Volunteer Community THIS Saturday!

THIS Saturday night, 7pm at the Warehouse (14426 Black Lake RD. Odessa, FL 33556) is the first Volunteer Community of 2012!!! If you are one of the awesome volunteers at the Suncoast then don't miss this quarterly time of fun where we simply say, "THANK YOU!" You can also bring your family for the fun and it all starts at 7pm this Saturday night.

If you have never been to a Volunteer Community here is what usually goes on. We always EAT, and EAT GOOD! This time we are having a Tampa Bay fav, Cuban's with Black beans and Rice. We also do something wild and crazy for those who dare. At Christmas we played "Minute to Win It" and one of the challenges had dancing (more like shaking) involved and it was pee your pants funny! So, I think Rita and Crystal have something planned along those lines, can't wait, even I don't know what it going on. We usually wrap the night up with a SHORT talk where I basically just say, "Thank you" and "Keep up the good work!" It is a lot of fun and a great chance to get to know people without the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning. AND, if you attended the Christmas Volunteer Community we will be giving you the "photo booth" pics!

Finally, you guys will get to be the first to hear some exciting news! Just going to leave it at that. But, trust me you will want to hear this!

If you have any questions please let Rita know at:

rita@canthisbechurch.com

Can't wait!!! See you on Saturday Night, 7pm!

New and Next

This coming week at the Suncoast is all about NEW and NEXT...

... first the NEW:

New Message Series This Sunday!

"Those People"

We all have some difficult people in our lives right? Someone who is just a bit needy maybe? Every time they talk to you they have some big crisis and need you to fix it for them. Or, maybe you have some really nasty, critical people in your life. How do you deal with that? What about those manipulative family members? And, the list goes on and on... they are, you know, "Those People" and sometimes we think our lives would be a whole lot better if we didn't know them. So, what do you do? How can we help? How can we show love and not go crazy ourselves? That is what these next four weeks are all about at the Suncoast.

Let's do all we can to pack the house and invite people like we really believe this stuff about Jesus and His love and His forgiveness Suncoasters! I left a few cards this week and personally invited my pharmacist! There is still time, so let's go for the ASK! "Will you come to church with me this Sunday?"

Now the next...

NEXT Groups Start This Week!

NEXT Groups are small groups of people from the church that circle up during the week to dig deeper into Sunday's message, serve the community, give and pray for each other. We believe life change happens best in groups, in community, in relationships with other Christ-Followers. Where did we get that idea? Well, Jesus! Look at what He did. He spent time with the crowds, but gathered up 12 guys and spent the bulk of His time with them. It was a small group, or a NEXT Group as we call them. AND, they are a lot of fun! I have made friendships with so many people at our church because of groups. I will never really get to know people on a Sunday, just not going to happen. It won't happen for you either! But, in a NEXT Group by the end of the 12 weeks you will have some new friends and your faith will be stronger.

So, I dare you, double dare you, double dog dare you, call you chicken... to try one of these groups. Look, we all are busy, Cheryl and I just had a baby!!! But, you make time for the things that are important to you. Spending time in a NEXT Group, I'm telling you, is a much better use of your time than kids sporting events (they are not going pro), working late, or doing laundry (a much better use of time than that). Your soul is eternal and your relationships are eternal. Make an investment in what matters!!! Take a next step in a NEXT Group!

We have groups for middle and high schoolers and adults. For all the info check out the NEWS page of our website.

NEW and NEXT. Two big vision pieces of our church.

The Sunday That Was (February 12)

If last Sunday was a good Sunday, then this past Sunday was a GREAT Sunday at the Suncoast! Anytime you run out of chairs you know it was great! So... some random highlights:

• We dedicated 6 kids, our most ever at one time! - Go God!!!
• One of those kids was our baby Sophie!
• The band played the Steve Miller Band classic, "Take the Money and Run" to close out our financial series called, "Balanced".
• Crystal and Keith shared an awesome personal story about how they were $12,000 in debt in 2009, started coming to the Suncoast, heard a message series on money, made the decision to get out of debt and start tithing and by 2010 they were debt free! Thank you guys for sharing, it was very powerful! God's truth works!!!
• I thought the baptism teaching video was the best I have ever seen. Thanks to our friends at Granger for producing it. We DO need an anchor for our faith and baptism is one of those anchors. It reminds us we are not who we used to be! We are new!
• We baptized 3 people in 40 degree weather! - Go God!!!

The message video is already up so if you missed it, make sure you check it out. Ignore the crazy sound guy waving his arms like a mad man about 30+ minutes in ;-)

Thank you to everyone that set up, ran tech, played in the band, worked in kids, or greeted someone with a smile! Without you GREAT Sundays like this one don't happen. God doesn't care about our ability, but He does honor our availability. Thanks for being available for Him to use! One of the guys we baptized has been coming for almost 6 years, since the day care days, so keep up the hard work, you never know when God uses it in someone's life!

THIS Sunday we start a brand new series called:

We all have some difficult people in our lives. Some of them are overly needy. Some are critical. Some are just down right manipulative. So how do we deal with "Those" People? That is what we will be talking about for the next 4 Sundays. AND, this is a perfect series to invite someone to! If you know someone who does not go to church then this is a perfect series to introduce them to our church! Let's invite this week like we actually believe this stuff!!!

We also start NEXT Groups this coming week (Feb 19th - 25th), more about that later this week here on my blog or you can get the skinny here:

http://www.canthisbechurch.com/news

As great as this past Sunday was I am expecting even greater things this week. Let's celebrate what God did and what He is doing! I love my church!

The Sunday That Was (January 15)

Getting back in the groove here. Here is what "hopefully" will be going on this year.

Monday - I will post a recap of the previous Sunday and talk about what is coming up.

Tuesday - The message video from the previous Sunday will be up on the message player at the top right of my blog.

Wednesday / Thursday - I will post some big vision deal or something else I really want you guys to know as your pastor.

So, since it is Monday here are some random thoughts from my view yesterday:

• It was stinkin' cold! I don't know how people up north, meaning Georgia up, do it! When I got there for set up it was 37 outside!
• As usual for Floridian's both native and naturalized when it gets this cold the attendance also drops with the thermometer. SO, I am thankful for all of you that got up, got the family ready, and made the effort. I hope you were blessed.
• We did the hit song from last year, "Billionaire" and I always get a kick out of seeing how people respond. As always the reason we do stuff like this is two-fold. One the next time you are listening to the radio and hear that song, which you will, you will forever associate it with church and what we are talking about in this, "Balanced" series. The second reason is because if you are not someone who goes to church, maybe you are not even a Christian, and you hear something in church that connects "our world" to "your world" it is a win. It breaks down barriers is what I am saying. We will do anything short of sin at the Suncoast to reach people who might not be reached any other way with the good news that God loves them and gave His Son Jesus for them so that if they believe, they receive new life in Christ! Come on!!!
• I saw new faces which is why we do church. We expect to have guests every week. Thank you to the greeters who stood out in the cold to welcome all our guests! You warmed them up before they ever got in the building!
• We had some issues with the video so there will only be audio this week. Sorry!
• The part of the message where I really felt like it hit home what we were talking about was the illustration with my car. I was talking about how our CLEAR OBJECTIVE when it comes to being balanced financially is to HONOR GOD not just with a percentage, but with EVERYTHING we have. All our income, our saving, our spending, all of our financial pie. So, I shared this analogy to understand things better:

"I have a 1969 Buick GS 400. It is a classic American Muscle car if that doesn’t mean anything to you. It has been in my family since the day it was purchased from Ron Norris Buick. It is worth a lot. So, one day you ask me if you can borrow my GS to go cruising to the drive-in theater in Dade City. I say, “Sure, here’s the keys, here’s how to drive it, have fun.” Now, here’s my question, what percentage of my car do you think I expect you to take care of? Am I thinking, well, you know, it will probably come back and be trashed, but they will probably clean the windshield and vacuum one of the floor mats and the rest will be trashed? But, hey you know, they took care of 10 percent of my car! NO! If I loaned you my car I expect you to take care of 100% of it! I don’t want you thinking in terms of what percentage you have to worry about! If you want to honor me you take care of ALL of it!

God says that is how I view your stuff, your money, your income, your investments whatever it is. It is not about “pay me off with a percentage”; I’m all for a percentage of giving because wherever your treasure is your heart is going to follow like we said last week, but this isn’t about that. The driving force in terms of staying balanced is to learn how to honor God with everything!"

Again, there is only audio this week, but if you missed the message please get the podcast from our website and give it a listen before next Sunday.

• We closed out the service with a song called, "In You" and it was a time for all of us to ask God one question, "God, show me how to honor you with everything I have." If you will do that this week and DO WHAT GOD SAYS there is a peace, a liberation, and even an enjoyment of money that doesn't come any other way than to be BALANCED.

One big announcement before I wrap this up:

On February 12th we will be having our next Baptism and Child Dedication celebration! If you have never taken this next step as a Christ-Follower then don't let anything keep you from obeying and following Jesus in this important step on your faith journey. You can e-mail:

info@canthisbechurch.com if you have any questions or to sign up.

We will also be doing child dedications for children up to 5th grade. For more info e-mail Crystal at crystal@canthisbechurch.com

Don't miss this Sunday guys! Who are you inviting? Don't discount the POWER of the personal invite.

It's Christmas Time Baby!

Well, the time is here Suncoast family! The stores are packed, the streets are nuts, and the time to get your invite into full gear is on!

This Saturday night, 6pm at Rushe we will have the chance to partner with the angels in not only celebrating the birth of Jesus, but partner with God's redemptive work in our world. That means God is moving in people's hearts even now. He will bring new people into His eternal kingdom at our church this Saturday. AND you could be a part of that!!!

How? By investing your remaining minutes into some people around you and then inviting them to the Suncoast for Christmas Eve. The service is going to be different from anything you have ever seen at the Suncoast. We have put a lot of effort into this time, this moment, this opportunity. Will you join me in honoring God and His Son by doing all we can to pack the house? It is the best gift you can give Him these last few days before Christmas!

• Will you bring someone?
• Will you make sure you are there at least 5-minutes early?
• Will you consider what gift God would have you give to this years Christmas Offering?

I am praying for you! I am praying for the people you will be asking! Will you pray for the staff and for the service and for the souls HE WILL SAVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT?

I love my church!

The Sunday That Was (November 27)

The Sunday AFTER Thanksgiving, AKA turkey hangover weekend, was upon us yesterday. You guys crack me up, I ask if you are thankful and everyone is so groggy no one responds, ha! We got through it though. Thank you to the awesome volunteers who showed up and made Sunday happen. You guys ROCK!

I went to bed Saturday night about 90% sure Cheryl would make it through the next 24 hours without going into labor. Little Sophie is due on December 11th, but we are thinking it might be a week early, or anytime really! So, I was glad we made it through Sunday since I had no back up plan for this week, thanks Sophie! We will keep you guys posted as we get closer to the big day.

I thought the service yesterday was really good. We opened with a MuteMath song called, "Chaos" appropriately. I liked the third screen touch for it. Glad Rushe has that sitting up there in the ceiling! The band did some of my fav songs too. Love hearing Stephanie sing Revelation Song! You guys rocked! Thanks for volunteering your time and talents even though everything is different week to week. One day we will have our own place with sound we can depend on! Oh, the thought! Finally, I wrapped up the, "Chaos" series talking about one of my fav Bible dudes named Joseph.

I love Joseph's story because there is nothing supernatural going on. No angels busting onto the scene, no burning bushes, no voices from the heavens. I guess I am saying I can relate. God has yet to use any of those things in my life when things are chaotic. The tension we addressed was this:

How do you follow a good God when times are not? We want to believe God is with us and for us but how do we do that in times of chaos? Why should we be faithful to God when it seems He is not being faithful to us? Good questions right? And, I am not going to really get into all that we talked about because you can listen to the message, but the take home was this...

"It’s easy to follow God in the good times. It’s easy to follow when our prayers all seem to be answered. But, in times of extreme chaos when God seems distant it is hard to follow. It is easy to look around and think we are the victim. BUT, do you know what we learn from Joseph’s story. You are not a victim. I am not a victim. We are players in God’s amazing plan for this world. The chaos in your life and around you right now is just a tool for God’s greater good.

So how do you follow God in the chaos? How do you follow a good God when times are not? You do what Joseph did:

You live your life like someone who is confident God is with you.

That’s it. You just follow! You keep on keeping on keeping on, living your life like someone who knew that they knew that they knew God was with them. How do you deal with the chaos of your job, your marriage, your finances, your dating world, your future? You live with the confidence, that even in your circumstances, you know God is with you and will never leave you or forsake you. You know that God has been leveraging, and using, and bringing good out of chaos, out of the ashes throughout human existence and you are no exception. You know that God is with you.

You pray, you remember, you seek first, and you follow. You pray, you remember, you seek, and you follow. And on the other side God will have done more in and through you than you could ever imagine. Your faith will have thrived in the chaos and you will know your Heavenly Father deeper than you did before."

I hope this series helped you! I think it has been one of my favorites. It was the 77th message series in the 5 year history of our church, by the way, in case you were keeping count. Would love to hear what your favorite has been over your run here at the Suncoast!

Two things before I wrap this up:

Christmas @ the Suncoast will be here before you know it! Our service will be at 6pm and we will have a shorter volunteer service after for all the volunteers that served during the 6pm regular service. Let's pack the house guys! This is about Jesus!!! IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH MOTIVATION THEN WHAT IS? Really?

Finally, our Volunteer Christmas Party is THIS Saturday night, 7pm here at the Warehouse. If you are a volunteer (or the spouse of a volunteer) then please join us as we celebrate... YOU!!! This is the one time we ask middle school and older only because it is a special night and we want you to have a blast!!! I promise this will be the best Christmas party you go to all year!!! Really!!! For more info e-mail Rita at:

rita@canthisbechurch.com

Neglect... [why you might need this Sunday]

This morning I was reading in Hebrews chapter 2 and the Apostle Paul warns us with this:

"This is why it’s necessary for us to pay more attention to what we have heard, or else we may drift away..."

In my years as a pastor, and as a follower of Christ, I can say without a doubt the number one cause of spiritual problems and issues is NOT failure or sin, it is neglect. We neglect our faith and when we do it suffers, we drift, we fall into temptation, we feel empty. Paul warns us we need to pay more attention so that we don't drift away. Meaning, we need to read the Bible, pray, worship, serve, give, and spend time enjoying other Christ-Followers. All the personal things we do to keep our faith fresh and alive.

As your pastor as I take the temperature of our church I think many of us would say our faith is a bit flat right now... could it be because we have neglected it like a pound puppy!

So, this Sunday we are starting a new message series on prayer. For the next three weeks we will talk about what prayer is, some of the common frustrations, and we will look at how Jesus taught His followers to pray (which might shock you how much we miss the point of prayer). If your prayer life, and faith, could use a boost then please be here this Sunday. I have been praying for exactly that!

For more info click here:
http://www.canthisbechurch.com/current-series

Don't Miss This Chance!

To all my friends at the Suncoast... DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE! As this week has gone by I get a stronger and stronger sense God wants to move in BIG ways this Sunday at the Suncoast. What does that mean?

I think marriages will start down a path of healing. I think students will find freedom from some past hurts. I think those of us with a low grade fever, an anger, a frustration that lies just below the surface will be released to new joy! I think many people will finally forgive themselves and those who have held them in a prison of emotional captivity...

BUT, MOST OF ALL I BELIEVE DOZENS OF PEOPLE WILL FIND THE FORGIVENESS OF JESUS FOR THE FIRST TIME! Don't miss the chance to be a part of this, and what God wants to do in the lives of the people all around you at work, in your family, and in your neighborhood. Invite like a person possessed by the forgiveness of God and can't wait to share that with others!

E-mail me, tweet me, or facebook who you are inviting so I can be praying.

I love my church!

This Sunday I am asking everyone to do one of two things.

The first thing is, if you have never been baptized as an adult, meaning you were old enough to know what you were doing and meant it, if you have never been baptized then bring a towel and a change of clothes and tell everyone you have DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS! I know it might seem a little scary, and what will people think, and I don't know, and what about my hair, and I am not sure I am ready and... Look, YOU WILL NEVER BE "READY". If you have accepted / trusted / believed in Jesus to be your Savior in your heart then you are as ready as you will ever be! You might still have some questions, you might still have some doubts, you might not understand it all. Fine. In the Bible, someone made a decision to follow Jesus and they were baptized that day!!! No waiting. Have you decided to trust in Jesus, then you need to follow in obedience this Sunday. This Sunday is YOUR TIME. Don't let fear keep you from obeying Jesus. The step of faith will be rewarded and you will experience what it is like to go public with your faith. No turning back! THIS IS YOUR SUNDAY! I believe that will all my heart and I have been praying for you!

If you are a parent of a birth - 5th grader then I would also challenge you to dedicate your child THIS SUNDAY! This is a simple act with profound implications. You are publicly telling everyone that you are wanting to raise this child in a Jesus-centered environment so that one day they will make the decision to follow Jesus as well. You are publicly saying you need God's help and the church gets to commit to YOU in helping with that process. Read Deuteronomy 6:6-9 That is your goal and commitment as a godly parent. That is what this Sunday's dedication is all about, creating that kind of environment.

The second thing I am asking you to do is pray for this Sunday. If you have already been baptized then pray for those that will be taking that step this Sunday. Pray for courage and boldness. Pray God's blessings over them as they obey and follow Jesus. Pray this Sunday is even more epic than last Sunday!

If you are getting baptized, during the final song at the end of the service on Sunday, I will ask you to slip back to the restrooms and change. If you are dedicating your kids go and get them from the Coastal Kids area during that time too. THEN, we will all meet at the Guest Services Kiosk in the back for some final instructions and prayer before we head out to the baptismal kiddie pool.

IT IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!
Praying for you.

It Is Time To Take Your Next Step!

Our purpose for our church is:
Helping people take their next steps with God

And, specifically what we are trying to do is:
Create relevant environments in which God can work

Over the next month everyone will have the chance to take at least one BIG next step at the Suncoast. Here are a few of them:

> Bring someone for the Fall Launch (Aug 21)
Every year we hit the reset button and launch into the fall with hopefully lots of momentum. It is back to school time, and back to a routine time for most people, and that means getting back into the church groove. We start a big new message series about a highly practical topic for believers and non-believers. And, I am personally asking you to make sure there is another person there because of you on August 21st. We have been talking about "Go Fish" for 5-weeks now, let's do it!

> Sign up for a NEXT Group
Starting this Sunday the 14th we will be signing up for our fall NEXT Groups. NEXT Groups are smaller groups of people that meet for 10-weeks in homes on various nights of the week. During that time you will be diving deeper into Sunday's message, talking, sharing, praying for each other, eating, having fun, serving the community and giving to a cause your group chooses. Pick a group with some friends or make some new ones. Group sign ups will go until September 11th. I know this is a BIG next step for some, but don't let your fear keep you from something amazing!

> Baptism and Child Dedication (Aug 28)
When a person became a Christ-Follower in the Bible their next step was to "go public" with their faith and be baptized. On Sunday the 28th you will have the chance to follow Jesus in obedience. If you were baptized as a child I think this is for you too because there is nothing like letting people know you are one of His followers! To sign up e-mail us at info@canthisbechurch.com If you are a parent of a birth - 5th grader and would like to have them dedicated then we will also be celebrating that on the 28th. For more info e-mail Crystal at crystal@canthisbechurch.com

> Step up and serve
Right now we have a chance for you to serve God, and His people, and those who are coming to experience Him for the first time this fall! We have 2 - 4 spots in our Coastal Kids Ministry in the Beach (elementary age). We have 2 spots on our set up team. We have 2 spots on the greeting and usher team. AND, we can ALWAYS use more hands tearing down the school after church is over each Sunday. Investing in Wall Street is a crap shoot right now, investing in God's kingdom ALWAYS PAYS DIVIDENDS!

So, no excuses Suncoast. Now, is the time to take your next step. Sometimes the biggest things in life come from taking small steps of obedience. Again for more info on any of this, e-mail us at info@canthisbechurch.com

Invite Cards for the Fall Launch

Every year we have a big fall kick off once school gets back into the groove. This year we will kick off the day before school starts on August 21st. We are starting a new series called "Life at the Redline" and there will be lots of fun pre and post service like we did on Father's Day and other big Sundays. Grab some of these great looking invite cards starting THIS Sunday at the Suncoast!

Hot Summer Nights, Friday 7pm

This Friday night, 7pm at the Warehouse (14426 Black Lake Rd. Odessa, FL 33556) we are having something called "Hot Summer Nights". We got real creative with the name being that is is July in the Tampa Bay Area! Right now here is the line up for the whole family:

• Giant 20ft tall water slide


• Giant inflatable jousting


• Cornhole contest


• Putting green


• Basketball


• Wii


• FREE hotdogs, burgers and drinks

I think that is the big stuff... it is going to be a lot of fun. DO ME A FAVOR SUNCOAST! Bring someone with you.

Don't miss "Go Fish" part 3 on Sunday and next week I am going to be sharing some of the things that came out of our staff retreat last week. Stay tuned for that!

Homework from Sunday

This past Sunday we started a new series that I honestly believe will be the most important thing we talk about all year! That doesn't mean you can skip the rest of the year after this series... The series is called "Go Fish" and if you missed it you can watch it here on my blog at the upper right corner.

At the end of the message I gave everyone some homework. The homework was to write a quick letter to the person or group of people that God used to strategically bring you to faith, or back to faith. The person or group of people that told you the message of Jesus and it "stuck". We said most of us have heard the message of Jesus so there was something unique about the messenger God used, and this letter reminds us:

1. We were all "fish" once!


2. We are so glad this person took a chance, got up the courage, and invited us, gave us a book, told us about their faith. We are glad they told us, not mad about it.


3. If it was not for this person (don't get all theological on me) we might still be a "fish" wandering in the depths trying to make sense out of life.

So, have you written your letter yet? I wrote mine to my parents. I have not sent it to them yet, but I plan on doing so. You can give it to the person, but you don't have to! The point is for us to remember what it is like to do for someone else what someone did for us.

If you have a letter you would like me to post on my blog e-mail me at brian@canthisbechurch.com

See you Sunday for part two of "Go Fish"

New Direction for This Blog

It has been a few months since I last blogged. At first I did a social media fast to spend more time focused on my relationship with God. Since then I have slowly started to twitter more and even an occasional facebook post or comment. AND, after some thought I have decided to go in a new direction with my blog.

Starting this week I will focus on things mainly for my church, Church of the Suncoast. I will be doing re-caps from the following Sunday, talking about upcoming events, sharing thoughts for our people, and casting the vision for the Suncoast. In the past I have shared ministry insights and creative resources hoping to share with others what I have been blessed with, usually by someone else, but for now, for this season, my goal will be to build up and equip the people that call the Suncoast home.

Look for a couple, maybe even three, post a week from here on out. It will likely be on Monday's and Wednesday's, or Thursday's.

Thanks for reading my blog and if you are a pastor or church leader please feel free to ask for anything, my e-mail is brian@canthisbechurch.com

Easter @ the Suncoast 2011

Wow! All I can say is wow! GO GOD! Yesterday was an amazing day at Church of the Suncoast. Obviously, it was Easter so we expected to have a bigger crowd, last Sunday I cast some vision about what if we could double the size of our church in just one week if we all brought someone, and for the first time in our five year history we actually did just that! We came within 5 people of DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE we had the week before, close enough to call it double right!

Every person had a story. Every person was someone we tried to honor and serve. Every person heard the Gospel of Jesus preached and acted out by our amazing volunteers who served. OMG! We had 52 kids yesterday and I counted at least 4 more on the way :-)

Here are a few other numbers to thank God for:

34 first, second or third time guests (and there are always more who don't fill out a card)

4 people accepted God's Easter gift and invited Jesus into their lives, THAT NEVER GETS OLD and that is what this is all about Suncoast.

175 the number of people at the Suncoast.

If you have followed my blog, or our church, then you know it has been a hard year for us. Just a lot of stuff going on in the area we do church. A lot of economic stuff that has led to a lot of relational stuff and so on. We were doing two services last year and had 237 and then the bottom fell out. We struggled, went back to one service. Really fought and prayed our way through this and Sunday really felt like we turned a corner. God is faithful Suncoast! Our best days are still to come.

Thank you to all the amazing people who made Easter happen. It was great to see the people stick around for Sno Cones and the bounce houses and just enjoy the day. I hope you were as pumped up as I was!

I love my church!

Spring Forward Fun

See you bright and early for the second part of our series "One Generation Away". Do not miss this important message, especially if you have kids!!!

10:30am @ Rushe Middle School

One Generation Away

If you are someone under the age of 25, or you are the parent of anyone under the age of 25, or you one day will be, or you have grandchildren under 25... basically everyone with a pulse, DO NOT MISS THIS SUNDAY at the Suncoast.

We are starting a new series called "One Generation Away" and I can look back to this POST and see why we had to do this series. Take a look at the trailer below and bring people with you this Sunday, 10:30am at Rushe Middle School. It is going to be a LIFE CHANGING service and I am not just saying that, this is not hype, I really believe God is going to open eyes this week!

3 Things I Want to Tell the Suncoast

1. Bring someone for the last part of Plan B
Today is Wednesday and it is the final day of the challenge I laid out back in week one of the Plan B series... take a look HERE. Basically, at 6:02pm this evening say a prayer for someone you want to bring to the Suncoast and then send them a txt message inviting them, no make that ASKING THEM if they can come. The final message in the Plan B series is all about the cross and if we don't pack the house this Sunday we have missed out on a great opportunity to expose people to the live saving message of the Gospel.

2. Here we grow again
Our Coastal Kids ministry is growing and we have some awesome spots open in our Mangroves room (nursery). If you are the kind of person that drops to a knee when a child talks to you so you can be on their level then you are the kind of person God wants to use to shape the next generation. Obviously, we background check all our kids volunteers for safety, but the only real requirement is that you serve once a month and show a child the love of God. I make no bones about it, this is the most important thing you can do with your life, help to build up the local church. For more info e-mail our children's director Crystal at crystal@canthisbechurch.com

3. One Generation Away (3.6)
The next series at the Suncoast is for every generation, BUT if you know someone under the age of 25 do WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO to get them to church on March 6th! Why? Well, have you ever tried to make a photocopy of a photocopy? Maintaining the quality is always a problem. And it's happening in us the same way with every generation today. We're losing quality. We're losing faith. We might be a generation away from losing it entirely. So how do we take back this generation? That is what we will be talking about for the first two weeks in March at the Suncoast.

4. I know I said three, but one more... I Love My Church! See you all Sunday at 10:30am for the final part of Plan B.

NEXT Groups

Dear Suncoast,

I wanted to take just a minute of your time and ask you to check out a NEXT Group this week! We have two groups to choose from. One is on Tuesday night in Land O’ Lakes and the other is on Thursday night in Odessa, both just off of SR 54. A NEXT Group is a smaller group of people from the Suncoast that will meet together for the next 10-weeks. In those 10-weeks you will have a conversation about the past Sunday’s message, be given some homework in the Bible for that week, serve the community twice, and give once to a cause your group is passionate about. I know it is a little scary thinking about just showing up at someone’s home and being circled up to talk, but I want to challenge you to push beyond your fear for the amazing benefits of doing life with a group of people. I also know you are busy! We all are. But, we make time for what is important to us. Your spiritual growth is the greatest investment you can make, so I hope you will take about an hour and half of your life and invest it in a NEXT Group starting this week.

Here is the info on the two groups and all you need to do is just show up this week, we will be expecting you. We encourage you to find childcare, but realize you may have to bring the little ones along.

Tuesday Night, 7pm
Leaders: Brian and Cheryl Moon
Location: 2938 Mingo Dr. Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638

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Thursday Night, 7pm
Leaders: Ray & Rennae Revell & Luis Gonzalez
Location: 13924 Jacobson Drive, Odessa, FL 33556

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

If you have any questions e-mail: info@canthisbechurch.com

Let's Do It TOGETHER Suncoast

To all my friends at the Suncoast. I have a mission for all of us to do together! This Sunday we begin a brand new series called "Plan B" that I believe will be a defining moment in your life. And, because I think this series is going to be so powerful I know we all have friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors who need to hear this message too. So, here is our mission... in 2 Corinthians it says this:

God says, "At the right time I heard you. On the day of salvation I helped you.” Listen, now is God’s acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! 2 Cor. 6:2

I believe God is saying this to us right now! Now is God's time, now is the day of salvation and this new series is a tool I think He wants to use. So, starting tonight AND for the rest of this series will you do something with me? Here it is:

• Every Wednesday at 6:02pm will you stop what you are doing and pray for someone you can bring to the Suncoast. Also, pray for the people others are inviting! (See 2 Cor. 6:2 above)
• After you pray TXT SOMEONE with something like this:

Hey, how's it going? I was thinking today and was wondering if you can come with me to my church this Sunday for this series we are doing called "Plan B". The service is at 10:30am. Txt me and we can sit together or do lunch after.

• Finally, BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU each Sunday of this series.

Now is the time for us to reach out into our communities and revolutionize lives with the power and hope of Jesus. I am praying for you and the many lives that will be changed as you invite them to "Plan B" at the Suncoast!

You can also direct them to the promo video on our website.