Recruiting

Posted in Serving on April 21st, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” II Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

Recruiting has become big business in our world today. Talent scouts from pro and college teams, major businesses, the armed forces and others are always on the lookout for talent. The Bible teaches us that God is in the recruiting business. He is constantly searching for a committed heart to bring glory to him and to make a difference for the Kingdom of God here on earth.

God spotted a committed heart that turned out to be a blue chip recruit on a farm in Elliott County, Kentucky. This farm boy showed promise early of his committed heart. During the depression to support his parents and siblings, he left his hometown of Wells Creek, Kentucky and joined the Civil Conservation Corps. He was sent to Gold Beach, Oregon and later Libby, Montana to serve in the forest department. The entire time he worked for the CCC he would send half his paycheck back home to his parents.

Uncle Sam recruited him to the Army to serve in World War II. He served in Battery B, 66th Field Artillery Battalion of the 4th Armored Division of the Third Army. He was a tank gunner serving under General Patton landing on Omaha Beach during the D-day invasion. His resume included fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, and the liberation of Bastogne. He was in Prague, Czechoslovakia when the war ended. He would later be given a Purple Heart Medal, fighting wounded during the Battle of the Bulge.

After the war he married his hometown sweetheart, the lovely Virginia Ruth Blanton. They were married for 53 years and had four children. They would later be blessed with eight grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. One of those four children just happened to be my wife’s mother, Luanna Todd Rutherford.

Because of his committed heart to his family and nation, God recruited him into full time ministry. He would serve the Lord faithfully for more than 50 years, and became a church planter to reach young children and families in his hometown of Wells Creek.

This blue chip recruit, Purple Heart winner, family man, minister’s name was Drexel Todd, my wife’s grandfather. Grandpa Todd went to be the Lord on February 20, 2008. I admired his committed heart so much that my son Todd is named after him.

The strength of Grandpa’s life was in his commitments. The Bible says that God is constantly searching for committed hearts. Over the next two months our church will have plenty of service opportunities for you to display just how committed your heart is. My prayer is that NorthStar Church will become one of God’s favorite recruiting spots.

Marlon

Extra Mile

Posted in Thank You! on March 31st, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury. ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” Matt. 5 38-42 (NLT)

When Christ said these words, Palestine had been occupied by Rome for more than 100 hundred years. The Romans had learned from the Persians to use people to their advantage. Romans would often require the Jewish people to carry their burdens. The Jews were required by law to carry the load for one mile. The Jewish people hated this law and their heads turned when Jesus said you need to carry their weapons for not just one mile, but two miles.

Jesus was teaching his people to do more than just the minimum. I am constantly getting on my oldest son Todd to do more than just what is required. The late Pastor Adrian Rogers in his series “Digging Deeper” talks about the advantages of the extra mile.

1) It will change your attitude.

    The first mile is the slave mile. You are required to go the first mile and you hate every step along the way. The second mile is the smile mile. You are doing it out of love. The first mile you are being controlled but the second mile you are in charge. The first mile you’re doing it because you have to, but the second mile because you want to. On the second mile your attitude changes from conquered to conquering.

    2) Living out this command will make you a success.

      All successful people participate in the second mile. The reason some Christians aren’t successful in their devotions is because they are “first milers.” They only do the minimum and their hearts are not into it. The people who develop their spiritual lives go the extra mile.

      3) The extra mile is the key to better relationships.

        Imagine if you are a first-century Christian, and you are commanded by a Roman soldier to carry his spear and heavy backpack. You gladly carry the backpack and spear not for one mile but for two. The soldier is stunned, and by going the extra mile you completely alter the relationship. An opportunity to share Jesus comes because of the extra effort.

        “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Phil. 2:5

        Jesus went the extra mile for us when he paid for our sins on the cross. If we are to become like Jesus then we need to go the extra mile for others. At NorthStar we go the extra mile to serve our community. We want to change the attitude of our community by serving them and opening up opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

        We have a lot of on the community calendar in April, and it is going to take a lot of us to go the extra mile to meet all the needs. April 19-20 is the Big Shanty Festival. Over 60,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival. We need extra milers to help with the parade, hospitality for the vendors, work in the hospitality booth, and help clean up after the festival. On April 26 we are going to help with Phase I of building the special needs playground, and at the end of the month we have Teacher Appreciation Week that is going to require extra milers to get up early and deliver over 1400 cinnamon rolls to nine elementary schools.

        My prayer is that you experience the power of going the extra mile as you help NorthStar serve this community to Jesus Christ.

        Marlon

Coming Alive

Posted in Thank You! on March 19th, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

“Jesus included everyone in his death so everyone could be included in his life.”
2 Cor. 5:15(NLT)

There are two times a year (Christmas and Easter) that people are open to the good news of Jesus Christ. Christmas is about giving. John 3:16 says that “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.”God is a Giver. Therefore, he expects us to give. At NorthStar we take the spirit of giving at Christmas to a new level. We fully support programs such as “Adopt A Family”, “Shop With The Kids”, “Tackle Hunger” and other giving programs.

Easter is about coming alive. The question I ask here is “Do we fully embrace the coming alive season as we do the giving season?” What Easter traditions do we embrace to help us get into the spirit of coming alive? I mean, we really don’t draw names to exchange Easter baskets or go Easter caroling over at someone’s house. Easter is about coming alive. The problem is that we are short term thinkers. We act like this life is all there is. We spend our time, money, energy and effort acting like this life here on earth is all we have. We are so busy trying to keep up with the great quality of life that we have here in Cobb County that we really don’t think about eternity. Jesus came to earth to tell us that there is something better.

“Jesus included everyone in His death so everyone could be included in his life. A far better life than people lived on their own.” 2 Cor. 5:15 (MES)

At NorthStar we are doing a series based upon the most well-known verse in the Bible -John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosover believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (KJV)

God didn’t just talk about his love; He showed us how much he loved us by coming to Earth and taking the punishment for our sins on the cross. He stretched his arms out on the cross and showed us how much He loved us. Max Lucado, in his book, 3:16, writes that Jesus, on the cross, shouted out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.” Jesus said those words so that we would never have to. That is why we should live in a constant state of gratitude. We should come alive this Easter season out of shear gratefulness and appreciation for what Jesus did on the cross. He earned it. Our mission statement at NorthStar starts with “We exist to show God’s love…” Like Jesus did, we are not just to talk about it but to show it. Jesus showed us just how much he loved us by dying on the cross. My prayer this Easter season is that we truly come alive this Easter season and show God’s love to so many who need it.

Marlon

Farmer’s Wanted!!

Posted in Serving on March 3rd, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

“You will always harvest what you plant.” Galatians 6:7 (NLT)

I get excited about that promise. God’s word tells us that the seeds
are in our hands, and we get to plant whatever crop we want to harvest in life.
Every day I get to choose the plant that I will one day harvest.

From the very beginning NorthStar Church decided not to plant a church,
but to reach our mission field. Over the past 11 years we have showered
our mission field with seeds of love, compassion, and service. Until I read last week’s
community feedback post from Frey Elementary music teacher Sylvia Flannagan,
I never really stopped and looked at how our mission field was taking shape. I have
been so busy throwing seeds with all of the countless volunteer farmers at
NorthStar Church that I have never taken the time to slow down and actually look at how the crops are doing.

“It really is the small stuff that sticks with folks the most. As I was thinking back to the many cinnamon rolls, lunches, dinners, fall festivals, Labor Day activities, parades, special needs ball field, and school visits, I realized that the spirit of love and outreach has been “taught” to the general community. Your church’s demonstration of ‘how’ to show God’s love in everyday life is a gift. This gift will continue to make Acworth and the people who have been so richly blessed, better examples of how God wants us to live.”

Her words made me take a 20-second timeout and reflect back on all the
seed-sowing acts of kindness that our church has planted over the past
11 years. I remember our first seed planting event, serving hospitality
for North Cobb’s Warrior Classic basketball tournament. I told Mike Linch
to sign us up for just one session, and he went and signed up for the whole
tournament. The people of NorthStar covered the tournament and have
been sowing seeds ever since.

Despite the water shortage and state-wide water restrictions, this past month has seen our church plant a record number of seeds. NorthStar farmers have shown
up in record numbers and have covered so many community events. March, too,
will be an even bigger month to plant seeds, and we are in need of more farmers
to help throw seeds. My prayer is that you will help us continue to plant seeds
of love, compassion, and service that one day reap a major harvest in Heaven.

Marlon

True Giving

Posted in Serving on February 14th, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

Jesus said, “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then, at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” Luke 14:12-14 (NLT)

When it comes to doing community acts of kindness, to me the greatest acts
of kindness are offered when you help those who can’t pay you back. We live in a world today where self promotion, networking, and the desire to achieve
have blinded us to what real giving is all about.

For the past five years the students of Kennesaw Mtn. High School have put on a dance for Cobb County’s special need students grades 6th-12th. My favorite part of the dance is watching the students of KMHS greet the special needs students as they get off the bus. They stand on both sides of the side walk and give the special needs students a standing ovation as they walk into the gym. Some of the greatest “Kodak Moments” that I ever seen are on the faces of those special needs children as they walk to the gym.

I will never forget the first time I witnessed the special needs children getting off those buses. I just kept watching bus after bus bring more and more special needs children to the dance. I never realized how many special needs children there were! I wondered why I didn’t see these kids more in the community. I never see them at ball games, parks, restaurants, or at church.

The reason why is because we haven’t invited them to the banquet. The students at KMHS challenged me as their community leader to help them find even more ways to invite these special children and their families back to the banquet. The challenge became personal when my wife Libby and I were told our youngest son Matthew was autistic. Matthew is one of over 14,000 special needs children in Cobb County. If my math is correct that is over 28,000 parents that need to be invited back to the Banquet, and shown God’s love.

On February 24 and 25, you can help show God’s love by volunteering to get involved with this year’s dance. The students at KMHS have asked NorthStar to help with providing cookies and drinks. On Sunday the 24th you can bring cookies and carton drinks such as Hi-C punch to church. The goal for NorthStar is 1500 cookies and drinks. We can also help the students decorate the gym that same Sunday afternoon from 2 p.m to 5 p.m. On February 25 you can help NorthStar serve hospitality to the bus drivers and their assistants. We will be serving lunch at 10:30 a.m. in the 400 hallway
at Kennesaw Mtn. High School. If you would like to help us show God’s love, just click on the community calendar and sign up.

I have the greatest job in the world being Community Pastor at NorthStar Church. I get to sit in the front row and witness the people of this church loving and serving this community to Jesus Christ. I want to thank all of the volunteers who have stepped up the past few weeks and helped us serve lunch to the teachers at Durham Middle School, provided hospitality at North Cobb’s Senior Night, and volunteered to work concession stands at Harrison’s Senior Night. I can not say thank you enough for 100 coats you brought to church to help Hayes elementary with their coat drive.

My prayer is that our church continues to show God’s love in such a way that people will turn their lives over to Christ and experience that Great Exchange…and that we run up a big tab for God to pay us back in Heaven.

Marlon

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LOVING BY SERVING

Posted in Thank You!, Serving on February 1st, 2008 by Administrator| | 1 Comments.

Jesus said in John 13:35: “Your love for one another will prove to the world you are my disciples.” (NLT)

Everyday I watch how Christians show their faith and let others know that they belong to Jesus Christ. As I drive in my car, I notice fish symbols and church magnets on the back of cars. I see people wear all kinds of t-shirts, bracelets, and cross necklaces expressing their faith. Jesus tells us the way you let the world know you belong to him is by loving one another.

Our mission statement at NorthStar reads:

We exist to show God’s love in such a way that people would exchange ordinary living for an extraordinary life through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

I love that mission statement because it says show God’s love, not just talk about it. At NorthStar Church we serve our community through acts of kindness to let our community know that we belong to Jesus Christ. With each act of kindness - whether it is working concession stands at high school games, serving hospitality to teachers, volunteering for community events, feeding the hungry or visiting the sick - we want
to serve and love people so that they will ask us the question “Why?” The answer is because we want our community to see Jesus in us, so that they will make that great exchange.

On February 14 we celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is a day that is set aside for us to make sure to remember the ones we love. Every day, by serving and loving one another, we get a chance to let the world know we love and belong to Jesus Christ. In February we have a lot of opportunities for you to let the world know you belong to Jesus Christ. You can look at the community calendar and sign up for one of our many acts of kindness this month, or you can check our community website and look at the many ideas to try on your own.

My prayer is that you will love and serve and let the world know you belong to Jesus!

Marlon

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