Sunday Morning Interviews

Sunday Morning Interviews 10-25-2009 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

American Friends

Pics are up from the American Friends picnic this past Sunday, taken by our very own April Sanders. Check them out but first check out the video below from the corn maze.

On My End

"...the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

George Mueller

A quick glance through the verses below reveals something wonderful about our God. In him, there is so much to be excited about. These scriptures show among many things that he loves the unlovely. Furthermore, he takes these unlovely people (you and me) and reveals blessing upon blessing out of the limitlessness of himself. It’s so beautiful to see how God continually gives his people the gift of himself. So please read through the following verse and join these individuals by making your soul happy in the Lord.

~Blog Crew (Shane Kohout)

Romans 5:2-5

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

~Christine Fowler

1 Corinthians 10:13.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

~Juan Cruz

Isaiah 41:8-10

"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, 

'You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off'; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

~Anna Loftness

1 John 3:2

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

~Shane Kohout

Hosea 11:9

"I will not execute my burning anger;

I will not again destroy Ephraim;

for I am God and not a man,

the Holy One in your midst,

and I will not come in wrath."

~Michelle Stefun

Ezekiel 37:23

"They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

~Sarah Jeanne Zastrow

Psalm 42:7-9

Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

have swept over me.

By day the Lord directs his love,

at night his song is with me—

a prayer to the God of my life.

Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

~Shamane Gardner

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

~Brianna Smith

Philippians 4:8-9

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

~April Sanders

Sunday Morning Interviews

This is a very encouraging video, yes, it is going up a bit late, and I hope looking at these videos about CJ's teaching will not confuse you after hearing John's teaching today. The encouragements from CJ and others in this one, is not something to be missed. Check it out.

~Blog Crew (Allison Bucca)


Sunday Morning Interviews 10-18-2009 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Instant Replay

Here is another new section, this one is called Instant Replay, it will be a recap of the Lightswitch Meetings for both singles and marrieds. It will have important announcements and highlights from the Lightswitch meetings. So for those of you who didn't take notes (for shame) or came late and missed the announcements (even more for shame) or weren't able to come because of homework or you were sick (aww, we missed you guys : ) then here is the information you will need.

After worship Curt asked if anyone in the group felt particularly burdened so much that they had a hard time entering into worship. We prayed for those who were burdened, and then we discussed how to apply Scriptures to our lives when we feel discouraged. Curt read from 1 Peter 4:12-19 reminding us that those who go through trials should "entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good" (verse 19). We then discussed highlights from CJ's teaching this past Sunday, and how particular points affected us. Two suggestion for applying the teaching to our gospel-centered community is to pray for one another during our commute to work or school every day and to refer to God as "Father" in prayer, to make it more personal.

-If you weren't there last night, make sure you let Curt know if you need the "2 Ways 2 Live" booklet so he can order the correct amount.
-And if you've finished "Prodigal God" then remember to email Curt a summary of how the book affected you.

~Blog Crew (Allison Bucca)

News

American Friends is postponed to this Sunday, hopefully everyone saw the email about it already. But if you haven't this is a friendly reminder.that if you show up tomorrow for a picnic no one will be there and you will have to be an American friend to yourself. Remember, Plan B for the picnic is packing a lunch, meeting at the church at 12:30pm on Sunday (10/25) and then driving to the farm which closes at 6pm.

~Blog Crew (Allison Bucca)

News

Tomorrow (Sat. 10/24) is the next American Friends Event. Remember to meet at SRC to carpool at 1:30pm and bring your $10. We are leaving the church at 2pm and will return around 10pm. Check out the interview with Susan Cole talking about her vision for American Friends.



American Friends interview with Susan Cole from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

~Blog Crew (Allison Bucca)

News

So, we were trying to think of a title for announcements, and came up with the brilliant idea of calling it "News." Catchy huh? So when you see a post titled "News" it will have reminders and important information and announcements that you need to know. We are trying to transition to fewer emails and more posts on the blog, so try your best to pay attention. 'Cause this is gonna be where it's at!

Singles Meet Tomorrow (Thursday 10/22)

-be there
-be there on time
-be there with your notes from Sunday's teaching 
-be there ready to listen to Curt crack jokes
-be there ready to listen to Curt talk about "2 Ways 2 Live"
-before you get there, take a moment in your car on the drive there or at home before you leave to pray for:
1. the worship, that God's Spirit would fill our hearts
2. the leadership, that Curt and Ben would lead with discernment
3. your heart, that you would be prepared to be met by God, and to use your gifts to serve your brothers and sisters through fellowship. 

~Blog Crew (Allison Bucca)

Cans of Wrath!!

Now we girls know that the raven cannot clap. But do not forget boys, that the unicorn has a small tail and cannot swoosh. He he he.



Cans of Wrath!! from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

~Blog Crew (Allison Bucca)

On My End

This past Sunday, Mickey Connolly taught on Philippians 3:7-8

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

This scripture has everything to do with economics. Not the economics we learn in oversized, expensive college textbooks, but spiritual economics--the economy of our hearts. We each previously valued things that now seem worthless. Each one of us has experienced this change in our lives. What I find so exciting about this is that we didn't just get bored of what we used to find valuable. It wasn't that we grew up and found more sophisticated pleasures, instead we were each confronted by a greater pleasure; a greater gain.

Jesus Christ is the pearl of greatest price and from the moment our eyes were opened to see him our heart's economy has never been the same. Read and consider the following statements telling of how our community has clearly been affected by the gospel and God's surpassing worth. 

~Blog Crew (Shane Kohout)

“I used to count my intelligence as gain but now I count it as rubbish.”
~Jeremy Peggins 

 “I used to count others high view of me as gain, but not I’m learning how to count it as rubbish!”

~Aaron Spindler

Our first commercials

Hope to do a bunch of these because this was so much fun!

Mildred's cookies commercials from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

eFarmony/American Idol Season 9 teaser from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Blog Crew having a "Meeting" Part 2

Blog Crew having a "Meeting" Part 2 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Blog Crew having a "Meeting" Part 1

Blog Crew having a "Meeting" Part 1 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Sunday Afternoon Interview??

Sunday Afternoon Interview?? from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Come with Me, to NYC (Part 2)

It was a full week before I could sleep through the night. I would lie in bed and scary movie after scary movie would come to mind. But I never had to leave the light on. I discovered the first night that it is never really dark in Manhattan. My bedroom stayed bright enough at night that I could have read without even turning on a light.

It’s also never quiet in the Big Apple. Creaking floors, neighbors slamming doors, sirens, and screeching tires were the soundtrack of my night. These noises went along with the Bachata and meringue music from the 24-hour Latin restaurants on my block. “The City that Never Sleep” is a very appropriate nickname for New York City.

During the day, the city throbs with energy. There is so much movement and life happening that it’s visually overwhelming. On my two-minute walk from my apartment door to the train station, I would pass 10 restaurants, a grocery store, two elderly Dominican men selling homemade breakfast treats, two people giving out newspapers, and at least one person collecting cans and bottles from the trashcans on the street.

Sunday Pastor Interview

9-29-2009 Curt Allen After Service Interview from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Sunday Interviews

Sunday Morning Interviews 9-29-2009 from Curtis Allen on Vimeo.

Come with Me, to NYC (Part 1)

Here is the first entry from a new section we are calling "Come with Me." These will be stories from those who are either away from LS right now, or those who were recently away from LS for a short period of time. We will have an interview or a series of short stories from them so in a sense we can tag along on their journey. These stories will be about going away to college, leaving the country, or leaving for the summer like this first installment from Kennesha Dickson.

This is Part 1 from our girl Keke's tale of her internship this past summer in New York City. Enjoy as you get a taste of what she learned and what her experience was like. More "Come With Me's" are to come from Kennesha and from others who are currently away from LS...so stay tuned.

~Blog Crew (Allison Bucca)


Sometime at the end of March I plopped down on my parents’ bed and said, “So how do you feel about me moving to Miami for the summer to do an internship?” My dad gave me a look that was a mixture of surprise and thoughtfulness. He simply replied, “Sure.”

I let out a laugh of disbelief and walked away only to return a couple of days later to ask, “No really, what do you think?” Could it really be that easy? Had my dad really just given me permission to move several states away for a whole summer?

He had. Except time would later reveal that “easy” wasn’t really the word and Miami wasn't actually the place. I was accepted to an internship program at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute in Manhattan. I would be working on a research study that was looking at the effects of parental incarceration on children.

I had less than a month to prepare for The City That Never Sleeps and I was surprised to find that I was not as excited to leave home as I thought I would be. Some of it was fear of living on my own, finances, finding a church, and making friends. Various other worries clouded my thoughts, but the most prominent thought on my mind was what I was leaving behind.

As I thought about all of the life that would happen with Lightswitch’s new found unity, three months away seemed like an eternity. However, I was encouraged by my reluctance to leave. Not too long ago I did not greatly value my family and my church and would have given anything to get away. As I prepared to leave for my internship this was not the case; God had already begun to do a work in my heart.

"...with Lightswitch's new found unity, three months away seemed like an eternity."

Moving to New York, even for that short period of time required a lot of faith and God was kind enough to grant such faith to both me and my family. So we packed up the minivan and headed up North. After a fun night in the city with the family, they headed home and I was left alone in an unfamiliar apartment in an unfamiliar city.

I was still excited despite the nervousness and yes, I’ll admit it, the many tears I shed that first night alone in my apartment. But I had a plan: I was going to attend Sovereign Grace City Church in Brooklyn and make tons of new friends. I was going to work hard at my job and stay incredibly busy during the day. I was going to take Latin dance and photography classes to keep myself busy in the evenings. This was my perfect plan and it didn’t take long for it to become very evident that God had a different summer planned for me than the one I had planned for myself.

Stay Tuned for part two of Kennesha's "Come with Me, To NYC."