Collaborating for the Kingdom

...most of us grew up in a culture that applauded only individual achievement. We are, generals in an ego-driven “army of one,” each the center of an absurd cosmos, taking such happiness as we can find...but our new heroes are men and women who know how to gather allies, build teams, and work together toward shared goals.

 The Collaborative Habit // Twyla Tharp

There are no superstars in the Kingdom of God.  If Jesus is the center there is no room for you or I to be.  Our goal as believers is to individually and collectively glorify Jesus through our lives.  Whether collaborating on a new idea, writing a song, launching a community initiative, developing a sermon, creating a new fashion trend, _____________________(Fill in the blank), there is power in collaboration.  You can do exponentially more collectively than you can do individually.  

I’m encouraging you to find someone and share your dream with them.  Allow someone else to speak new life into it!  Find someone else that you can invest in and push for and set up for a win.  When I look back on some of the greatest moments/accomplishments in my life I notice VERY few were conquered alone.  As the great philosopher Vanilla Ice so brilliantly stated, “Stop. Collaborate and listen.”



Tauren Wells is the lead singer of the band, Royal Tailor. He serves as the Creative Director for Royalwood and is also on the youth staff. He loves interacting with students and building relationships. Follow Tauren on Twitter.

City Kids "Be at B-TOWN" Contest

City Kids is having a Be at B-TOWN Contest to launch an exciting new phase of ministry for children at Royalwood Church! Be at B-Town is an attendance contest. When your child checks in at City Kids for The Factory their name will be entered into the contest. Each week they check in, their name will be entered again. Now, your kids can score big by bringing friends with them each week as well. When they bring a friend their name gets entered AGAIN and their friends name as well. 

The contest will run on Wednesday nights for 4 weeks beginning April 17th. We will draw the winners on May 15th and the kids will have to be present to win!

Spread the word, City Kids is the place to BE!

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It's Monday!

As I reflect in the celebration of the risen King on Easter, I am so very thankful for what Jesus did for me on Calvary. He took my place! He took the nails for me, He took the beating for me, and He carried my sin and shame… ALL for me!!!!  Why me… Who am I? I don’t deserve it! He did it all so I could be FREE! Yes free! Free from all sin and shame, free from all bondage, free…free…free….  

Why is freedom celebration displayed on life’s stage on that faithful Sunday, yet people go home from a resurrection Sunday and are still bound on the Monday?

This question has many answers, but there are two I want to address. Indeed the scripture is clear about the Delivering Power of Jesus.

John 8:36 - If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Let’s be clear about this.. Jesus wants you to be free. The reason we celebrate Easter is that Jesus conquered the death and the grave so that we could be free!

I go back to the age old question. Why are Christ’s children sitting on the powerless pews still bound with the same old problems? Has the church lost its power? NO! Has the Pulpit waivered in power? NO!  Has the Word of God diminished in power? NO! So what has?

The simple answer is humanity… Let me explain the complicated answer to a simple question.

The moment Jesus rose from the grave, there was an echo of deliverance that resounded throughout the ages to come! I am free, so therefore you can be free! In you is the power to overcome the first day of bondage and stay victorious.

Your enemy has it right. He knows exactly what to use to bring you back into captivity. There are two weapons he uses. The first deals with yourself and the second deals with others.

The first is self-condemnation!  This is a very important and vital tool for the enemy! Once you begin to condemn yourself and think you can’t make the mark because of your failure. Guess what? You drift like a ship without a sail back into the former life. A life of bondage.  This time you are captive to condemnation! You can never get away from the past; you dwell on it, live in it until it consumes you! The enemy’s drug is a steady and increasing dose of subtle deception! Don’t be free from sin to be bound again.

Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Replace self-condemnation with self-discernment!

You are Christ’s child. You sought forgiveness, and he adequately responded with deliverance. Speak to your enemy with those triumphant words!

Luke 4:8 - And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

You are free because Christ says you are free! It’s Monday, and yes you are still free even when the temper comes with self-condemnation and his only purpose is for you to be bound!  

The second is others! It is no coincidence that Jesus points out the church in scripture. You say, “can the church stand in the way?” Unfortunately, yes! The enemy can use the very elect to derail the brokenhearted? Again, others are the very commodity the enemy uses that delivers rich returns.

You see scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in a fault and displayed it for everyone to see. Let’s stone the guilty! Let’s parade her faults for everyone to see! Let’s cast her out by stoning her and use the law to accomplish it! We don’t want her, we don’t need her, and we can do without her! That was the mentality of the church at that time!

Child of God, at times you will need to do what Jesus did and shake the dust from off your sandals… in other words, your enemy who comes to kill, steal, and destroy will at times use others to ridicule, accuse, tear down and try to destroy your progress in Jesus!

Again, let’s use the One whose motives and agenda can’t be questioned! 

John 8:11 - And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. The scripture reveals that her failure didn't define her, but rather revealed Jesus by way of her enemy! You see, your failure isn't a destination, but an event. It’s not your identity, because the Potter hath power over the clay.

It’s the day after Easter and you are blazing toward Pentecost! It’s Monday! You are still FREE! Even when self-condemnation screams in your ears, in your dreams, at work, in a group or all alone, Its Monday! You still have Resurrection power available to you!

It’s the day after Easter and you are heading to the miraculous outpouring of His Holy Spirit! It’s Monday! You are still FREE! Even when your enemy uses his prized commodity to be a stumbling block, even when those who proclaim to be in the church judge you and try to stone you with rocks of condemnation;

REMEMBER, Jesus doesn’t condemn you! He used a lying, cursing Peter and made him the “rock”.  He used a murderous Saul to be the messenger to the Gentile nation!

All it takes to be truly changed is one interaction with Jesus! All else is just noise!

It’s Monday and you are still FREE! You don’t have to be the statistic that says people will fall back into previous bad habits and live a defeated life. It’s Monday!

Child of God, It's Monday! Church it's Monday!

Instead of casting stones, let’s be the ROCK they can stand upon! 

www.royalwood.cc

Dan Castleberry serves on the Pastoral ministry team and leads various ministries at Royalwood. He is married to Robyn and has three beautiful daughters.  You can follow Dan on Twitter

You're Invited to Resurrection 2013 at Royalwood!

This Easter, we invite you to join Royalwood Church at 10:00 am as we come together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 

On Easter, we will start a dynamic 4 week series, "Resurrection." This series is specifically designed to resurrect your life with Christ. You don't want to miss the spirit-filled worship and powerful message!

In addition, our children’s ministry will have an action packed service with exciting worship and a visit from Toy Story's Buzz Light Year and Woody! After service, we will host our annual Easter Egg Hunt.

If you have questions, please feel free to call us at 281-458-2102.  We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

www.royalwood.cc

  

In Whose Image?

My family and I were recently at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and I was reminded again at how much American people are enamored with their own looks.  I have never seen such a display and array of undesirable clothing, jewelry, make-up, etc. that adorn much of the human race.  I watched as men and women alike walked past me flaunting their best superficial attributes to the world!  I was amazed and shocked again by people trying to impress others by their conspicuous and ostensible adornment.

We live in a world that image is everything!  Our looks and outward appearance have become much more important than our character and integrity!  Everywhere we turn, there is another advertisement or article about improving our looks.  After the Academy Awards, all we heard for days was what each star wore and who was the designer.   If we are made in His own image as the Bible tells us that we are, why do we feel that we should upgrade the model that God made?

I think we should always look our best and I am certainly not declaring that fashion should not be a part of our lives; however, I believe we can become so besotted with what others think of us, that we forget who we are supposed to delight.  The Bible says we cannot serve two masters so we are either going to please God or we are going to try and gratify our own desires. 

I read again the story of Esther and the scripture says that the women that were to come before the King, prepared themselves for 12 months with purification and various beauty treatments.  It is apparent that self-image has been important for a long time.  The women were given anything that they wanted to adorn themselves before coming before the King.  The scripture says that Esther did not take anything other than what the chamberlain required of her.  We know of course, that she was the one that King Ahasuerus chose to be the next Queen.

The Lord said that he would supply all of our needs so we do not have to appease, enchant, or titillate the world around us.  Our prayer today must be, “Make me in your image, Oh God!” 

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Jeanna Macey is married to Pastor Ron Macey. She is the Chorale Director for Royalwood and serves as Advisor to Royalwood's various ladies ministries. Follow Jeanna Macey  on Twitter 

Others

We are living in the day where everywhere we look we are being encouraged to think of ourselves and   not to be concerned about others.  The self-centered, self-serving attitude is also seen in great proportion in the modern day church. We like our church comfortable, we like it like WE like it! We enjoy church programs that cater to our likes. We don’t appreciate anyone that disrupts our familiar, comfortable routine; from the place we park, to the door in which we enter, we are all prone to falling into the trap of self-fulfillment.

The love for God’s house, worship, singing, and fellowship is enjoyed by every child of God and are noble pursuits. A term we hear regularly is “church service.” Have we gotten the church part learned but failed to pursue the “service” for the Lord? We can become so consumed with our own needs in life that we fail to consider “OTHERS.” The focus of the life of our Lord Jesus was always “OTHERS.”

In 1910, the Salvation Army was meeting in London for their annual convention. Their founder, General William Booth, would not be able to attend due to illness. His eyes were failing him and he had become an invalid.  General Booth was urged by his followers to at least send a telegram and greet the Army on the opening day of the convention. Not wanting to spend money on a long telegram, he had decided to send just a word of greeting that would encourage the faithful volunteers for another year. When the telegram arrived at the convention and was read, it simply said “OTHERS”, signed General William Booth.

One word that describes the mission and calling of our Lord is “OTHERS,”  What should be on the heart of the church is “OTHERS.” Do unto others….OTHERS! OTHERS! OTHERS! A word from God…OTHERS! A word from General William Booth…OTHERS! A word that beats with the pulse of God…OTHERS! Let’s pledge to make OTHERS our focus, for by this men will know that we are His disciples!

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Pastor Ron Macey has served as Pastor of Royalwood Church for 29 years. He believes that our mission is "Reaching, Teaching & Serving" those around us. Follow Pastor Macey on Twitter.

Live Between the Steps

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 

                                                                                   Psalms 118:24

There’s a built-in danger in goal setting. What is it? It’s believing we’ll only be happy when we reach those goals. We tell ourselves: “When I graduate, get married, have children, own my own home, etc.,” so we keep postponing life.

University professor tells of being invited to speak at a military base and meeting an unforgettable soldier name Ralph at the airport. After they introduced themselves they headed toward baggage claim. As they walked down the concourse Ralph kept disappearing, once to help an older woman whose suitcase had fallen open, once to life up two toddlers so they could see Santa Clause, and again to give directions to someone who was lost. Each time he came back with a big smile on his face. 

“Where did you learn to live like that?” the professor asked. “Oh,” Ralph said, “During the war, I guess.” Then he told the professor about his last tour of duty, how it was his job to detect mines, and how he watched his friends died one after another. “I learned to live between the steps”, he said. “I never knew whether the next step would be my last, so I learned to get everything I could out of the moment between when I picked up my foot and put it down again. Every step I took was a whole new world, and I guess I've been living that way ever since.”

Ralph had it right! To get the most out of living we must live by the scripture: “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

www.royalwood.cc

Dan Castleberry is on the Pastoral ministry team and leads various ministries at Royalwood. He is married to Robyn and has three beautiful daughters.  You can  follow Dan on Twitter.