Month: September 2022

Good afternoon, Christ Fellowship! How many of you out there would consider yourself to be a bodybuilder? Anybody? No? Do you know how often a professional bodybuilder works out? Most of them work out 6-7 days a week. One day it’s back and biceps. The next day is legs. The next is chest and lats or whatever. But most of those guys work out pretty much every day. Plus, there is the cardio and the nutrition and the supplements. It’s a lot of work and a lot of time and effort. But that’s what you have to do to be in that kind of shape.

Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4 that physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Do you want to be godly as God has commanded? Do you want to be holy as God has commanded? Do you want to be in healthy spiritual condition? Do you really think you can do that by going to church once a week? I know you are busy. I know you are tired. But you make time for what you want to make time for and if you really want to be in good spiritual condition it is going to take more than just showing up on Sunday mornings.

Our Sunday night times and Thursday nights are really where you get the good, hard spiritual and biblical workouts. I really want to encourage you to consider coming to at least one more evening of Bible study. Sunday nights are from 6-7 and Thursday nights are from 7-8:30 or so. You can ask all the questions you want or you can sit there like a bump on a log. It’s up to you and there is no pressure. I hope you will make time this next week to give it a try. You won’t regret it. 

I love you all! — Todd

Faith. What is faith? Faith is not seeing but yet still believing. I was looking at Hebrews 11 this morning and I noticed that all through there it starts a paragraph with, “By faith, Abel…”, “By faith, Enoch…”, “By faith, Abraham…” and then it would tell what they were able to do because of their faith and they were commended for it.

What would your story be if it were written in Hebrews 11? By faith, (insert your name) was able to do what seemed impossible to do because God called them to do it and provided everything they needed to do it. All they had to do was be obedient to God. Even when it meant they had to wait upon God.

That’s faith. Do the faith thing today and we will talk more about it this Sunday at our new place in Chico! 405 W. Kentucky St! We had such a good time last Sunday! I have “faith” you will be there! I love you all! — Todd

Well, this Sunday is the big day! Yes, Sundays are always a big day at Christ Fellowship. It’s my favorite day of the week! But this Sunday will be our first to meet in the new building we are renting in Chico. The address is 405 W. Kentucky in Chico, right across from Got-to-Go Solutions. There is plenty of room and it’s a beautiful building, especially inside. Yes, there will probably be some hiccups, some changes, some weird smells – and that’s just the nursery. But Jesus is still our focus and I can’t wait to worship with my church family in our new, albeit temporary, building that God has provided for us.

I did find out yesterday that our old building in Lake Bridgeport will now house a Hispanic church that has come from First Baptist Bridgeport. I talked with them and I have no reason to believe that they had any idea that we were there when they agreed to purchase or lease the property. I sincerely hope and pray that the community will embrace their church like they embraced us and I pray that God will bless them and use them to minister to our friends there.

I love you all and can’t wait to see you Sunday at 10 and 6! — Todd

Yay! It’s Friday! Almost everybody looks forward to Friday, right? Because it means the weekend is here and maybe you can get some rest. But will you? For some it means just doing a different kind of work and there never seems to be any real rest. Psalm 91 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Read that sentence again. Seriously, read it one more time and just let it sink in.

We have a lot going on at Christ Fellowship and I really need that kind of rest; the kind of rest where I can give God all my cares, my hopes, frustrations, sins and doubts. And I can rest knowing that He is the Almighty, ready, willing and able to provide strength and energy, wisdom and clarity, showing me grace so I can show others grace in this stressful time. Thank you, Lord!

As most of you know, this will be our last Sunday at 1301 N Main St in Lake Bridgeport. We have been here for ten years and it’s painful to have to leave but I am truly excited about what God has planned for us in this next chapter of the life of Christ Fellowship. We have found a temporary place to rent that holds great potential for us. I think everybody will be very pleased and we are very grateful to God for supplying it!

The physical address is 405 W. Kentucky, Chico, Tx 76431. The mailing address is PO Box 645 in Chico. It used to be a church and then it burned down. They rebuilt it but then covid hit and they may have used it 3-4 times but then sold it to the new owners who have made it into an event center. It is right across Davis Street from Got to Go Solutions and it is almost brand new and plenty big for everything we need to do. We have an agreement to rent it all day Sundays and Thursdays.

So, this is where the work starts! And we need your help! We have Timmy and Trina’s wedding tomorrow, Saturday, at 2 pm and everyone is invited to that. Then we need to start moving things. Some can go to the event center but most to storage and we need lots of help Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. After church Sunday morning, we will have lunch provided here at the church and then start moving again. We have to be completely out (including all my stuff) by Thursday the 15^th. Please bring trucks and trailers if you have them.

Again, this new place has great potential and I am very excited but it is going to be a lot of work. It is going to be uncomfortable at times and not ideal for anybody. People are already stressed out and tired so please be mindful that all of us need grace and need to show grace to each other as God has shown it to us. I’m sorry this has been so long but it’s important so I will see you Saturday and Sunday and I can’t wait! I love every one of you! — Todd

As I sit here this morning wondering what we are going to do, wondering what I am going to do and wondering what God is going to do, I found this Psalm of David that brought me peace. Psalm 27:13-14 says, 

“I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.”

I and the Leadership Team are doing all we know to do. We are tracking down every lead, exploring every unused building and working with realtors and others in the community to find a place for our church to go. But at the end of the day, we are just waiting on God to provide. We know He is aware. He is concerned. He is in control and He loves us. So, we will wait on Him. — Todd