Happy Summer everyone!

This has been an amazing winter and fall seasons all folding into a new "season" of life...or lives conjoining together as mine and my new Wife Chef Lissette have been growing into...God is Good! And as many know Chef Ira and new Wife Abby were married this spring also!  Making ALL things New!  ...and our ultimate testimony is that we are living proof of that...This would not be... unless God was wholeheartedly in it!  Wow...amazing...Just as the Christian Culinary Academy Class of 2016-17 steps into a new season  we rejoice with them and with you who have supported continue and pray for all that Our Father is doing in lives and through the gifts He gave us to do that...If any of you has not received a recent CCI Newsletter in your email we are using a new server.  This is also a reminder to resubscribe to the Newsletter and to be encouraged that your prayers for us have worked!  And will continue as God never changes His Love ...
So ...as we continue to seek first the Kingdom of God...and of Him first in our lives, our relationship with Him grows exponentially as does ours in our marriages...

Praying you all are being touched and held in His Love...Just wanted to share some good words from His Word...We thank you for being ..co-believers and co-"missioned" with His Great commission to "God and make disciples..." In our going and coming we all know the importance and blessing of running to and diving into the Word of God and as we "Act" on our parts it is good to read of those "Acts" of the apostles...We encourage you to do so... Taste and See!  That God is good!  

From Good input from Pastor Kelly Lineberry on chapters 9, 10 and 11 of Acts ...God Bless and Rock and Roll!  Jesus is the Rock and we Roll!

Acts 9. What do you do when you realize you are wrong? I'm thinking there are areas in our life where we are wrong and God is trying to get our attention to guide us into truth and a better way. We all need to be teachable. Saul was so wrong and so blind to it that God had to knock him off his high horse, shine a bright light in his eyes and physically blind him to get his attention! 
Sometimes we are so entrenched on a certain position with people and situations. Sometimes we are stubborn at the wrong times and in the wrong ways. Sometimes we are fighting God and His will.
When Saul (later named the Apostle Paul) finally realized he was wrong he asked this amazing question, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" We might want to ask that as well. Jesus is Lord and we should acknowledge that. Then we should discover what He wants us to do, and then we should do it. Give God your yes! It is the very best thing you can do with your life.

Acts 10. This chapter gives us the details of a huge and controversial shift in the church. God uses Peter and a Roman soldier to declare that the Law and the Old Covenant have been fulfilled. There is a new covenant and a new way now. The blood of Jesus cleanses all, and anyone, who believes on Him. It took people of prayer and fasting, angels appearing, visions and Holy Spirit speaking clearly to get this to happen. When Peter entered Cornelius' house he began to teach them about Jesus, His love, His power, His death and resurrection ... then Holy Spirit came and filled them all and they all began to speak in tongues and worship God. That was the big evidence that Gentiles were included and accepted in the church without any works of the law. Still today the anointing and presence of Holy Spirit reveals many things to us. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and He dwells within us to lead, guide, comfort and empower. Anyone can be saved! Anyone can be filled with Holy Spirit!

Acts 11. Contention arose in the church against Peter. Tradition was broken and some Apostles and brethren were concerned and wanted to defend tradition. The great thing is they had a conversation with Peter and listened to his explanation. After hearing about the vision, the words of God, the angel and the baptism with the Holy Spirit accompanied with speaking in tongues ... they stopped the contention and glorified God for the work of salvation He was doing in other people groups!
That is a great pattern still today when contention arises in the church or even in relationships. Stop, have a conversation or two, or three ... listen to each other's heart. Consider the motives and what God is doing, and work it out until you have unity again.
It took many more conversations, prayer meetings, experiences, adjustments ... but eventually the church grew, people came together, ministry expanded and they continued to work on unity and the progression of God's will. God is moving. He does new things. He reaches out to all people. He has new emphasis and new methods quite often. It is true that God doesn't change personally but we see in scriptures that His methods and movements and directives change quite often. Think about the differences from Adam to Abraham to Moses to David to Isaiah to Jeremiah to Daniel to John the Baptist to Jesus to Paul to Constantine to Martin Luther to Azusa Street to all the changes in the last 100 years ... (I know I skipped a bunch but you get the idea)
Core Biblical doctrines never change but many other things do, traditions sometimes change ... keep having lots of conversations. Don't allow contentions to grow. Work hard to understand and be in step with God. Work hard on unity. Don't change because of emotions or society but do change because of the Holy Spirit's directives and leading.