Expecting God?

The bible is full of amazing illustrations of mighty men and women of God doing all sorts of incredible things. The dead are raised to live again, Lepers bodies are made whole again, the blind are given sight, the deaf are able to hear. Mighty raging rivers are piled up and stopped by the word of God. Powerful trained army’s are defeated by a worship teams music.
One of the most unbelievable stories can be found in Mark chapter 6 vs. 4-6

4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus visits his own hometown and no one can see past what they thought Jesus was, a carpenter, a blue collar worker. For the people that knew Jesus earlier in his life they couldn’t believe he was the Messiah.
We can read this scripture today and say “Wow what a bunch of idiots!” What a blown opportunity to have Jesus walk into their lives and then just blow him off as a wack-o!

We all have been in the position of choosing between trusting God for something and relying in our own strength.

I have seen the power of expectation, it is the difference between the status quo and a life changing day.

Imagine what your life would be like if every day you woke up and expected God to do something amazing in your world.

Imagine what your life would be like if every day you woke up and expected to do something amazing in another persons world.
( a friend, a family member, a co worker )

Imagine what your life would be like if next week you expected God to impact your life through the message that was spoken at church.

Imagine what your world would be like if you took the responsibility for you life and placed your trust in God for every aspect of your life.

God is waiting for us to seek Him, to call on Him, to expect Him to speak to us.
The wait is over, cry out to God, open your heart, seek Him today and He will answer you as you have faith in Him your faith will grow.

Raise your expectations, God is BIG he can handle what ever your need is.

Ephesians 3:16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Have an awesome week,
Ps Stephen Alexander

A couple of quick updates below!

You can now sign up as a “Follower” of MANA, this is a great new feature from Blogger that will help us track who is reading our blog and where they come from. Please take a minute and sign up now -------------------------->


On our website at www.C3RAL.com we NOW have an ability to receive online giving and Tithes. Please take sometime and prayerfully consider becoming a financial partner with us as we build the church in Raleigh. All donations are tax deductible and we will keep all our partners updated monthly on the progress of the church and our Ministry to the community.

Simply visit the website, click on Donate and you will be taken to a secure PAYPAL website.
We are still working on other online features as well as new music downloads for FREE, and all the latest news about Christian City Church.

Thank you all again for all the prayer warriors out there lifting us up and covering us in prayer.

Be Blessed!

A New Name

The spoken and written WORD can be a powerful thing. The concept that words can’t hurt you is a poor attempt to comfort school children being harassed by a bully, but the fact is that as we grow and live life we learn that indeed, words can hurt.
Words can also be a powerful motivating vehicle; words can deliver healing and proclaim liberty to a lost and dying world.


With all the Blogs and websites and Cable and Satellite TV words are now everywhere and in large supply


Even more powerful then a word is a Name! A name in it self is a declaration and a statement about who someone is. In many cultures it is better to die then to bring shame to the Family name.
Some famous names that may come to mind might be Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Kennedy, Gates, Gandhi, Jobs, IBM, Chevy.


How about Peter or Abraham or Joshua?


Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.


For many of us the world has given us a name that we live our lives by, names like faithless and failure or hopeless and small. We see ourselves through the eyes of the world and we are defeated and lost, without power to see God and a future.

However God, your heavenly Father has given you a new name, a Holy name, one of Power and Purpose. Your life and everything around you is transformed when you connect with God!
God has a new name for you, a name of wonder and success.

Spend time with God this week, it is a new month, the kids are back in school, vacations are winding up, new opportunities are before you. Find out what your real name is, the name God has given you, it will change your life!

Have an awesome week!

If you enjoy this blog then consider joining us on Thursdays at 7:30 pm at our house.
We are located in Raleigh NC in the Wakefield Plantations Community.
12613 Honeychurch St.


Talk to you soon.
Ps. Stephen Alexander

New Vision

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

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

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