The Orchard Blog

Hey Orchard-ers,

I need your help…

Do you have a story of how you went from facing a major financial challenge (perhaps massive credit card debt or even something as challenging at bankruptcy) and how after turning to the Bible and applying God’s way of doing things, you saw a significant turnaround in the area of finances?

If so, shoot me an email by clicking here! I’d love to hear your story and share with you how your story could be used to help encourage others who are in need of a financial turnaround in their lives.

Thank you!

Scott

I’m in my 15th hour of my Sunday workday. I was in bed last night at 12:30am and then up again at 4:00am… And right now, I feel like I could run twenty miles because of how amped I am after just finishing up an INCREDIBLE day at The Orchard!

This morning’s worship gatherings were awesome. So many new faces and a church full of people who LOVE and are excited about what God is doing here. All I can say is….WOW.

And now…I just wrapped up a class that I teach every couple of months called ORCHARD 101. And let me tell you… We had a great, GREAT group of people who were all so jazzed about becoming a part of this church community!

Check this out…

There was a woman in the class who is in her 80’s. Amidst a room full of young couples and singles I couldn’t help but to ask her during one of our breaks, WHY she attends our church? I said something like this, “After all, our music is loud and I’m a young guy who really doesn’t know that much…”.

And she began telling me about her spiritual journey of being a pastor’s wife for 35+ years and how she became completly turned off to chuch and religion. Finally, after about 10 years of being away from church, she found The Orchard and absolutely LOVES what she’s experiencing here.

She shared with me how much she loves the fact that ANYONE can come to this church just as they are! She loves the practical and relevant teaching. She did, however, mention that she doesn’t always like the music (perhaps it’s the U2??) But she also understands that it’s not all about her. It’s about the mission! And she is absolutely thrilled that God has brought her to our church.

And so am I.

So many stories… So many people at such different places on their spiritual journey – and it’s really one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my life.

Undoubtably, THIS is a taste of Heaven…

As most of you know, last Sunday we began a new series entitled, “The Other Side”. These next few weeks we will be journeying through the scriptures to see what they have to say about the afterlife, Heaven and eternity. It’s really a fascinating subject and one that we could easily spend a HUGE amount of time on!

If you missed last weekend’s opener, you can download the podcast by clicking here.

Don’t miss out this coming Sunday – we’ll be talking about Heaven. Wow…what a topic!

They’re here! The videos from the Christmas Eve services. If you missed them or want to watch them again, click the link below and check them out!

Orchard Christmas Eve Video Link

It’s a fairly large file, so it may take some time.

Start 2006 out right and join us for our First Wednesday gathering happening tonight at 7pm! Special guest, Daniel Groves and Band will be with us leading worship. It’s going to be a great night – you won’t want to miss it!

Hope to see you there!

Scott

I am in the process of writing and studying for a new series we are launching at the Orchard next weekend entitled, “The Other Side: What the ancient scriptures tell us about the afterlife.” And now I need your help.

What questions do you or people you know have about eternity/Heaven/afterlife/etc…?

The relevancy of this series is huge for anyone who considers themselves human – although, it will definitely hit some people in a greater way than others at this point in time (including me). But my overall goal for the series is to take our church community on a journey through the Bible and to discover what it has to say about things like Heaven, eternity, etc… And hopefully, when it’s all said and done, help people become more aware of the reality of Heaven and eternity so that our lives are lived in light of what’s to come VS. just the here and now.

I’d love your feedback, so comment away!

Just wrapped up three Christmas Eve services at The Orchard a couple of hours ago (wow, were they great!!) and man am I tired………. Hope you made it out. They were a blast! Our team pulled off some incredible services!

So now, I am heading to bed and I am looking forward to having a great Christmas morning here at home with my girly girls.

On behalf of my family, I want to say a very Merry Christmas to all of you. We are so thankful to have you as a part of our lives.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Scott & Amanda

See you in ’06!

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What are YOU doing on Christmas Eve??? Ok, let me rephrase that…

YOU and a handful of your friends & loved ones will be joining you at The Orchard for one of our three Christmas Eve Candlelight Services! 3pm, 5pm & 7pm.

Ok…do I sounds like a cheesy TV commercial announcer guy yet? I was trying hard…

I do hope that you are planning on joining us this coming Saturday for our special Christmas Eve Candlelight services. I am SO SO SO pumped about them! I promise that not only will you walk away impressed by the quality of these services, but MOST importantly, you will be reminded of how significant this Holy season really is.

So – pick up the phone. Send out an email. Text message. IM. Whatever you need to do and invite a few people with you to The Orchard’s Christmas Eve Candlelight Services!

Here’s a link with more information!

See you Saturday!

Currently I am reading a book that explores the wonder of the Christian experience. I thought I would invite you in on what I’ve been meditating on for the last couple of weeks, an excerpt from the book.

“Look at the Cross, now. Evil is seen for what it is — all the vileness in the human heart is there in the face of the perfectly pure. Evil is not covered up [at the Cross]. See again the marvel of God’s love that offers forgiveness of such evil. But even as forgiveness is offered, evil and love are seen in their full force in the triumph of one over the other. Only in the Christian faith will you see the reality of evil and love concretely expressed even as forgiveness and hope are made possible by the sure grace of God.”

Tell me your thoughts regarding this quote…