From the Inside Out

We celebrated the end of an era at Abundant Life Church today. It was the last service to be held at 2021 E. Park Blvd. in Plano. For many, it was a bittersweet day. Everyone is excited about moving into our new facility, but we also leave behind a space where many fond memories were created. I came to ALC as a teenager in the Fall of 1988. At the time, I wasn’t happy about leaving the church we attended, but I know now it’s where God meant for us to be. My relationship with Him deepened there, and I was blessed to have one of the best pastors in the world, Dan Rigdon. I also experienced one of the most momentous occasions in my life in that building. It’s where I met and married my husband.

I have many great memories from my 21 years at ALC — there are just way too many to list them all! The great thing is that even though we’re leaving the building behind, those memories will follow me wherever I go. I have no regrets. One experience is ending. Things will never be the same, but through that ending, we have a new beginning. We have a remarkable opportunity to create new memories and to reach more people in our community by sharing the love and saving grace of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. What an amazing privilege!

In honor of our last day in the Park Blvd. building, we held a special “reunion” service. The day started early for those of us in the choir/worship team. We arrived at 8 am for a 90 minute music practice before service started. It made for a long day, but it was worth it!

We had a good crowd before practice ended. By 10 am, the place was packed full. We had our regulars in attendance and many former ALC’ers showed up to celebrate also. I think we set a new record for attendance — 660! Wow!

The choir kicked off the day with an “old school” song from years past, “Total Praise.”

The presence of God filled the room and lingered the entire day.

I was scheduled to sing on the worship team today, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to help lead worship one last time at ALC. I’m not very sentimental, but as I sang, I experienced many emotions. I am so blessed. God is incredible. I’m amazed with His grace and thankful for the fabulous group of people we have at ALC.

We baptized 22 people today!!! They alternated between the baptistery and the “old school” method.

Jeff Manning baptizing “old school” in a trough

Memories video

Dan Rigdon addresses the congregation

Anthony Mangun shares his thoughts and leads the church in a prayer for Jeff, Miquell, and our church leaders.

NOTE: all photos are courtesy of (ahem…stolen from) Sheila Horvath.

“At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky
And flinging the clouds and the towers by
Is a place of central calm:
So here in the roar of mortal things,
I have a place where my spirit sings,
In the hollow of God’s Palm.” -Edwin Markham

Isn’t it nice to know that there’s a place you can go when the cares of the world are too overwhelming to bear? Are you afraid? Are you tired of being frustrated. Do you feel like you are wandering around with seemingly no direction? Don’t despair.

There is a secret spot in which you can abide. In this place, you will find a brief respite from the storms threatening your world. The answers may not be apparent yet. The fear may still exist, but here you can rise above it and find peace. It is here where your soul can sing. It is here where you find joy and strength to go back out and face the storms.

It’s all in the hollow of God’s palm, and it’s my favorite place to reside.

Capt. Richard Phillips was freed today from pirates who held him hostage on a tiny lifeboat in the Indian Ocean. After a five-day standoff between the pirates and the military, good triumphed over evil.

It seems fitting that Capt. Phillips regained his freedom on the day we celebrate Easter — the day Jesus rose again thereby freeing us from our bondages. Like Capt. Phillips, we were once held captive — unable to break free, unable to pay the ransom that would deliver us from sin and death, but God provided a way out.

In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were offered as an atonement for sin. When God accepted the sacrifice, He “passed over” the judgment of human sin for a year. Yet these sacrifices were only a temporary covering. They never paid for the sins of the people.

Sin comes at a high cost. The penalty for it is death. The only way to find true redemption is for a blameless individual — one without sin — to substitute himself as payment for these sins. So God came up with a plan. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, into the world to become this person. That’s the depth of His love for us — it’s truly amazing.

The sacrifice He made is shocking. I am deeply moved every time I ponder it. The fact that someone so great would love me enough to die in my place is almost unfathomable, but it happened. He did it — for me and for you.

That act alone warrants my undying love and gratitude, but the great thing is that the story doesn’t stop there. Jesus not only suffered and died, but He conquered the grave and rose again. His sacrificial act provided redemption from sin and also eternal life.

That’s why I praise Him, not only on Easter Sunday, but every day I live. He is worthy. He is wonderful. He is my best friend. He is my redeemer. He is my Saviour, and He is alive!

Happy Easter.

A 22-year old college graduate recently made headlines when she put her virginity up for sale. Natalie Dylan (a pseudonym used “for safety reasons”) is auctioning her virginity to help pay for a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (ironic, huh?). Bidding has skyrocketed to absurd levels with the latest offers coming in at $3.7M. Articles quoting Natalie state that she insists, “We live in a capitalistic society. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to capitalize on my virginity?” She also added, “It’s shocking that men will pay so much for someone’s virginity, which isn’t even prized so highly anymore.” A Nevada brothel, Moonlight Bunny Ranch, is where the act will take place. Dylan’s sister works there as a prostitute to pay for her college debts.

Even the mother of a 21-year old son with Down’s syndrome is advertising online begging someone to sleep with him. She wants him to “enjoy the same experiences as other men his age” so she’s working hard to help him lose his virginity. She’s even willing to pay for a prostitute if she can’t find a partner for him.

I just can’t keep my emotions reigned in when I read stuff like that. It’s wrong on so many different levels:

• It’s disturbing that people have such little regard for their bodies and their value as individuals.
• It’s further proof of the moral decline of our society.
• It trivializes sex and degrades those who still hold their virginity.

However, the thing that saddens me the most is that these people don’t even seem to realize the value of having a wholesome relationship where sex is saved for marriage. In our society, sex is no longer sacred. Virginity is no longer valued. But the real shame is that people have no idea what they are giving up when they subscribe to the “sex is no big deal” mentality. They have no understanding of the beauty and intimacy that can be achieved when a couple waits for marriage.

Sharing a sexual relationship with your spouse (and only your spouse) is an amazing experience. It creates a special bond shared between you and only one other person in the world — pure, wholesome, and untainted by other experiences. This is where you find true intimacy, love, and acceptance. This type of relationship IS highly valued. It IS sacred. I can’t imagine trading it for any amount of money.

People will tell you it doesn’t matter. They will say not having premarital sex is old-fashioned or unrealistic, but it’s not true. Don’t buy into the lies (check out “Why wait for sex? A Look at the Lies We Face” for an excellent blog on this topic). Don’t sacrifice true beauty for a cheap imitation. In the end, it’s not worth it.

A friend posted the following thoughts on Facebook today. They were extracted from an email that had been forwarded to her. Normally I don’t like to re-post these types of things as a blog post, but it really made me stop and think. I hope it does the same for you.

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several time a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to the Kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?