.

Parents, do you believe that God can bring back your child? 

Do you believe that God can heal your deepest traumas and set you free from that disease that the doctors told you it would never go away?

Note that the above verse is not talking about the minds of 'the bad people', 'the non-church goers'. It talks about ALL UNBELIEVERS -  including those sitting in church every Sunday. 

The moment we choose to see the glorious light of the Good News and understand this message about the glory of Christ, we (the church) will start moving from the side line to the centre. Ephesians 1:23 says, The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence. The moment we understand the power we carry and start living in faith (Hb. 10:38, Rm. 1:17), we will start moving the mountains that try to stop us (Mt. 21:21).

Where to start

1. Start by realising that there are things in this world that have the potential to blind you, these things also are all temporal and have no eternal value. Money, power, pleasure and control are strong influences that have the potential to blind you.

2. Address unbelief (worry, doubts, lack of faith, atheism). Unbelief was the only thing that truly amazed Jesus (Mk. 6:6). Worry and faith walk in opposite direction. Faith and doubt cannot coexist.
 

Do the Faith Test

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T BELIEVE

1. You forget God’s Word. You won’t read it! You ignore 1Co 15:58.

2. You forget that it’s a privilege to serve. When you don’t believe everything becomes too much trouble. Being helpful around the house, serving in church, giving people lifts, hosting home groups, cooking for people, visiting them in hospital, being a true friend... everything becomes too much trouble. Jesus asked Peter to demonstrate his love for him by serving His people (John 21:17).

3. You forget where you belong. You belong in God’s house Rm 12:5.
Do you even value the people you do life with? Do you take them for granted?
Without this understanding you will always start something but never finish. You start something in your community or church but soon run out of steam because you are moved by the air of emotions, when that runs out your are back in the same lazy state you started when in fact you should finish in an even greater way than when you started. Don't give out excuses not to be involved in the body of Christ (His church) Luke 9:57-62, 14:16.
 

Do you know why people start giving excuses in the above verses?

Because they did not believe that Jesus was who he said he was. THE SON OF GOD! Do you really think that they would dare to even think about giving out lame excuses to the Son of God? Yet so many of us are doing that right now. Your excuses are always proportional to your level of understanding.

4. You forget you have to give up everything (Lk. 14:33). What do you have right now? Would you be willing to give that up? Give up what you cannot keep in order to gain what you cannot lose.
 
Now What?

1. Understand that the level of your impact is directly proportional to the price you are willing to pay and the faith you have is directly proportional to the sacrifice you’ve made. 

2. Aggressively remove unbelief from your life. Read the Gospels and the promises God has for you in his word and claim them!

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All Night Prayer

I love our prayer nights, they are just awesome. You cannot help feeling closer to God as we refuse to move until He moves His hand on our behalf. 

Please note that at D7 we don't use prayer as an excuse to our apathy and inertia. We will intentionally find opportunities to get our hands dirty! You see without you,  God will not do what only you can. That's your duty! Without God you cannot do what only He can. That's His power! We have limits but He doesn't. He can heal that disease that has been plaguing your child, He has the power to turn your marriage around, He can set you free from the addiction that has been slowly eating up your body, He can change our community and He is powerful enough to heal our nation. Without God, you cannot. Without you, God will not. All He needs is a bunch of people that are bold enough to ask!

We believe in 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says: "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  

What about you? Do you believe that prayer can move mountains? If so refuse to stay home tonight! Talk yourself into it and find excuses not not to turn up. You will not regret it! - There is something powerful about a bunch of people gathering together to seek God.

Join us for a great night of seeking God, praying for our world, our church and our city and nation. For venue details and general information please get in touch.

Emotion vs. Passion

Being around people that are passionate about the same things that you are, will fuel your passion. Nothing great is ever accomplished and sustained without passion. Emotions might offer a starting point but they will not produce sustainable results. Where emotion is a strong feeling, passion is an intense desire. 

Therefore same passion = more passion. Being around passionate people will generate more passion.

Emotion vs. Passion

Emotion says: “I will!” but then doesn’t (or if it does it can’t sustain it when emotions fade).
Passion says: “I will!” and it does more than what’s required.

Emotion gives some when convenient.
Passion gives it all consistently.

Emotion serves until it becomes uncomfortable.
Passion serves despite of discomfort.

Emotion has a strong sense of obligation.
Passion has a strong sense of purpose.

Emotion will lie to you.
Passion will always be true.

Emotion doesn’t count the cost and gives up.
Passion counts the cost and chooses to pay the price.

What are you passionate about? If people cannot tell you what your passion is you haven't got one. Why not start by being passionate about God's house (The Church)? If Jesus was passionate enough to build it and die for it, it must be something that we should also be passionate about and set it as the top of our priorities.

Your Destiny Is Within Your Reach

Your destiny is within your reach. You are not a waste of space. You were born for times like these (Acts 17:26). It’s your turn to make history. What legacy will you leave behind? Opportunities are about what he is preparing you for. But how do you recognise whether you are moving towards your destiny? Here are a few thoughts:

1) You recognise that you exist to serve your generation 

(Acts 13:36, 17:26)

You are in the right place at the right time. God placed you here. Your existence was planned by God before the foundation of the world. Your parents might not have planned you but God did. You were conceived in the mind of God long before you were conceived by your parents (Ephesians 1:4). God placed you here to serve. Service is not optional. You were saved to serve.(Ephesians 2:10). God made a way for us to serve your generation through his church. Are you giving it all you can? (Colossians 3:23, Ecclesiastes 9:10)

2) You recognise that you already have what you need  

(Ephesians 3:20)

Check out Judges 15:15, Exodus 4:2 and 1 Samuel 17:50. What did Sampson, Moses and David had in common? They used what they had. If you use what you have God will become what you need. Thank God for Ephesians 3:20. What do you have in your hands? A house (why not use it to connect with people in you world), a car (are you using it to carry people?), an informal environment in church on Sundays that makes it easy for you to connect with people, a cup of coffee (why not offer someone a cuppa?). What do you have right now that you can use for God’s glory?(1 Corinthians 10:31). You already have what God wants you to have to cause a great impact for the kingdom.

3) You recognise that your destiny is within your reach 

(2 kings 7, 1 Samuel 14)

In 2 kings 7 we read of two lepers that saved a whole nation. In 1 Samuel 14 yet another two men saved a whole nation. Their destiny were within their reach. Here is the thing, your destiny is also within your reach. You already have the right people and right resources in your world. Are you investing in your relationships? Do you value your church? Are you being a good steward? God will use the ones close to you as he did with the lepers and Jonathan.

Ask God to show you the resources he has already given you, for your destiny is within your reach.

The Narrow Gate

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Matthew 7:13

Wide = having a larger distance from one side to the other than is usual or expected.

Jesus made it clear that the going of being a follower is tough. The road to convenience and comfortable living is wide. What do we do to make sure that we are moving towards the narrow gate?

Strategy To Enter Through The Narrow Gate

1- Determine To Be Chosen

For many are called, but few are chosen

Matthew 22:14

In the Parable of the Wedding Party everyone was invited to the wedding, but the invitation went out in two parts. The 'A list', the respectable people were invited first, but they did not take the invitation seriously. They only pretended to accept. They lied. The result is that they didn’t show up.  The invitation was then sent out to the 'B' list which was everyone else including the street people, prostitutes, etc!

Being chosen is a decision we make. It is a commitment to listen to the voice of the one who chose us in the first place.

2- Determine To Follow

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27

This has got to do with your determination to keep going. Following Jesus goes like this:

LISTEN

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

COUNT THE COST

But don't begin until you count the cost. Luke 14:26-28

GIVE UP

So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me. Luke 14:33

You cannot miss the narrow gate if you are wholeheartedly following Jesus and since we are at it, who are you leading towards the narrow gate? Because if you are a follower, this is not an option, it’s a must.

The Development Session

Every now and then I go back to the basics with the men in our men's group. I call these sessions "Development Sessions". They are a great  way to monitor the new converts' growth, assess where everyone is at and engage with the real  deal of being a follower of Christ. You can even get into discussions about ideas, mindsets, misconceptions among other interesting things.

Below is an example of a development sheet.

DEVELOPMENT SESSION 1   

(2 Timothy 2:2)

1) What is so bad about sin? Romans 6:23, Isaiah 59:2.

Sin leads to death. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Sin is when you do something God asked you not to (James 4:17).

2) Who is Jesus? John 3:16

He is the Son of God.

3) Why Jesus? John 14:6

He made a way for us to have relationship with God.

4) Why did Jesus have to die? 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:17

Jesus died to take the penalty our sins deserved. He took our punishment so that we wouldn’t have to. He made a way for us to go to heaven and live with God forever.

5) How do you get to heaven? Romans 10:9-10, John 1:12

“Receiving Christ” means: 1) acknowledging your belief in Jesus, 2) inviting him into your life, 3) turning to God from your present way of living (repentance), and 4) beginning the adventure of letting God direct your life.

6) What is Church?

A body of believers.

7) What is the Church’s purpose?

1 - To bring us strength. 1 Corinthians 14:26

2 - To help us flourish. Psalm 92:12

3 - To show us the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15, John 8:32, John 14:6

8) Why is the Church so important?

1 - The Church was Jesus’ idea. Mat 16:18 , I Pet 2:4-6

2 - Jesus died for the Church. Acts 20:28, Eph 5:25

3 - Jesus is the Head of the Church. Eph 1:22, Col 1:18

9) Why Serve?

1 - Great cure for selfishness. Phil 2:3

2 - Shows us the real purpose of living. Mt. 16:25

3 - It’s part of the core of who a true disciple is. Mt. 20:32-33, Mark 16:20

4 - Leads to greatness. Mt 23:11-12

We Walk Together

The church exists to build people up and since one is too small a number for greatness, here at D7 Church we choose to work together. We are building the church through teams of passionate skilled individuals. Still there is plenty of room for learning and improvement.

Here is the thing about D7

• We exist for the broken NOT the perfect

• We care for each other and we put others first

• We do whatever it takes NOT whatever it’s easy

• We do whatever it's needed NOT whatever we want

• At D7 Church Jesus is the centre of everything we do. But we don’t use Him as an excuse NOT to do anything. Faith without works is dead.

We believe that God has not called us to be normal and fit in, He has called us to STAND OUT!  How do we do this? Together. We are a bunch of people that believe that our God is big and absolutely anything can be accomplished as long as we don’t mind who takes the credit. We are not ordinary, we are extraordinary.We are not conventional, but remarkable. We are everything but normal.

We are chosen by God for a higher calling, God's instruments empowered to do His work and speak out for Him, to tell others of the difference He has made in our lives. (1Peter 2:9-10)

The result? Life change. Testimonies of people being set free from addictions, depression, mental illness, the occult etc, all in a short period of our existence as a church.

That is why I believe that as Christians progress is our best product. We should constantly be thinking, 'How can I do this better?', 'How can I get closer to Him?' , 'How can I keep track and measure my spiritual growth?'.

Listen to our current series - A Love For the House here.

The Urgency For The Gospel

The purpose of our church is to make (healthy) disciples. Why? Because Jesus said so: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, - Matthew. 28:19. See also Luke 19:10 and Mark1:15

The gospel of Jesus Christ: the virgin birth, the sinless life, the substitutionary death, the triumphant resurrection and the eminent return of Jesus Christ. The gospel as a historic reality and the gospel as a contemporary life giving, changing force. The gospel that has the power to meet you where you are and speak to you where you are at in life. The gospel that is as relevant today as it was over 2000 years ago. Where cities, counties, nations can be changed by it.

Every Christian occupies some kind of pulpit and preaches some kind of sermon every day.  So you are preaching the gospel in a way or another whether you like it or not!  The question is: What kind of message are you preaching? 

 
The kingdom of God is built by people that have the guts to tell their whole world about Jesus and what he is doing though His church. God has given us this time this season.  The bible says that David served his generation, we are now responsible for this generation. 

Who in your life needs a fresh touch from God?

In The Stillness - D7 Band's Brand New Album

Church I am so excited!!! In the Stillness the 2nd album by D7 Band will be out this summer. This is an amazing expression of where we are at as a church. This new album is promising to be awesome. The production and engineering process will take longer and it will be more detailed and refined and the sound will be massive.

10 th September 2011 - An Unmissible Day

click for full image

I am so excited for all the girls in our world.  They are going to be blown away with what Angela has been preparing for them. The very first King's Daughters  Conference is going to add so much value to the women present on that day - their lives will never be the same ever again! Our Christmas Ball was amazing but the King's Daughters Conference will just be totally over the top specially tailored to welcome princesses into God's presence.

Check out this message from Angela:

"King's Daughters exists to inspire and challenge women to understand their identity and value so that they can lead an amazing, abundant life with passion and purpose. The King's Daughters Conference is a unique experience where you will encounter God, be completely refreshed and equipped to be all you can possibly be." - Angela De Souza (King's Daughters Conference host and Executive Pastor at D7 Church)

So add the date to your diary:

King's Daughters conference this summer on 10th September 2011. Where girls from all over the UK will be getting together for a day of inspiring teaching, incredible worship, live music and loads of laughter.

And for all the men reading this post - buy a ticket for the woman in your life now.

Men of Remarkable Honour

Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10

Today's generation has done a great job at ruining the concept of honour. We think honour is something we give to someone based on their performance. Based on how much we like them. In the Bible, honour is to do with value, worth and weight. And it's something freely given. Honour is a strong biblical concept.

Honour is to treat with respect or reverence; having a good reputation characterised by integrity. Not to honour means to treat something as common. Where is the honour? Don’t you ever wonder that? TV shows women berating their men, men looking with lust at other women that are not their wives, children talking to their parents in a disrespectful way.

It is our responsibility to bring honour back. D7 church is a house of honour. When you value something you are able to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Honour elevates, dishonour decimates.

Here are three things about honour:

1. It’s a decision not a reward. We might think that some people in our world don’t deserve honour, but neither do we because:
   
   ...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
    
2. The amount you receive is determined by the amount you give (see Ezra 7:27-28, Gal. 6:7). Every time you deny honour you miss an opportunity to receive it. God deserves honour. The people in your world deserve your honour because they were created in God's image.
    
3. The amount you give is determined by the amount of value you perceive. Honour will protect, praise, prioritise. In a nutshell if you love you will honour.

In order to bring this to reality let's look at a practical example of honour. Are we honouring the women in our world? Are we honouring them by showing them respect? Do you treat woman as an object? Are you rude to them? Remember this: If you are rude you are wrong! Period. I am talking about your wife, mother, sister, the woman in church.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7

In the previous verse, 1 Peter 3:6, the Bible says that women are prone toward Fear (great tip for us guys!). Those fears that the women have are legitimate. If a woman marries a man, she’s trusting him with the rest of her life that he won’t hit her, cheat on her, that he’ll work hard, that he’ll pay the bills, that he’ll love their children, that he’ll walk with Jesus and finish the race well, that if she gets sick, he’ll look after her. It is a terrifying thing for a woman to trust a man. 

Women have legitimate fears and what the word of God (the Bible) is saying is that men need to be in a particular way so that those fears are alleviated. We need to relate to the women in our world  “in an understanding way, showing them honour.” That’s a D7 man!  Now many of us will nod our head and say, “Yep, that’s me.” but the truth is that every man has areas of repentance and growth that are required in order for them not only to grow old but to grow up too.

D7 men you’re not looking for a girlfriend if you are single. You’re not looking for a roommate. You’re not looking for a cohabitation partner. You’re looking for a wife.

You’re not the flirt guy.
You’re not the download porn dude.
You’re not the “I got another girl on the side I always keep in case of emergency” kind of guy.
You’re not the wandering eye guy.
You’re not the “white lies” guy.
You’re not the “short fuse” guy.

We need to take responsibility for the well- being of the woman in our world. We need to protect them from harsh words, plain rudeness, physical harm, items that are too heavy for them to carry, our lack of commitment to their well- being, their reputation, their purity, their right to feel safe and secure among other things.

Starting now, how can you honour the woman in your world?

D7 men are gentlemen. And gentlemen you are stronger than the woman in your world.Do you ever hit her? (How about your tongue, do you abuse them verbally?), do you ever push her?, do you ever grab or restrain her?, do you ever raise a hand and threaten her?, do you ever intimidate her with physical violence?, do you ever give her "the looks"?

Losers do the above! There are simply no excuses for that type of behaviour. Women are supposed to feel safe around us. Christian, husband, father, employee. Those are your first four duties and they will take most of your life. You’re not going to have a lot of time so start working at it now.

Ask the women in your world for feedback and how you can honour them. Do they feel safe around you? Do they feel respected and honoured?

All Night Prayer

Join us at Eric & Angela's home at 10pm to 4am for an all night prayer meeting.   It promises to be an AWESOME and powerful time where we will move the heart of God for Gloucester and D7 Church.

Christmas Splendour Reflections - Angela

I Know I have said it before, however I have to say it again: I have the most amazingly talented, wonderful woman by my side and I have the privilege of calling her wife. Angela performs the role of Executive Pastor at D7 Church. She is responsible for all the systems and operations. We could not have someone better than her to do this demanding job.

If you don't know yet Angela is the one who organised our Christmas Splendour Ball. The nitty-gritty, the ins and outs all the details that made that night so special. I am so glad that she also managed to have fun at the party, but I guess this is simply the D7 way - we work hard and we play hard.

Here is a woman that loves God, loves people and absolutely loves being a wife and a mommy.

I also would like to offer you the opportunity to join us on one of the D7 teams. It's an opportunity for an experience.

Vision Sunday 2011

The future belongs to those who plan for it. Some people spend more time planning their holidays than their life. That’s why focus is so important. We must make God’s priorities our priorities.  That’s how we will gain influence in our city. Why do we need influence as as a church? Because influence is the ability to bring change.

Gloucester is one of the most deprived places in England. As a church, D7 must go to extreme lengths to ensure that we are being God’s change agent in our city.

Everything we do at D7 Church falls within our discipleship plan. This is where our focus, priorities and influence comes from:

BELONG

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 

Matthew 25:35 

- As a church we've decided that we are not starting another city mission. In our culture it’s much easier to feed people than to invite them into our world. The best kind of ministry is the one that is not needed anymore, so they morph, they change into something else to meet a real need.

- There are way too many churches and not enough change. Churches are being ineffective because they are applying the right concept to the wrong context. The hunger that people in our culture have is relational.

- We need to be the kind of people that other people need to meet. If your gospel is not touching others is has not touched you.

BELIEVE  

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  

John 1:12

- We've been called to build a kingdom minded church culture. An effective and strong church will come out of that.

- See people through the eyes of compassion. Show people the same grace that has been shown to you. Build relationships, get to know people. 

- Why do we tithe? Because we believe what we read not read what we believe.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Malachi 3:10

SERVE  

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28 

  

- Don’t be a slave of material things. You are a human being, not a human 'buying'.

- Whole-heartedly Serving is essential.

Christmas Splendour & Audacious Faith

"I think I have audacious faith figured out. It has nothing to do with how much faith you can muster it has more to do with how much you have the audacity to ask for!"

- Angela De Souza

God has once again blown our minds away here at D7. We've made a discovery that is life changing purely by accident: The essence of audacious faith is... 'audacious asking'. As simple as that! When God smiles upon something there is nothing we can do to stop it! 

Our Christmas Ball for instance. Three times we came close to cancel the whole thing. It was just too much money, technical requirements, hassle etc. All these things disappeared, how? I don't know... try asking God!

Why is D7 Church's Christmas Splendour a miracle?

- We have [Dweeb] joining us as special guests. We couldn't have a better band performing at this ball. These guys are awesome, I highly recommend this band so check them out here!

- Paul James, leader of our amazing city and his collegues are coming to the ball.

- Brian Jones of GEAR is also coming.

- All the costs, technical requirements, hassles have been taken care of. The staff at the Gloucester Guildhall rock!

- Members of the homeless community are going to be our guests of honour. AWESOME!

- People from other churches are going to be present. Talk about church unity!

- The press is writing an article about the church and all that we are doing for the community. They are coming to the ball too. Come on church let's make the name of Jesus famous!

- We needed a place, preferably in Gloucester to house our guests before the Christmas Ball. We got a place and it's only 5 minutes from the venue from someone that is also a Christian and we barely know. Watch out, Christians in Gloucester are coming together. There will be nothing we will not be able to achieve.

- Loads of disconnected youth are going to be there. 

- Money has been donated towards catering.

- Things now are much bigger than we are and it just keeps on getting bigger and bigger.

- This Ball is promising to be the best Christmas Ball Gloucester has had in years! It is good to see Jesus' church taking the lead.

D7 Christmas Splendour

We have confirmation that the Right Worshipful The Mayor of Gloucester (Councillor Jan Lugg) and her Consort (Mr. Steve Lugg) will be joining us along with the Leader of the Council (Paul James) and his Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Health (Andrew Gravells). 

This event  is going to be massive, tickets are going fast, make sure you get yours here.

Waffle, Coca-Cola For Communion & Church Unity

You live and learn. I have made the painful discovery that as a preacher I waffle a lot! - Which is interesting because I am the type of person that likes short punchy thoughts as opposed to long detailed sentences. Huh... weird...!

I am obsessed with self-improvement, not because I care what people think about me but because who I represent. We at D7 Church see ourselves as Kingdom Representatives. We are change agents, we are Jesus' PR in this world. So I've decided to systematically engineer my messages and I've invited the Holy Spirit to be my senior partner (God Knows I need all the help I can get!). 

Interesting that when you realise that you need to improve in a certain area you open up a whole new dimension.  You also realise that you are falling short in other areas too. I definitely need to romance my gorgeous wife more often and I definitely need to spend more time playing with my amazing children. Our families are by far our best investment.

On the absence of grape juice we had Coca-Cola for communion with our team the other day. Is this profane? What would Jesus do? Lots to ponder...

I am excited out of my mind! This week we are going to take over the service at Park Street Mission. This meeting house was founded over 330 years ago. What a privilege! We are running their evening service. What an amazing expression of church unity. We are doing this because we can and because we care not because is the most profitable, glamorous and comfortable thing to do! We will be there to support Pastor Jacqui Green. Join us if you can!

Also if you are a church leader, what are you pro-actively doing to promote unity among the body of Christ? We can't afford not to. Remember we are one in Christ, different expressions, flavours and styles but we are still one body.

Park Street Mission here we come!