New Pictures of Torin at 4 1/2 weeks

Daily Caffeination 11/27/08 - Happy Thanksgiving

Remembering to Say Thanks

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! -Psalm 107:8

In the Old Testament, we find an interesting story of how King Jehoshaphat took an uncommon approach when his enemies waged war against him. Instead of sending in his army first, he sent the choir and musicians.

Imagine the scene: "All right, guys, here's the plan today. An army is out there, armed to the teeth. So we are sending in the choir and the musicians." If I had been a choir member or musician, I might have wondered whether the king liked our music.

But God had directed Jehoshaphat in this unusual battle tactic. We read that Jehoshaphat appointed people to sing to the Lord, praise the beauty of holiness, and go out in front of the army saying, "Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever" (2 Chronicles 20:21).

So that is exactly what they did. The Bible tells us that when they began to sing and praise, God sent an ambush against the enemy, and they were destroyed. God's people were able to go into this situation giving thanks, because He was in control.

In approaching God to ask for new blessings, we should never forget to thank Him for the blessings He has already given.

Have you recently come to God for help and He came through for you? Did you come back to say "thank you"?

If we would stop and think how many of the prayers we have offered to God have been answered and how seldom we come back to God to thank Him, it just might amaze us. We should be just as deliberate in giving thanks to God as we are in asking for His help.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Daily Caffeination 11/26/08

Every Fiber of Your Being

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." -Mark 12:30

I find it interesting that Jesus said, " 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength' " (Mark 12:30).

This statement reveals that God is not simply looking for some emotional, gooey kind of love. He is looking for a complete, true love.

You see, some people only love the Lord with all of their soul or with all of their emotion, but they don't love Him with all of their minds. Other people love God with all of their minds, but they neglect the emotional side of loving the Lord.

Jesus is saying, "I want a love that possesses an emotional, intellectual, and physical backbone." Jesus desires a love that draws from every fiber of your being--inside and out. Any other kind of love is no love at all.

For example, let's say you have the greatest physique with bulging biceps, protruding pecs, and rippling abs. In essence, you stand as an incredible specimen of humanity, because you sculpted your body day in and day out at the gym.

But what good is all of that muscle if you have heart disease? You may look good on the outside, but if your heart is diseased and sickened, your physique will not do you one bit of good.

In the same way, if you are attending church, reading your Bible, and praying, but your heart is spiritually diseased with a lack of love for God, you will face a similar dynamic.

Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God expressed His love for us from every fiber of His being. The very least we can do is to love Him back with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Daily Caffeination 11/25/08

Good Things Versus God-Things

"Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." - Romans 8:14

The greatest sign that you and I are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between "good things" and "God-things." When the people of Israel journeyed out of Egypt through the desert, the cloud led them by day. They could move only as fast as the cloud. If they went ahead, they went without God's presence. If they lagged behind, they also lost God's presence.

Each of us must have the discernment to know when God is leading in a matter, or if it is simply a good idea. There are so many things in which you and I can be involved, and the more successful you become, the greater the temptations to enter into things where God has not called you. Entrepreneurs are especially prone to see all the opportunities.

I recall one time when I entered into a project that I thought was a great idea. It would help many people. After two years, the project had to be discontinued. It was a great lesson on understanding what projects have God's blessing on them. There are some projects you and I might get involved in that result in little fruit compared to the investment put into them. That is because they may never have been birthed by the Holy Spirit.

As sons of God, we are called to be led by the Spirit. This requires a level of dependence on God in which many of us really do not want to invest. It requires listening, waiting, and moving only when God's Spirit tells us to move. Workplace believers are "action" people. We know how to get things done, but our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness.

Today, ask God to make you a Romans 8:14 man or woman who is led by the Spirit of God. Pray against lagging behind or moving ahead. Ask God to reveal whether the next project you consider is a "good thing" or a "God-thing."

Daily Caffeination 11/21/08

At the Feet of Jesus

" 'Martha, you are so upset... There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it...' " -Luke 10:41-42

I once read about a life-sized granite sculpture of Jesus by a Danish artist named Thors Walden.

Walden sculpted the body of Christ in such a way that you can't see His face from a standing position. Next to the statute, however, is a sign that reads, "If you want to see the face of Jesus, you must sit at His feet."

Sure enough, if you get down at the foot of the statue, you can look up and clearly see the face of Jesus.

There is a great spiritual truth here. If you want to see the face of Jesus, you must sit at His feet.

Mary of Bethany illustrated this when the Lord visited Mary and her sister, Martha. While Martha was in the kitchen busily preparing a meal for Jesus, Mary wisely recognized that this was a unique opportunity.

Instead of helping her sister in the kitchen, she sat at Jesus' feet to drink in His every word.

Meanwhile, Martha grew increasingly frustrated, because there was so much work to accomplish. She finally stormed out and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair. . . . Tell her to come and help me..." (Luke 10:40).

Jesus simply replied, "Martha, you are so upset... There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it... " (verses 41--42).

The moral of the story is that we need to recognize there is a time to work and there is a time to worship. There is a time to be active for the Lord and there is a time to sit at His feet.

Have you become so enamored with the tasks of daily life that you have forgotten to make time to sit at Jesus' feet? Take the time, because if you want to see the face of Jesus, then you must sit at His feet.

It is so important for me as I minister at the abundance of what God is doing in and through me, I must sit at His feet and allow Him to fill me.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Torin at 3 1/2 weeks

Daily Caffeination 11/20/08

Take a Stand

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. -Romans 1:16

As a pastor, I constantly observed over 16 years in ministry how two people who hear the same message will react in two completely different ways. One person will be profoundly moved, while the other will become even more hardened in his or her sin.

We see the very same thing in the story of Cain and Abel. Both of these men were sons of Adam and Eve. They were raised in the same home and exposed to the same spiritual message.

When we first read of their story in Genesis 4, it seems they were both believers. But time revealed that Cain was such a jealous and embittered man that he murdered his brother Abel.

The story of Cain and Abel ought to remind us there are those people who can go through the motions. They can look like believers, but have no relationship with God. As the Scripture says, there are people who have a form of godliness but deny its power (see 2 Timothy 3:5).

That is the life story of too many people. They are all show and no go. Their faith in God turns out to be a mere game or act.

Consider this. You can offer like Cain. You can weep like Esau. You can serve like Gehazi. You can be a disciple like Judas. You can recite long prayers like the Pharisees, be a seeking soul like the rich young ruler, and have lamps like the five foolish bridesmaids, and still be lost.

The real issue is not about enjoying the message or whether it moves you. The heart of the issue is whether or not you believe the message and take a stand for it.

Does that describe your faith? If not, stop going through the motions and take a stand.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Praying this Song

I am praying this song. God of this City is echoing in my spirit. This has become my heart's cry. I am so excited about what God can do throughout the Washington metro area.

God of this City
by Chris Tomlin

[Verse 1]
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

[Verse 2]
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

[Verse 1]

[Verse 2]

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

There is no one like our god
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

Serving Kingstowne - A Dream Come True

I love it when God allows the dreams that He births inside of individuals to come true. I love it when God brings people back to their original calling into ministry and opens the door to bring you back to that calling. I love it when God allows us to be a part of something so much bigger than us.

I say all of this to say this...I live constantly with a grateful heart with what God does in my life every moment of every day. I live with such gratitude of what God is doing through my life and His calling. I am extremely honor and blessed with what I get to for my calling and career.

In February 09, National Community will be launching its fifth location. Currently, we meet at three movie theaters in the Washington, DC area and Ebenezers Coffeehouse that NCC both owns and operates on Capitol Hill.

Our fifth location will be in another theater in the Washington, DC area. The location is in Kingstowne, VA which lies in the center of Alexandria, Springfield, Lorton, Franconia and the Mt. Vernon areas. It is such a great and unique area. Not only are we launching our fifth location in Kingstowne, VA at the Kingstowne 16 Theaters, I have been ask to lead this location as the Campus Pastor.

This takes brings me full circle to my first paragraph in this post. This is a huge dream of mine, not only to serve on staff at a church that is doing an amazing work at serving the communities that we are in but to go serve and bless an area where I lived all but 7 years of my life in. I actually spent the first 15 years of my life living about 5 minutes from this location. After Lora and I were married, we lived for about 6 years in the Springfield area before moving to Richmond.

I feel like I am being enabled by God and by the leadership of NCC to live out my life dreams of ministering in an area that I absolutely love and want to serve and invest my time and energy to bless. I also feel that this is a fullfillment of God's original calling in my life to ministry through Jeremiah 1.

As we enter into this area our goal is to grab our towels and serve young families that are in the area. We simply want to be a blessing and be a part of what is going on in the area. It is my personal heart and passion to love the people in Kingstowne and the surrounding area and to see lives transformed through God's love and His Word.

As we begin taking steps for the launch of NCC Kingstowne. We are asking NCCers and others to pray about being apart of this location through praying, giving, and serving. We are also holding a vision casting/informational meeting on December 7 at 6:30PM at Unos Pizzeria in Kingstowne, DINNER is on us. :-) We are not looking for a commitment from this meeting but we want people to hear our heart as we come into this new location and to see the potential impact we can make as the Body of Christ in another area.

If you are interested in coming to the the vision casting/informational meeting RSVP to me by December 4th at chris.jarrell@theaterchurch.com

Daily Caffeination 11/19/08

Seize the Day

"So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' " - Matthew 25:20-21

As a young man, Alan Redpath was a successful accountant. One day, he was talking with a Christian friend who told him, "Alan, it is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life."

Redpath couldn't forget those words. He knew he was guilty of having a saved soul and a wasted life. He prayed, "Lord, I want Your will for me. I don't want to waste my life. I dedicate it to You."

God redirected his course, and Redpath ultimately became an evangelist, pastor, author, president of a missions organization, and a dean of a Bible school. He served the Lord until the end of his life.

It's possible that some of us could have a saved soul but a wasted life. In other words, you have the assurance of heaven, but you're wasting your life here on earth. You're not serving Christ to the fullest.

Every person's life is filled with opportunities to serve the Lord. What we do with the opportunities is the big question. Do we let them slip by? Or do we seize the day and serve the Lord so that we can hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

If you desire to hear those words, then make a change in your life like Alan Redpath made. Take what God has given you and make the most of it.

You might say to yourself, "But I don't have much." You have everything you need. You have God's most precious gift, Jesus Christ. You have the Holy Spirit to empower you.

God has instilled in your life certain gifts for His glory. That means your life is valuable.

Take what God has given you and dedicate it to His glory. Just watch what He will accomplish.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Daily Caffeination 11/14/08

Wear Your Helmet

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
-Ephesians 6:17

There are a lot of motorcyclists today who don't like helmet laws. Because they feel it is fun to get on a motorcycle and ride along with nothing on your head, just ask quarterback Ben Rothleisberger.

But quite honestly, if you are in an accident on your bike and you become airborne, a helmet suddenly sounds like a really good idea. A helmet could literally keep you alive.

For the Roman soldier, the helmet was important because it obviously protected his head. It was made of leather, shrouded in metal, and designed to withstand a crushing blow to the head.

As believers, we need to put on the helmet of salvation the apostle Paul speaks of, because our minds, thoughts, and imaginations must be protected. It is here that most temptations start.

Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. . . ." Satan recognizes the value of getting a foothold in the realm of the thoughts and imaginations, because this will prepare the way for that thought to translate into action.

As it has been said, "Sow a thought; reap an act. Sow an act; reap a habit. Sow a habit; reap a character. Sow a character; reap a destiny." It starts with a thought.

While we cannot control all the things in this world that we are exposed to, we can control a few things. We can control what we watch at home on television. We can control what movies we decide to see. We can control what we choose to read and what we listen to.

Be careful what you allow into your mind. Put on the helmet of salvation.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Daily Caffeination 11/13/08

Remember Your Sword

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:17

Many believers have all their spiritual armor in place, but they never use their sword. They talk about it. They study it. They compare swords with others. But they never use their sword in spiritual battle.

In fact, the devil would be pleased if believers would just keep their sword in its sheath. The devil knows all too well the power and the authority of the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word.

Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are."

God says of His own Word in Isaiah, "I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it" (55:11).

There is power and authority in the Word of God. That is why the devil doesn't want you to use this incredible weapon God has given you.

Remember how effectively Jesus used the sword of God's Word to defend Himself when He faced spiritual attack in the wilderness? Jesus was God. He didn't have to stand around and deal with the devil. He could have gotten out of the situation very easily. But instead, He stood and modeled for us the right way to fight temptation: with the Word of God.

So when the devil tries to attack you with temptation, fear, or doubt, or brings up past sins you've already confessed and of which you've been forgiven, remember the sword of the Spirit. Pull it out of its sheath and use it aggressively to defend yourself.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Daily Caffeination 11/12/08

The Shield of Faith

In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. -Ephesians 6:16

What is this shield of faith Paul refers to? Remember, as he was writing this letter to the Christians at Ephesus, he was chained to a Roman guard. He had plenty of time to observe Roman armor.

The shield would have been made of wood--a rectangular object about four feet high and two feet wide.

Prior to an actual face-to-face engagement with the enemy, a soldier often would encounter a barrage of flaming arrows coming from all directions. The sole purpose of this was to demoralize and confuse.

Thus, the Roman soldiers would put their shields together to protect themselves from this onslaught of arrows that had been set on fire. They needed their shields above and beyond what their breastplates could provide for protection.

The same goes for us. The devil will direct his flaming arrows toward Christians. They could be arrows of immorality, hatred, pride, envy, covetousness, doubt, worry, or any other kind of sin. They will be delivered primarily in the realm of our thoughts.

He will barrage us with his flaming arrows at strategic times, like when we decide to read the Bible or go to church. Flaming arrows will come our way during times of trial and hardship.

It is during these times that you need to hold up the shield of faith--not the shield of feelings, not the shield of emotions, but the shield of faith. You base your faith on what God has done for you, not on how you feel at a given moment.

Emotions come and go. Sometimes you feel great; and sometimes you don't feel anything. It is then that you learn to use the shield of faith.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

This Song is Resonating Within Me (Reign In Us)

This song is resonating within my heart, mind and soul. This has been one my personal anthems over last couple weeks. This is my deepest prayer...

Will you worship along with this song and allow it to penetrate your heart? Can you not just read the lyrics but make this song your heart's prayer and your cry of desperation to God?

What and amazing song...just worship along with the song...

Reign In Us by Starfield

You thought of us before the world began to breathe
You knew our names before we came to be
You saw the very day we fall away from you
and how desperately we need to be redeemed

Lord Jesus
come lead us
we're desperate for your touch

Oh great and mighty one
with one desire we come
that you would reign that you would reign in us
we're offering up our lives
a living sacrifice
that you would reign that you would reign in us

Spirit of the living God fall fresh again
come search our hearts and puify our lives
we need your perfect love we need your discipline
we're lost unless you guide us with your light

Lord Jesus
come lead us
we're desperate for your touch

Oh great and mighty one
with one desire we come
that you would reign that you would reign in us
we're offering up our lives
a living sacrifice
that you would reign that you would reign in us

we cry out for your life to revive us cry out
for your love to define us cry out
for your mercy to keep us
blameless until you return

oh great and mighty one
with one desire we come
that you would reign that you would reign in us
we're offering up our lives
a living sacrifice
that you would reign that you would reign in us
you would reign in us

So reign please reign in us
come purify our hearts
we need your touch
come cleanse us like a flood
and send us out
so the world may know you reign you reign in us

Reflections

I am sitting here at this very moment with a little bit of quiet. Lora is getting much needed sleep, Torin is down until his next feeding. I have some worship music going on my laptop, Reign In Us by Starfield, Divine Romance by Phil Wickham, God of this City by Chris Tomlin...

As I sit here and worship the Lord and reflecting on the last two weeks. Not a whole lot of sleep, but a whole lot of gratitude, a lot of life goals being fulfilled, a whole lot of joy. I that I can say is, God You are amazing! Thank you for this journey, thank you for this life of adventure, thank you for what you are doing in and through me and all around me.

Two week ago today Torin was born, after marry my amazing wife this is the greatest day of my life. I will never forget the moment I first laid eyes on precious little boy. I will never forget the emotions I felt seeing him for the first time. I never thought I could love another human being so instantly, so unconditionally, so intensely as I love my son from the first moment I saw him. What an amazing day that was and nothing will compare to that day.

Last Monday night I had the opportunity to see my favorite sports team the Pittsburgh Steelers play at FedEx Stadium against the Washington Redskins. It has been one of my life goals and dreams to see the Steelers play a game in person. Not only did I see the Steelers play, but they dominated the Redskins. What an amazing opportunity.

This past weekend it was announced by Pastor Mark that I will be leading our newest location launch. An area that God has called me to for a long time about 5 years. This is fulfillment of a ministry life goal and dream. Here is the deal, I already have my dream job at an amazing church working with an amazing team, for Pastor Mark to enable me and empower me and even entrust me with this great opportunity, no words can express my gratitude and appreciation. See I have so many people say I could NOT do it. I have had people who told I couldn't acheive my dreams. But God has allowed me to step into His promises and to be able to live out those dreams and life goals.

As I reflect on the last two weeks, only thing I can do is to give all glory and honor to God. I know I don't deserve any of this but but He has shown me His favor and blessing.

I love this journey, I love what I do, and I love the people God has placed in my life.

Just had to share from my heart...and very raw emotions.

Daily Caffeination 11/10/08

Ready to Move

For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. -Ephesians 6:15

The sandals or shoes Paul describes in Ephesians 6 not only provide stability to help the believer hold ground, they also provide mobility. These are not dress shoes that are uncomfortable or that you want to keep perfectly clean. These shoes will allow you to move at a moment's notice.

As 1 Peter 3:15 tells us, "If you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it." In the original language, these words communicate the idea of giving a defense, as in a court of law.

So we should always be ready to give a defense of what we believe. We need to be ready at a moment's notice to seize opportunities to share the gospel.

Some people say, "The Lord never opens up opportunities for me to share my faith." I think He does, but I think often we are not paying attention. Opportunities are all around us. Sometimes we simply need to push on that door of opportunity a little bit.

We need to talk to people. Jesus sat down with the woman at the well, asked her for a drink of water, began to converse with her, and transitioned into a spiritual conversation.

People rarely will come knocking on your door to ask what they must do to be saved. Generally there will be other kinds of opportunities, but you need to have your spiritual antenna up, so to speak, and seize the moment when it comes.

The armor of God is not only for holding ground; it is also for gaining ground. We gain ground when our shoes are on and we walk through the doors of opportunity God opens for us.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Daily Caffeination 11/07/08

In His Strength

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." -Ephesians 6:10

Just as police officers call for back-up when they sense that danger may be imminent, the first thing we must realize about spiritual battle is that in our own strength, we are no match for the devil.

I think a healthy respect of our adversary is in order for believers today. We don't want to underestimate him, nor do we want to overestimate him. We want to accurately assess who he is and what his abilities are.

We need to recognize that he is powerful; we don't want to try and take him in our own strength.

When I hear some preachers on television or the radio calling the devil silly little names, laughing at him, or making jokes about him, I remember what Jude 9 says: "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!' "

Even the high-ranking Archangel Michael did not dare to condemn the devil with mockery. He simply said, "The Lord rebuke you!" There was a respect of the enemy.

The reason we need to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" is because Satan wants to get us away from that. It is our power base. He wants to separate us from God, because the moment he gets us away from Him, we are open prey. Thus, the devil wants to put a wedge between God and us.

The only power that can effectively drive Satan out is the power of Jesus Christ. Be strong in the Lord. Stay close to Him. Don't let anything come between you and God.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

Few More Pictures of Torin

Some new pictures of Torin. Pastor Mike and Donna came yesterday from Richmond to meet Torin and to see us, here are a few pictures of Torin with them.

Daily Caffeination 11/06/08- Back to our regular dose of spiritual Caffeination

Armed with the Truth

Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. -Ephesians 6:14

In his description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6, Paul doesn't start with the high-profile objects like the sword or the shield. Instead, he begins his list by telling us to put on "the sturdy belt of truth."

What was Paul speaking of? We need to think "Roman soldier" here for a moment.

The Romans didn't wear pants like we do today. They wore robes or togas--generally short togas on the battlefield. So to move quickly on the battlefield, the Roman soldier would need to pull the toga up above his knees.

Having the belt tightened simply meant that he would pull up his toga and tighten his belt a couple of notches, which gave him the freedom of movement he needed.

Now the belt is not a dramatic piece of armor, but it was essential to everything else. The breastplate was attached to the belt, as well as the sheath for the sword. If your belt fell off, your breastplate would fall off, and your robe would come loose. You may have the sharpest sword on the block, but you're destined to trip over your own toga and look quite foolish in the process.

So, the belt was important. That is why Paul put it at the top of the list.

To have your belt tightened means you are ready for battle and ready to move. We need to be on duty at all times. We cannot afford to take a couple of days off spiritually. We must keep our armor on at all times, because the moment we take it off is the moment the devil will be there to hit us with full force.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries

A Few New Pictures of Torin 1 Week

How cute is he? I am still amazed looking at him. He is so sweet! Love my son.

Happy Election Day!!!

Hey everyone, Happy Election Day! All that I want to say is go vote...vote your heart and vote your conscious. Allow your faith (yes I said it, please let me know if you take issue with that) guide you. I want the person in office who I can trust (integrity matters to me) and someone that good character (yes I have a litmus test for good character, again if take issue with this let me know). I also want someone in office that I feel will lead us with experience.

Now all the bullcrap is said and all the rhetoric is done, it is important for us to vote, not for our favorite political party or the nicest guy, or the most well spoken person. Pray for God to guide you and lead you as you cast your vote today.

If you haven't done so already check out Pastor Mark's message from this weekend, the Political Elephant for his take and heart on the election and our attitude as Christ followers. He has a great perspective and it is an amazing message. Check it out here - http://theaterchurch.com/media/section/the-elephant-in-the-church/