The sermon title was "The Heart of the Law" and the scripture was Romans 13:8-10. Everything is summed up on one word "LOVE". Everything we do and everything we are needs to be wrapped up in love. Jesus was and is the prime example of this so remember the heart of law is -- LOVE!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
This past weekend was the Air and Sea Show which was totally amazing. The weather was perfect, the show itself was flawless, traffic wasn't too bad on A1A, and it seemed like everyone had a great time. Our worship was amazing as well. It was a communion Sunday which is always a great time for us as a family to draw close to God and to each other. I hope this week you all experience God's love in a unique and personal way. Have a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Inside Out" and the scripture was Romans 12:1-2 and Luke 6:43-45. The world tries to conform us into its mold, but God desires for us to be transformed - to be a people that follow His lead and to be a people of grace and love.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
This past week Marie and I were in Nashville, TN for the Q Conference. It also just happened to be the NFL Draft as well. The conference was great and challenging in some areas but I was caught off guard at how many people traveled to hear in person who their pro team drafted. 200,000 people came to Nashville for this event - they were people dressed up with face paint, jerseys, decorated helmets, tattoo's, it was crazy. I was reminded how we are to be about Jesus' love and grace. We need to be fired up, excited, face-painted, and rejoicing that God Almighty drafts us into His love by Jesus Christ. Now that is a celebration!!!
It is the week after Easter and life slows a little as summer approaches and our snow-birds have made their way back to their other church home. : ) We will miss you all and pray you have a safe return. I hope you all have a have a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship.
Peace, Love, and Grace.
PS - Don't forget this is Air and Sea Show weekend. I believe they have Sunrise and AIA blocked off. Give yourself a little extra time to get here on Sunday.
Sermon Recap
The sermon text was from Acts 5:27-33 and the sermon title was "World Changing Commitment". Peter and the other Apostles refused to remain silent about the good news of Jesus after His resurrection despite the peril they faced from the Sanhedrin. They knew the risks but were committed to their faith and that commitment formed the new church which would change the world.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
Easter at Church By The Sea was inspiring! Each service (7:30, 9, and 11) had it's own expression of God's love and grace. The 7:30am service was beautiful as the sun rose and the moon melted away. The 9am service was a large crowd full of excited children who couldn't wait for our butterfly release afterwards and the 11am service was a little more calm and reflective. All three services I hope were encouraging and uplifting. Thank you to our music ministry for drawing us into the presence of God. I hope you all had an amazing and inspiring Easter from waking up to when you went to sleep.
As excited as I was about Easter and celebrating with family and friends Christ's resurrection - my heart was so heavy in regards to the bombing in Sri Lanka! I pray for peace and hope for those people and all of us. Let's all be peacemakers. Have a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Is This It?" and the scripture was John 11:1-6, 17-27, and 38-44. Does life end at death or is there more! Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though they may die." Do you believe that?
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
What a weekend! This past Saturday about 15 of us volunteered at the Goliath Gauntlet which is a fundraiser for Sheridan House! Over 1,500 runners ran the Gauntlet and it was amazing! Some of us ran it at the end of the day and wow, I am sore!! : ) This past weekend was also the Tortuga Music Festival and we opened our parking lot to raise money for our teenagers. Huge thanks to Jon and Nicholl (our youth directors), the youth, and the parents, and some of the parking lot crew for being there Friday-Sunday! They raised over $9,000! It was crazy.
Yesterday was Palm Sunday and there was such excitement in the air! Everyone that came into the sanctuary was given a palm frond and we had a lot of the children holding a palm frond as the choir and myself walked down the aisle! Our choir was just incredible as they lead us into God's presence! Worship was full and inspiring!
Holy Week has begun and I hope you all will take some extra time this week to worship and listen for God speaking. I believe God is always speaking, but the question is...Are we listening? I hope you all have a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday, Easter, in worship. Christ is risen!! Peace, Love, and Grace.
Maundy Thursday Service, April 18, 6:30pm
Good Friday Service, April 19, 12pm
Easter Services: Sunday April, 21st
7:30 am Easter Sunrise Service
9am Easter Family Service (with butterfly release)
11am Traditional Service
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "The Ladder" and the scripture was Matthew 20:20-28 and 21:1-11. We all want to be successful, but at what cost? What does success look like? Jesus came to serve rather than be served! You want to be a "success," then serve!!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
This past Sunday was another amazing day of worship at Church By The Sea. God's presence was felt all through the sanctuary and chapel. I have such a great view of seeing this each Sunday. I hope you all feel it too. God is doing a great thing here and each one of us is a part of it.
As we approach Palm Sunday and Easter; I hope each one of us will take some time to be still and listen. It is amazing if we slow ourselves down what we can hear. This week pray for God to open your mind and your heart to all that He wants to show you. I hope you all have a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Easter Services: Sunday April, 21st
7:30 am Easter Sunrise Service
9am Easter Family Service (with butterfly release)
11am Traditional Service
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "The Great Adventure" and the scripture was I Corinthians 12:4-7, 14-20, and 24-27. The church is compared to a body with many different parts and each part is vital and necessary. Each person is given a gift(s) by God to use for building up the body (the church) and the world around us. God does not create junk - everyone matters!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
It has been an amazing a couple of weeks since my last email and some great things have happened here at church. Thank you to Randy and Rev. Dr. Ben Sorensen for leading worship on March 24th. I am so appreciative for the ability to get away and also have such an amazing staff to lead this great church. This past Sunday, it was great to be back in the pulpit and to share with you all. Sunday evening, we had our 21st Annual Spaghetti Gala. This year's proceeds will go to our Music Ministry. A big thank you goes to Shary Patton who has led the great event since its conception. Shary has a committed team of volunteers who helped make this evening special. Thank you also to our own Chef Peter Schmidt and his Sous Chef Cheri Evans-Schmidt. The spaghetti was delicious!! There where so many of you that bought tickets and that donated items for the raffle - Thank you!! Thank you to the youth group and their parents for helping with the serving and cleaning up - it was great. Lastly, thank you to our Children's ministry for taking care of the little ones during the Gala and also decorating the wooden cross with flowers so all the community can be reminded of Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us.
As we approach Palm Sunday and Easter; I hope each one of us will examine our heart and make some time to pray. Pray for God to open your mind and your heart to Him like never before! Let's all be in prayer. I hope you all have a fantastic week and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship. God Bless.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" and the scripture was Philippians 4:4-13. Peace is something we all want and sometimes it can be so elusive, but it doesn't have to be. Jesus promises us rest and His presence when we seek Him which brings peace!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
It was a memorable St. Patrick's Day weekend! I have lived in Fort Lauderdale for almost 22 years and this past Saturday was my first St. Patty's Day parade and it was FANTASTIC!! Thank you Fort Lauderdale for putting a wonderful day for all ages. Sunday's worship was centered around all the missions we are involved in and we call this Sunday - Mission's Sunday! This is a day devoted to the ministries we support financially and with our time and our talent. We had representatives from our mission partners here in worship for our members to speak with after church. Thank you Debbie VonBehren, Marcia Short, and Nancy Mauro for leading our Mission Committee.
After worship we had a new members class with one family of 3 children and a father and his young son. I look forward to them being introduced to you this Sunday. Also after worship we had impromptu beach cleanup and cookout at the volleyball courts near the B-Ocean hotel. We also partnered with Florida Faith Church. We had perfect weather, amazing fellowship, tasty burgers and dogs, and an overall great time. Thank you Andrew Stowe and Jackie Barnett for leading this get together. Look for more in the near future.
I hope you all have a fantastic week. God Bless.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "A Life that is Worth It" and the scripture was Matthew 5:13 and Matthew 28:19-120. Jesus calls us the "salt of the earth" and He also tells us to "Go". To get out there so that we can be the salt and add flavor and zest to life.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
Another great weekend in Fort Lauderdale! The weather has been amazing, but the traffic has been crazy with different huge beach events and now college Spring Break happening! Just plan on everything taking 20 minutes longer! We had a morning of worship. Our choir has been putting in so much time, effort, and love and it definitely shows -- Thank you Chris Kane and choir!
Yesterday, Sam Koster and Noah Reny lead our First Annual CBTS Fishing Tournament off the docks just south of 17th St bridge. We had 45 fishermen/women and over 70 in attendance! It was a great time. Thank you, Seven Seas Yacht Sales for donating 2 rod and reels for prizes, Craige for cooking all the burgers and dogs and Marie for keeping the measurements straight. We also had referees who walked around to measure each catch - thank you for those guys too.
After worship as well, our Youth Group sold peppers, strawberries, and tomatoes as a fundraiser. They went to Bedner 's U-Pick It Farms on Saturday to raise funds to go on a Disney weekend in the Spring.
I hope you all have a fantastic week and we will see you all this Sunday in worship. God Bless.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Water into Wine" and the scripture was John 2:1-11 and Deuteronomy 14:22-26. Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding. Jesus turns bland, tasteless water into something vibrant and alive. He will for you too!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
What a beautiful Monday morning here in Fort Lauderdale. To be honest the weather has been amazing for a while now! We had a big weekend here. On Saturday morning our parking lot was used by the Fort Lauderdale Garden Club and it was packed! And then about 15 of our members went to a Habitat Blitz Build Day in Pompano which was an excellent day of work. And on Saturday evening we had our 3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off. It was a smashing success. Thank you to Jackie Barnett and Andrew Stowe who chaired this event and their committee made up of Brenda Adair, Debbie Stokes, Jack Finneran, and Connie Tingle. We had about 120 people come out for great evening of fun and some amazing chili! Congratulations to this year's overall Grand Champion Noah Reny and Jim Hand. Other winners were Bill Peters, Andrew Stowe, and Bryant Brabham! Thank you to all 15 of our chefs and to all those who braved the traffic to come out.
We have another great event after worship this Sunday, March 3rd (11:30am - 2pm). Please see below for more information. I hope you all have a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship. God Bless.
Sermon Recap
Sermon Recap:
The sermon title was "The Ultimate Makeover" and the scripture was John 15:1-5 and Galatians 5:16-25. Many of us do not like the way we look and go through a lot of effort to change but are we working on our heart from which real change can come. Jesus Christ can truly give you a makeover - the Ultimate Makeover if we "abide" in Him. If we abide in Him then we will bear fruit.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
Happy day after President's Day! I hope you all were able to enjoy some if not all of this holiday weekend. We had a great weekend here. It begin with our annul service at St. Laurence Chapel. We had 16 CBTS members attend to support this service and also to bring food for their lunch. Thank you to Kala Gies for leading and Marcia Lee for leading us in our worship. Our Men's Club put on a breakfast and made some great plans for future events. Thank you Bruce Barclay and Dale Lee for organizing this time and Peter Schmidt and Cheri Evans-Schmidt for cooking some amazing pancakes! On Sunday, we had an excellent morning of worship with the ordination of 3 new elders. Celeste Koster, Craige Ayscough-Clarke, and Margo Klein. I look forward to working alongside our newest elders and all of our Session.
I hope you all have a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship. God Bless.