I, like many of you have spent the past few days watching the Olympics.
It amazes me that your life can be defined by a single choice that you make, or what you do when you are only 16 years old. That is exactly what is happening for many of the athletes competing in this years Olympics. If they win a gold metal or set a world record, they will be transformed into instant superstars.
This accomplishment comes at an enormous price to all of them, they did not simply wake up one day and say, “I think I’ll go to the Olympics and be the best.” Getting to the Olympics as one of the worlds best athletes cost them their lives, it cost them friends and it required them to make a choice between a normal life and an extraordinary life.
They must see the world different from how others view the world and they must believe that they will succeed.
In the 13th Chapter of Numbers, Moses has sent 12 men into the land that God had promised them, the idea was simple, see what is ahead of us.
Verses 26 – 33 tells of their report to Moses and the people.
10 men returned and said, yes there is enormous fruit and fertile land, BUT the people there are huge and they will kill us all. We can’t do it!!!
2 men, Joshua and Caleb returned a different report. They said yes, big fruit, fertile land and yes the people there are big, but we will take the land that our God has promised us!!! We can do it!!!
We all will face challenges in our lives, everyday we can choose to see through the eyes of doubt and fear and that will lead to failure. However if we choose to see through the eyes of Gods promises and we see with the eyes of hope and faith, then nothing will be to big and nothing will be impossible for you.
Because Joshua and Caleb believed God and His promise to them, they lived to walk in that truth. If you are believing for something from God, don’t be discouraged if it is taking longer then you would like. Joshua waited 40 years in the desert, but then at the appointed time God delivered them and all of Israel into their Promised Land.
Believe God for what he has promised you, and begin to walk through your life as a child of God. You are a child of God, you are not an orphan, you have not been abandoned. You have been adopted into the family of the King of Kings.
Dream Bigger, Believe Bigger and Live Bigger!
Have an awesome week, talk again soon,
Ps. Stephen Alexander
check out our new website www.c3ral.com
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Plans change
We never plan to fail, we simply fail to plan.
I have always admired the planners of the world, I mean the folks out there that think things all the way through.
(They write their Tithe check out before they get to church)
I on the other hand am more like the guy that wants to build a house on the beach, I mean right on the beach. I know the possibilities of a storm wiping it out are pretty good. The idea of hearing the waves as they crash on the beach every night as I go to sleep is so tempting, I don't want to think about the possible problems with my plan.
We as a culture are always running after something and we are afraid to stop running. We think if we stop we wont be able to start again or we might miss something. It is the energy, the buzz we crave as much as any actual accomplishments.
Jeremiah 29:11 — "For I know the plans I have for you" Declares the Lord "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, Plans to give you Hope and a Future."!
More people then ever, if asked what they want to do with their lives, will say, "I don't know".
In this incredible time in history, when anything we could want to know about, can be found at the click of a mouse. It would seam that we know less than ever about ourselves.
Jeremiah brings a message of hope to a lost and dying people. The nation of Israel could not be more lost and without direction. Their king stopped following God. Not only wasn't he following God and seeking Gods direction for the future of the nation, but also he had put up monuments to worship other gods.
God has a plan for us, from beginning to end; from before we were born till after we die, God has a plan.
Ephesians 1:4 says “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be Holy an blameless in His sight."
God is the greatest planner of all times, if you feel lost or without direction, ask God to help you find your way. He will light your path and he will always point to the truth. Bring your questions, your problems and your needs to God and let Him have them. He can handle it, he is a big God. You will find your questions answered, your problems worked out and your needs met and beyond that you will find out that God has a wonderful plan for your life.
Have an awesome week,
Talk to you soon
Ps Stephen Alexander
I have always admired the planners of the world, I mean the folks out there that think things all the way through.
(They write their Tithe check out before they get to church)
I on the other hand am more like the guy that wants to build a house on the beach, I mean right on the beach. I know the possibilities of a storm wiping it out are pretty good. The idea of hearing the waves as they crash on the beach every night as I go to sleep is so tempting, I don't want to think about the possible problems with my plan.
We as a culture are always running after something and we are afraid to stop running. We think if we stop we wont be able to start again or we might miss something. It is the energy, the buzz we crave as much as any actual accomplishments.
Jeremiah 29:11 — "For I know the plans I have for you" Declares the Lord "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, Plans to give you Hope and a Future."!
More people then ever, if asked what they want to do with their lives, will say, "I don't know".
In this incredible time in history, when anything we could want to know about, can be found at the click of a mouse. It would seam that we know less than ever about ourselves.
Jeremiah brings a message of hope to a lost and dying people. The nation of Israel could not be more lost and without direction. Their king stopped following God. Not only wasn't he following God and seeking Gods direction for the future of the nation, but also he had put up monuments to worship other gods.
God has a plan for us, from beginning to end; from before we were born till after we die, God has a plan.
Ephesians 1:4 says “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be Holy an blameless in His sight."
God is the greatest planner of all times, if you feel lost or without direction, ask God to help you find your way. He will light your path and he will always point to the truth. Bring your questions, your problems and your needs to God and let Him have them. He can handle it, he is a big God. You will find your questions answered, your problems worked out and your needs met and beyond that you will find out that God has a wonderful plan for your life.
Have an awesome week,
Talk to you soon
Ps Stephen Alexander
Monday, July 14, 2008
To Be or Not To Be
William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet “To Be or Not To Be”?
These are words of passion and anguish, words of pain and suffering and yet they are words of love.
Throughout our lives we all have one thing in common, no matter whom you are, no matter where you live or how much money you make, we all wake up each morning and make a choice. To be or not to be, all that God has called us to be.
In 1776 a couple dozen men woke up and said “We declare our independence” a powerful statement and one that cost many men and women their lives, this one choice changed the world forever.
Somewhere around 2000 BC a man named Abram made a decision to follow God and a Nation was born. He said, “As for me and my house, we shall Worship the Lord God”.
On September 1st. 1939 Germany invaded Poland a decision that would lead to a World War, Tens of thousands of people would die because of this one decision.
You are surrounded by choices, Cable or Satellite, Coffee or Tea, Mayo or Mustard, Jesus or Self.
The biggest reason we shy away from answering big, life changing questions is we don’t want to count the cost. For every decision we make there is always a cost.
The cost for following God is everything!
Only when we realize that all we have is because of Gods endless grace and love for us; only then are we able to give it all to Him. Then an amazing thing happens, God gives it back to us and he multiplies our lives times eternity.
This week you will face many decisions, some easy, some tough, make God a partner in those tough decisions and watch where He takes you, you may be amazed.
In 1993 my wife and I walked into Christian City Church, Long Island with three of our children (Elizabeth was not yet born) and began an incredible journey that has brought us unimaginable joy and also some very difficult challenges. I know that our lives are blessed and full of hope and faith because of our joining our lives with the vision of Faith filled men and women we have worked along side all these years. Men and Women like Phil Pringle, Mark Kelsey, Pam Borrow, Bill Clemens, Dean Sweetmen, Simon McIntyre and Stephen Hickson are all unbelievable, powerful workers in Gods Kingdom, not because they are Superman, but because they are ordinary people that woke up one morning and made a decision to Serve God with all of their hearts for the rest of there lives. They have counted the cost and are willing to pay with their lives.
It is with enormous excitement that I announce (declare) that My Family and I are planting, Christian City Church, RALEIGH, NC.
We will hold our first service on July 24th @ 7pm (Thursday).
We will be holding meetings in our Home for the first couple of weeks, as we grow we will be moving into a bigger space just down the road.
We are located just off Capital Blvd. within Wakefield Plantation.
Our address is 12613 Honeychurch St. Raleigh, NC 27614
You can Google our address for directions.
If you are living in the Triangle area and are looking for an exciting, powerful, relevant church stop by and check us out. Bring a friend with you.
If you know anyone who lives in the area, let him or her know we are here.
Get the word out. Tell EVERYONE!!!!!
We are on Youtube at
www.youtube.com/c3raleigh
Our website will be up in a couple of days, I’ll keep you posted as that comes online.
You will be able to find all the service details on there as well as events and music, videos and blogs like MANA, which will be hosted on C3Raleigh’s website.
If you enjoy MANA I would simply ask for your prayers as we charge into this new season in God.
We need everything and yet nothing will help enough if God is not the absolute focus of everything we do.
Pray for a gathering, for God to gather people, all kinds of people.
Thank you all for your support and prayers.
Have an awesome week,
Talk soon
Ps Stephen Alexander
These are words of passion and anguish, words of pain and suffering and yet they are words of love.
Throughout our lives we all have one thing in common, no matter whom you are, no matter where you live or how much money you make, we all wake up each morning and make a choice. To be or not to be, all that God has called us to be.
In 1776 a couple dozen men woke up and said “We declare our independence” a powerful statement and one that cost many men and women their lives, this one choice changed the world forever.
Somewhere around 2000 BC a man named Abram made a decision to follow God and a Nation was born. He said, “As for me and my house, we shall Worship the Lord God”.
On September 1st. 1939 Germany invaded Poland a decision that would lead to a World War, Tens of thousands of people would die because of this one decision.
You are surrounded by choices, Cable or Satellite, Coffee or Tea, Mayo or Mustard, Jesus or Self.
The biggest reason we shy away from answering big, life changing questions is we don’t want to count the cost. For every decision we make there is always a cost.
The cost for following God is everything!
Only when we realize that all we have is because of Gods endless grace and love for us; only then are we able to give it all to Him. Then an amazing thing happens, God gives it back to us and he multiplies our lives times eternity.
This week you will face many decisions, some easy, some tough, make God a partner in those tough decisions and watch where He takes you, you may be amazed.
In 1993 my wife and I walked into Christian City Church, Long Island with three of our children (Elizabeth was not yet born) and began an incredible journey that has brought us unimaginable joy and also some very difficult challenges. I know that our lives are blessed and full of hope and faith because of our joining our lives with the vision of Faith filled men and women we have worked along side all these years. Men and Women like Phil Pringle, Mark Kelsey, Pam Borrow, Bill Clemens, Dean Sweetmen, Simon McIntyre and Stephen Hickson are all unbelievable, powerful workers in Gods Kingdom, not because they are Superman, but because they are ordinary people that woke up one morning and made a decision to Serve God with all of their hearts for the rest of there lives. They have counted the cost and are willing to pay with their lives.
It is with enormous excitement that I announce (declare) that My Family and I are planting, Christian City Church, RALEIGH, NC.
We will hold our first service on July 24th @ 7pm (Thursday).
We will be holding meetings in our Home for the first couple of weeks, as we grow we will be moving into a bigger space just down the road.
We are located just off Capital Blvd. within Wakefield Plantation.
Our address is 12613 Honeychurch St. Raleigh, NC 27614
You can Google our address for directions.
If you are living in the Triangle area and are looking for an exciting, powerful, relevant church stop by and check us out. Bring a friend with you.
If you know anyone who lives in the area, let him or her know we are here.
Get the word out. Tell EVERYONE!!!!!
We are on Youtube at
Our website will be up in a couple of days, I’ll keep you posted as that comes online.
You will be able to find all the service details on there as well as events and music, videos and blogs like MANA, which will be hosted on C3Raleigh’s website.
If you enjoy MANA I would simply ask for your prayers as we charge into this new season in God.
We need everything and yet nothing will help enough if God is not the absolute focus of everything we do.
Pray for a gathering, for God to gather people, all kinds of people.
Thank you all for your support and prayers.
Have an awesome week,
Talk soon
Ps Stephen Alexander
Monday, June 30, 2008
Let go of the Railing
In the year 1900 a dream was born, and it was a grand dream, unlike anything before it.
The White Star line commissioned the construction of two luxury liners far larger and grander then anything else on the sea. Both ships were built simultaneously, right beside each other, both would be famous and both now rest at the bottom of the ocean.
The two ships are the Titanic and the Olympia.
We have all seen the movie and we know the song, the Titanic is a bigger then life story about the perils of pride and ignorance.
The Titanic cost 7.5 million dollars in 1912, that is a lot of money and still substandard rivets and faulty steel plating were used.
The design of the Titanic was state of the art, and still it sank.
No expense was spared on this ship and in the end the seat that everyone wanted was on a life boat that cost $200.
Sometimes we see something and it looks awesome, it is wonderful and grand but the truth is if you buy into that thing it will kill you.
Money is a funny thing, and Jesus talks about it throughout his ministry. There is nothing wrong with money, I’ll take all I can get, but you must be the master of money. You can never let money be your master of it will kill you, you will chase after it and every time you get your hand on a bunch of money, it will be gone.
Jesus said it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, then for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:24
Money is the currency of the earth, but faith is the currency of God.
Sometimes you have to look past the logical, because the facts are not the truth. Truth is often difficult to find and doesn’t always make sense.
Tithing does not make mathematical or financial sense
If you give God 10% of all you earn, how do you end up with more money than you started with. Tithing is about letting go of your control and having your faith built as you trust in God to provide for you in a supernatural way. Until you learn to let go of things you are subject to their power but when you let go you are free to live a powerful faith filled live.
Anyone on the Titanic that didn’t want to leave the false safety of the BIG ship, that didn't let go of the railing and get in the Lifeboat, they drown. Those that let go and even lept off the side of the sinking mamouth into the icy water and swam to the lifeboats, they were saved.
Let go of the fears and powers that are holding you back from living a powerful, fruitful life in God. Put your trust in Him and he will lift you up and protect you.
Have an awesome week,
Talk to you soon.
Steve A
The White Star line commissioned the construction of two luxury liners far larger and grander then anything else on the sea. Both ships were built simultaneously, right beside each other, both would be famous and both now rest at the bottom of the ocean.
The two ships are the Titanic and the Olympia.
We have all seen the movie and we know the song, the Titanic is a bigger then life story about the perils of pride and ignorance.
The Titanic cost 7.5 million dollars in 1912, that is a lot of money and still substandard rivets and faulty steel plating were used.
The design of the Titanic was state of the art, and still it sank.
No expense was spared on this ship and in the end the seat that everyone wanted was on a life boat that cost $200.
Sometimes we see something and it looks awesome, it is wonderful and grand but the truth is if you buy into that thing it will kill you.
Money is a funny thing, and Jesus talks about it throughout his ministry. There is nothing wrong with money, I’ll take all I can get, but you must be the master of money. You can never let money be your master of it will kill you, you will chase after it and every time you get your hand on a bunch of money, it will be gone.
Jesus said it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, then for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:24
Money is the currency of the earth, but faith is the currency of God.
Sometimes you have to look past the logical, because the facts are not the truth. Truth is often difficult to find and doesn’t always make sense.
Tithing does not make mathematical or financial sense
If you give God 10% of all you earn, how do you end up with more money than you started with. Tithing is about letting go of your control and having your faith built as you trust in God to provide for you in a supernatural way. Until you learn to let go of things you are subject to their power but when you let go you are free to live a powerful faith filled live.
Anyone on the Titanic that didn’t want to leave the false safety of the BIG ship, that didn't let go of the railing and get in the Lifeboat, they drown. Those that let go and even lept off the side of the sinking mamouth into the icy water and swam to the lifeboats, they were saved.
Let go of the fears and powers that are holding you back from living a powerful, fruitful life in God. Put your trust in Him and he will lift you up and protect you.
Have an awesome week,
Talk to you soon.
Steve A
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Beautiful you
Life is Beautiful!
What is beautiful?
Is it a painting by one of the great artists, like Michelangelo?
Maybe it is a summer sunrise over the oceans in Hawaii?
How about a single delicate flower blossom in the middle of a desert?
Is it the way a mother cares for her newborn baby?
Is the Gospel beautiful?
Is God beautiful?
Is the Sacrifice of God bloodied and shredded and hung on a cross, is that beautiful?
Listening to most of Christian radio and watching Christian TV you would think that God expects us to get ourselves cleaned up and straightened out before we could ever come before Him. That could not be further from the truth
If you have children and have had the blessing of being part of a birth then you will understand that beauty is often not what we would expect, if you have not seen a birth I’ll explain.
Birth is nothing like you see on TV, even the “real birth Shows” don’t do it justice.
Birthing is messy, it is bloody and can be loud. It has the potential to be very scary, very inconvenient, emotions run wild. Birth is painful and requires an enormous amount of energy.
Birth is not for the weak of heart.
Birth is Beautiful!
You have been birthed by God.
Before the foundations of the earth were considered, before God hovered over the great abyss that would become the earth, He thought of you, everything about you, your hair color, your skin color, how tall you would be, what gifts He would give you, who your parents would be, everything about you.
You are part of His plans for mankind.
God knew you before sin had entered the world.
He made us to live in a perfect world, to walk and talk with Him everyday in an intimate relationship.
That opportunity is still available to us.
Reach out to God and know He made you and He loves you. Walk with Him and Talk with Him as thought you were in the Garden with Him today
Life is messy and bloody and it can be painful, at times the world can get loud and try to drown out the voice of God. There will be inconveniences and scary moments, But God will be there with you and He will get you through anything that you come up against if you hold onto Him, trust in Him and put your faith in HIM. You will see all that mess; blood and pain turn into a beautiful relationship with God
Life is Beautiful.
You are Beautiful.
God is Beautiful!
Ephesians 1:
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Have a beautiful week, talk to you soon
What is beautiful?
Is it a painting by one of the great artists, like Michelangelo?
Maybe it is a summer sunrise over the oceans in Hawaii?
How about a single delicate flower blossom in the middle of a desert?
Is it the way a mother cares for her newborn baby?
Is the Gospel beautiful?
Is God beautiful?
Is the Sacrifice of God bloodied and shredded and hung on a cross, is that beautiful?
Listening to most of Christian radio and watching Christian TV you would think that God expects us to get ourselves cleaned up and straightened out before we could ever come before Him. That could not be further from the truth
If you have children and have had the blessing of being part of a birth then you will understand that beauty is often not what we would expect, if you have not seen a birth I’ll explain.
Birth is nothing like you see on TV, even the “real birth Shows” don’t do it justice.
Birthing is messy, it is bloody and can be loud. It has the potential to be very scary, very inconvenient, emotions run wild. Birth is painful and requires an enormous amount of energy.
Birth is not for the weak of heart.
Birth is Beautiful!
You have been birthed by God.
Before the foundations of the earth were considered, before God hovered over the great abyss that would become the earth, He thought of you, everything about you, your hair color, your skin color, how tall you would be, what gifts He would give you, who your parents would be, everything about you.
You are part of His plans for mankind.
God knew you before sin had entered the world.
He made us to live in a perfect world, to walk and talk with Him everyday in an intimate relationship.
That opportunity is still available to us.
Reach out to God and know He made you and He loves you. Walk with Him and Talk with Him as thought you were in the Garden with Him today
Life is messy and bloody and it can be painful, at times the world can get loud and try to drown out the voice of God. There will be inconveniences and scary moments, But God will be there with you and He will get you through anything that you come up against if you hold onto Him, trust in Him and put your faith in HIM. You will see all that mess; blood and pain turn into a beautiful relationship with God
Life is Beautiful.
You are Beautiful.
God is Beautiful!
Ephesians 1:
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Have a beautiful week, talk to you soon
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