Sometimes (from Douglas Poole)

Dear Cypress Family and Friends,

Sometimes I stagger under the weight of God’s amazing love for a wretch like me. Sometimes  my mind reels at the thought of my God dying for me. Sometimes hope explodes in my spirit. This upcoming weekend is one of those ‘sometimes’. Tomorrow is Good Friday...Sunday is Easter.

I hope you will join me at the Cypress observances of Good Friday and Easter. Good Friday is an intimate, quiet and personal time of reflection on Christ’s great sacrifice of love on the cross for us by partaking of communion. (Just show up at any time during one of the three blocks of the day: 7-9; 11-1; or 5:30-7:30).

The Easter Celebration  will be just that...unleashed joy coupled with untamed grace. This will be the 30^th Easter teaching I have given as a Pastor and I can’t remember any other Easter teaching I have been this amped to deliver and this sure that a God-thing is about to happen. If you have people in your relational world that you want to introduce to your Jesus...do anything short of sin to get them here! Really! (Pray that I may be clear...bold...and spilling over with God’s favor.)

All of earth couldn’t stop Him from going to the cross. All of hell couldn’t keep Him in the grave. All of heaven rejoices at a resurrected Savior. And may all of Cypress honor Him this weekend. Come to His table...honor the one who died for you. Come to a Saturday night or

Sunday morning Easter Service. Bring others with you...He is risen...He is risen indeed!

Blessings,

Douglas

PS. Bring your Haiti H20 offerings from lent.

Holy Week Devotionals

During Holy Week use the following reading plans to prepare your heart for Good Friday and Easter.




The Events of Holy Week Reading Plan
Monday: Matthew 26:1-16
Tuesday: Matthew 26:17-35
Wednesday: Matthew 26:36-56
Thursday: Matthew 26:57-75
Friday: Matthew 27:1-66
Saturday: Matthew 28:1-20


Additional reading plans:

Words of Jesus During Passion Week

Family Activities for Holy Week

Big Deal (from Douglas Poole)

Dear Cypress Family and Friends,

“I want to do something crazy big for God!”...so someone outside of Cypress began a conversation with me recently. Now I love it when people want to make their one and only life count and I love it when people are willing to trust God for big things in this life...as long as that desire is tethered to some action. Otherwise, it’s just some kind of spiritual sounding talk. So I pressed them as to what that ‘crazy big’ thing for God is...to which I was told “I don’t know yet”. I pressed further, asking what they are currently involved in doing for God...to which I heard “Well nothing yet, I’m waiting on God to reveal my crazy big thing then I’m all in”.

How would you have responded to this person?

I encouraged them to keep listening for heaven’s voice, start searching out different things God is doing in this world but to also be sure to do the next right thing big or small. I mentioned the words of Mother Teresa who once said: “Don’t look for big things, just do small things with great love...the smaller the thing, the greater must be our love.” I think she did something crazy big for God by simply doing small things with great love...wouldn’t you agree?

Does this world need more people with an audacious faith...yes! Should you trust God for things which are impossible for you...absolutely! This world desperately needs people like that. Just don’t forget to also do the small things that often go unnoticed or unrewarded this side of heaven. And do them with great love. At the end of the day how would you rather be remembered...as someone who did a big crazy deal or someone who had a big crazy love for God and others? Both preferably right? But if I had to choose between the two... it’s big crazy love.

I close by asking you to do something with great love for someone outside your family, friends or church. And in the process extend them an invitation to attend one of the Cypress Easter services (April 23,24) where we will talk about the big crazy love of God that caused Him to do a big crazy thing for us through His Son Jesus. You tell me what’s bigger than a life and eternal soul experiencing God’s saving grace? The weekend after Easter we launch into a series called ‘The Best Question Ever’...a really great series for people looking to lead a bigger, more loving life!

Blessings,

Douglas

Brush off the cobwebs (from Douglas Poole)

Dear Cypress Family and Friends,

Got any dreams worth pursuing?

Later today a friend of mine will get to hold in her hands a certificate which represents the fulfillment of a dream that God has written into her heart...and I couldn't be more excited for her.

Like most pursuits she has had to persevere and overcome obstacles and challenges along the way. Dreams truly worth chasing are rarely ever a layup, right? And if they are noble dreams then nobody could ever convince us it wasn't worth it all when we finally catch them.

Makes me wonder if there are any dreams worth pursuing that I have allowed busyness or difficulties or discouragement to back burner or shelve...that I might one day look back on and regret. Sometimes I think some of the biggest regrets some of us will have 10 years from now will be over things we didn't do rather than over things we did do.

This week I read the book ONE.LIFE by Scot McKnight and in it he says this: "God's will and what you dream about in your deepest dreams line up so well, you can usually chase your dreams and you will more often than not find God's will." How cool is that...but...if that is so, then doesn't that mean we have a responsibility to dial into our deepest dreams and pursue them? It almost sounds like a God-thing doesn't it?

So let me ask you...any dreams you need to take off the shelf, brush away the cobwebs and start chasing again? Any dreams that never made it to the front burner that should have? If it is truly a dream put into your heart by God...well then what are you waiting on? Run that dream by a trusted and mature Christ follower and if you get some affirmation...then chase for all you are worth. Who knows it may just be what God created you to do in this world.

See you Saturday night or Sunday morning for part two of our series on growing your faith.


Blessings,

Douglas

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