Brad Wilkerson // COC Metro

Emotional Week

Have you ever wanted something to happen really bad but then when it did it became a little emotional to see it all play out?  Well, that is how Sarah and I feel this week.  In June of 2007, Sarah's Dad, Tom Coulter, went home to be with the Lord.  Ever since then we have been in a process of cleaning out his house, work shop, pool area and barn.  We have also had the house for sale for over a year and a half with very little interest in it.  Part of the problem is that the bottom dropped out of the economy about the time Tom passed and the fact the house is 50 years old and not in real good shape.  So with many long weeks and months of mowing that 2 acres and trying to clean it up enough to sell it, we finally have a buyer and will be closing this Thursday.  We thank God for his help and direction in this process but it still had a wierd, emotional feeling yesterday evening when we loaded the last piece of furniture out of his house.  I guess the finalilty of it all set in, especially with Sarah.  This is the only home she ever knew until we were married in 1992.  This is the very place where she learned to talk, walk and even swim.  The place is filled with great memories for her but that is all she is left with now...memories.  When we shut the door on the trailer last night and pulled out for hopefully the last time it was tough but I was reminded of an old hymn we used to sing in church many years ago.  I don't remember the title but it went something like this:
 
"This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through.  My treasures are layed up, somewhere beyond the blue.  The angels beckon me from Heaven open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
 
When you go through something like we have gone through the last two years you begin to realize just how true those words are.  Take a lesson from the living...US...don't store up treasures here on earth because as in this case most of them get sold in a sale or find their place in the local land fill. 
 
Invest in those things that will last.  The Word of God and the souls of men, women, boys and girls.  At COC we are doing that and we look forward to our Bible Club this week as we store up some treasure and our first season of Upward Football & Cheerleading.  Work for that which will last forever and experience a whole different kind of emotion.

Bittersweet

Well it is with bittersweet emotions that I say goodbye to our Worship Pastor, Rob Rudd.  Rob has been with us for over a year now leading us to the throne of Heaven each and every Sunday.  Rob, you have done a great job with taking our worship ministry to a great level and I am proud of you and I'll be praying for you as you head off to your new ministry.  Worship is all about heart and your heart for Jesus is truly evident.  Thanks again for the last year of doing ministry together.
 
This week COC will venture into the journey of seeking a new Worship Pastor.  We have a very talented young man coming in this weekend to lead us as well as interview with me and the leadership of our church about this position.  I know all of you will be praying for us in this journey but please be in prayer as well for Ryan, Erica and Hutch Oliver.  I have known Ryan since he was about three years old and I have watched God literally touch him with a gift for worship.  I know you are going to love his leading on Sunday and I look forward to what God has for him and his family.  Ryan, Eric and Hutch welcome this weekend to COC.  May you all enjoy church at COC as much as we do!

Guest Blogger - John Theisen, Jr.

Transformed Student Camp Video:

Transformed Students "I Am Second" Camp from Dane Blankenship on Vimeo.

It seems like no matter who you are in church, you always have memories of church camp. The same was true for Transformed students this week as we attended I Am Second Camp at Camp Riverbend in Glen Rose,TX. Let me just begin by saying an incredible thank you to our adult volunteers who accompanied us on this trip. Stephanie Ferguson, God is doing a mighty work in your life and using you to reach many young ladies for Him in an awesome way. My wife and I both consider you to be a friend for life. Brian Prater, thank you for allowing God to use you this week,because without you, I would have never made it. You are truly someone I can count on, and this week, you showed our students that you truly desire to invest in and be a huge part of their lives and their walk with God. So to both of you, my wife and I are truly grateful and cannot say thank you enough. To my wife Jessica, I would not be who I am today if it was not for you. God truly blessed me with a virtuous woman who desires to serve Him and desires to follow and encourage her husband in every way possible. I also must say an INCREDIBLE thank you to those of you in our church who allowed God to use your finances in sending a student to camp. If you have seen the video and read below, you will see that God accomplished more with your money than you could have ever imagined.
 
As a new church, new youth group, and new youth pastor, my wife and I really did not know what to expect this week at camp. What we did know, is that we truly desired to see our youth group gain a fire and a passion for God, as well as a love for each other. As I am sure many parents and many church members were, my wife and I were praying for weeks before camp that God would move in an incredible way through our youth during camp. We left Thursday morning at 11:30 AM for what would be one of the most amazing weeks of camp I have ever experienced. Between the worship and the teaching, it was impossible to not be moved. By the second day of camp, we had just finished our morning service and were heading to our personal Bible studies. I had this book with me to teach out of with the boys, but by the time we arrived at the ampitheater where we were having our personal study with our own boys, I knew God had something else completely planned. The same was true for my wife and our young ladies.Once the boys were seated, I continued to tell them that I thought I would be teaching from a book, but that I believed God wanted me to share something else. A few moments later we found ourselves deep in a conversation about salvation and being a Christian, and before all was said and done, 11 young men from our youth group prayed the prayer and stood up to profess in front of each other that they had accepted Christ into their life. I have never felt more humbled by my God than in that exact moment. What an incredible God to allow me to take part in such an amazing event. My wife was able to share her personal tesitmony with the girls, and they found themselves opening up and bonding like never before.
 
These two events set the pace for the rest of the week, as we came to have two young ladies also accept Christ as their Savior. All I could think the rest of the week, was how God is a God of impossibilities. In my mind and heart, I was truly praying to see a few students saved during camp. God showed me that my limits are not His limits, and that my goals are nothing compared to His goals. We were blessed to see our students bond in such a way, that you would have thought they really were brothers and sisters. We were blessed to see them come to the realization that life without cell phones, television, myspace, facebook, and media in general, allowed them to get to know each other better and ultimately allowed them time to get quiet and let God move in their lives.
 
The icing on the cake came on the last few nights during the services. I was getting into the worship music as always and singing as loud as possible, when I decided to stop for a moment and take a look around me. As I opened my eyes, I noticed that the majority of our students had their hands raised to God and were singing at the top of their lungs, "Hosanna Hosanna Hosanna in the Highest! Hosanna Hosanna Hosanna in the Highest!". In that very moment, all I could think was that this is what heaven is going to be like. Thank you God for an unforgettable week of church camp. Thank you Pastor and COC Metro for allowing us to take such an awesome group of students to camp. Thank you to those who prayed prayed and prayed for us before, during, and after church camp.
 
"God is first, and I AM SECOND"
 
In His Service,
John Theisen,Jr.
Student Pastor
COC METRO

Spirit of Generosity

I am always moved by the generosity of anyone who feels the need to give of themselves to help someone they know or might not even know.  This past Sunday was a perfect example of ultimate generosity as I was moved by the people of COC and their desire to see that no teen was left out when it came to going to the I Am Second Youth Camp this coming Thursday.  We had approximately six teens who needed financial assistance in being able to pay their camp fees and I put a challenge to our congregation to step up and meet these needs.  After all was said and done and the money was counted, our church (less than one year old) gave $1,800 for camp scholorships and I had people still coming to me after the worship service saying, "If you need more just let me know."  WOW...what a great example of ultimate generosity.  Well, I am pleased to announce that the $1,800 we raised has enabled every one of those 6 teens to now be packing their stuff and getting ready to leave on Thursday morning for Glen Rose, TX.  Yea God and Yea COC.  I cannot wait to see what God does in the lives of these young people next week and how God uses us as a church to mold and shape these young lives for future leadership in the work of the Lord.  COC, I am proud of you!!!  Keep that spirit of generosity towards the things of the Lord and there is no limit to what we can do through Him.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

So I am studying hard and in great preparations for our new sermon series starting this Sunday called, Last Stand at Skull Hill.  This series is going to be great as we look at the Armor of God in Ephesians 6.  The whole theme of this series is that Jesus stood alone that horrible day at Skull Hill so that we could make our last stand together against our enemy, Satan.  Too many followers of Christ are trying to fight this battle alone.  Jesus did His victorious work alone so that we wouldn't have to.  It is cool to think that we are not in this battle alone.  Not only is He with us but we have each other.  Now, we have gone out and have gotten real creative and designed this series through the eyes of the modern day Western and Cowboy!  I love a good western movie and many of my favorite actors make great cowboys.  I have always had a hidden desire to be a cowboy.  Ever since we moved to Texas when I was twelve I have wanted to wear the starched jeans, shirts, boots, spurs, and of course the hat.  Of course you are no cowboy without your cherished best friend...your horse.  Well, if you come to COC Metro this Sunday you just might get to meet my new best friend.  That is all I am going to say...you will have to come to worship to find out the rest.  Join us as we engage in this battle together.  Join us this week for The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.