Author: natejstaton

The snow is incredibly peaceful, beautiful, and joyful isn’t it? My kiddos have had a blast in it, and the “kid” inside of me did as well.

I took to the roads about an hour ago to check out the conditions and they are unfortunately in bad condition. With that knowledge we will move in the wisdom of not gathering for worship tomorrow.

Couple things to communicate…

1. The church fast is being pushed back, more information will be communicated next Sunday in worship LORD willing.
2. All church ministries are canceled tomorrow.
3. End of year giving statements. If you have any issues receiving yours, please contact our treasurer, Alexandra Craig. Thank you for your faithful financial generosity unto the LORD.
4. If at any time during this winter storm you need help or assistance, please reach out! We’re here to serve.

Stay warm! I’m praying for you all daily. Enjoy the snow and the blessings the LORD offers with it.

PN

Snow?! YUP! That is in the forecast for Saturday going into Sunday am. While I love snow, I’d rather see and enjoy it during the weekday. Why? I love Church on Sunday. It’s important to me and important for the body of Christ. I DO NOT like when weather causes complications for gathering. There are enough things competing for our time on Sundays, it genuinely causes an internal battle when weather causes these complications on Sundays and decisions must be made.

Last Saturday night I kept thinking all night, it BETTER actually ICE. If not, I’m going to feel incredibly foolish. Our city did indeed turn into an ice rink, so thankfully that call to not gather proved to be wise.

So, will we be meeting this Sunday??

I hope we do. However, I can’t tell you what Saturday or Sunday will look like.

Here are factors we have to consider.

1. Gathering in our space is limited to Sunday. We lease space on Sundays, we don’t have a building (yet, the LORD is able). This is a blessing, however, we don’t have the freedom to adjust our gathering to another day prior to snow.
2. Road conditions. We have no idea what things will look like until Saturday most likely.
3. Campus conditions. There is still ice on portions of the campus from last week. The circle loop in front of building doesn’t get much sun, ice likes to linger there. We have to see how campus conditions are, if it does indeed accumulate snow.
4. Temperatures. Even if the sun peaks out on Sunday, temperatures may not be above freezing until 2.
5. Streaming? We could, but there is no substitute for being in person. I’ve thought about recording most of this week, I don’t have a release on doing so after seeking Him. There is something powerful about the local gathering and the Word being ministered in person.

All of that being said. I pray we meet on Sunday. I’ll talk with our Elders as we did last week. And after prayer and consultation a prayer bathed decision will be sent out via social media as well as on our Church App.

I do know this. If the LORD allows it to snow on Sunday, He has a purpose for it. I’ll yield to His goodness and sovereignty. Perhaps He is allowing us to be still and know He is God. Perhaps He is reminding us how important gathering is?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I can’t wait to see everyone again!

PN

Terrible storms hit the southern states this weekend. These storms decided they were going to try to arrive Sunday AM in our neck of the woods. We saw images of tornadoes and destruction of the this storm system that was heading our way here in SC.

Upon seeing these forecasts and the timing of the storms arrival in relation to their worship times, many churches opted to cancel or switch to online worship. Before I say anything else, I want to say that I support all the local churches that preach the gospel of Christ each week. So what I’m about to say has nothing to do with any other house of worship other than Anothen. I know it’s a hard decision to change worship times and format or even cancel worship on Sunday.

As Saturday night arrived I kept seeing more and more church closures or delays and I kept being stirred that we were going to meet no matter what. I kept being stirred by a vision of a photo I had seen from the Philippines a few years ago when they were flooded terribly by downpours or rain.

This was the photo that kept flooding my mind, no pun intended.

I’m so thankful that we met as the people of God. We aren’t an enormous church with bells, whistles, or golden bidets in our bathrooms, but where I serve is special. Just like every other place. Because the faces of my brothers and sisters each week fill my life with hope and encouragement. Hearing their voices sing loudly unto Jesus fill my soul with joy. Seeing them love each other makes me so thankful Anothen exists.

I’m thankful we met on Sunday. I’m thankful others showed up too wanting to worship Jesus and love each other. The call and journey is challenging at times, perhaps by my own foolishness. But man oh man am I thankful for this house of Jesus.

There was much to be thankful for this past Sunday in worship. I’m finding the more that I seek areas to be thankful and see the LORD’s hand moving the less critical and irritable I become. I’ve always tried to find 5 thing that went well every Sunday, but, I must admit I have allowed negative boo birds get in my ear all to often.

With that said, this past Sunday it was a great day of gathering. Worship was very pleasing to the LORD, He was given the credit and attention He is worthy of. Lots of loud voices being heard.

One key moment I was most blessed by was being able to pray with one of our sisters in Christ who is battling cancer. She has an appointment this week and so we were able to FaceTime her and pray with her. She hasn’t been able to join us in worship because of flu season and such and she is having to play it safe. But it was a Jesus centered moment where I could feel the presence and peace of Jesus.

For that I am very thankful.

He’s moving every Sunday. He just needs to be the ONE we’re looking at.

This Sunday I’m thankful for a living room full of teenagers and the house that welcomes them every single week. In fact, this house has been welcoming students in their home for the past 10 YEARS! That’s right! A DECADE of faithful and fruitful ministry.

This past year has given me even more reason to be thankful because my daughter is able to join these gatherings on Sunday as she is now in middle school.

Often times when I look at Sundays I only focus on the Sunday morning aspect. But this past Sunday, I reflected on how thankful I am for our ministries that gather outside of worship.

It’s so important to allow a heart of thanksgiving before the LORD dominate our perspectives. Grateful that this heart guided my eyes and heart today.

Every Sunday if I arrive with an expectant and prepared heart I know I will be able to see the LORD moving in the midst of His people gathering. This past Sunday was no exception. I spent extra time driving around before I arrived at the Worship House this particular Sunday. I had a lot on my mind and heart and wanted to be sure I was zeroed in and dialed in to where I knew I needed to be before entering and engaging with anyone. I’m thankful that I did that, because it prepared me to walk in with expectation of HIM and HIM alone. Here are a few ways I saw Him move this week with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

1. Second week with a new baby in out midst. Over the course of church planting, I’ve grown accustomed that whenever this is a new baby in church, it’s usually mine, ha, as I have FOUR kids. These past new weeks provided an awesome encouragement and motivation to reach this next generation of first time moms and dads. What made me feel even more honored, is that I believe both of these babies were brought to church by single mothers. What an honor is to have had the opportunity to steward God’s fearfully and wonderfully made blessings in our nursery. I also loved seeing the church body welcome both Moms and babies. The genuine smiles and authentic welcomes were fuel to this tired pastors soul.

2. Our worship team. I can’t say enough positive things about their genuine desire to worship the LORD and offer HIM the praise He is worthy. Every week they courageously go before the LORD and our church and work hard to get us into His presence. We had so many sick and under the weather this week as well as other limitations that could easily derailed and hindered the worship, but that didn’t happen. They chose a posture of praise and perseverance and that made a HUGE difference. Again, I can’t say enough positive things about this group of people.

3. People staying late. I love it when the service is over and people are still everywhere talking and fellowshipping. This encourages me and demonstrates to me that this is more than a check list, this is a priority and a desire for others as well. It is encouraging to see people go against cultural norms and commit to Koinonia. I pray for more of this to arise and continue here and for more people like this to join our church family.

It’s easy to get caught up in comparison and miss out on what God is doing in right in front of you. A few years ago, I decided to write down ways that I see the LORD moving on Sunday morning as the church gathered to worship. This list would grow quickly each week as I focused on what God was doing where He planted me, and stopped focusing on what other churches were portraying God to do via their social media.

1. Loud voices. There were a few times in worship where the voices of the body could be heard echoing in the sanctuary area. Gave me chills. There’s just something powerful about a people of conviction proclaiming the name of Jesus and His power. 
2. I’m so thankful for the little feet the run to Akidz each week. The litter patter and chatter that takes place as they walk towards the Akidz area is something I’m so thankful for and pray for more of. I’m so thankful kids are welcome and wanted at Anothen. We have such faithful teachers and leaders in this ministry. They welcome those feet and chatterboxes each week with love. 
3. I’m thankful for those who were healthy that showed up and chose to be apart of the body’s worship to the LORD. This heart of thanksgiving leads me to a place where I’m more focused and thankful for the names and not focusing on the numbers. Seeing the faces of my brothers and sisters in Christ means so much.

Here are a few takeaways from yesterday’s worship at Anothen Church.

These are just a few of the ways I’m thankful I see the LORD move in yesterday. 

PN

Many have asked how they can support and love those impacted by the recent hurricane that impacted the Carolina’s. This Sunday at Anothen Church, we will have an opportunity for people to bring items to be transported to those in need. The items that are in need are listed below.

Items:

1.Bottled Water

2.Gallons of Water

3.Non perishable items (think canned meals or soups).

These three items above are in high demand and will make an immediate impact on the local church we are serving in North Carolina.

Please bring all your items to worship this Sunday. Seeing as this Sunday marks 9 years of God’s faithfulness at Anothen, I can’t think of a better way than for us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves by swarming this church with these three items of need.

See you Sunday.

PN

²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Christian’s are good at thinking of ways to do “stuff.” In almost 20 years of ministry I’ve come to the conclusion that Christians just think about the wrong “stuff” and are motivated by the wrong “stuff.”

Hebrews tells the Christian to think of ways to motivate each other to acts of love and good works. This certainly happens in small circles of the body of Christ. It’s a refreshing and exhilarating thing to experience and behold.

Dwell on that for a moment. God in His abundant life He has given me, wills that I motive my brothers and sisters in Christ to do acts of love and good works. That’s very much absent in the body of Christ. The answer to that issue is for every believer to look in the mirror and repent where necessary.

Far too many excuses of false justification for not living entirely for Christ stain the walls of the American Church. It’s getting old and it’s stinking up the church. Individual altar’s must tended to on a daily basis again for lives to be pleasing aromas unto the LORD.

These excuses reach into the desertion of the House of God and the gathering of saints. Again, excuses of preferences and misplaced priorities shatter the church. This is not the Father’s heart.

We are told that as the day of the LORD draws near, our attendance should increase and the frequency in which we attend should increase. But as this world falls apart, the church is deciding with her actions to abandon the heart of Hebrews for ministering to each other and to His name together.

As the end of days continue to contract with birth pains, it’s imperative the Bride of Christ wake up and stop walking in selective sainthood. Meaning that we don’t get to pick in choose the type of Jesus we follow. We either follow Jesus, or stop pretending.

Are you a Selective Sunday Saint? Are you sold out for the Gospel?

Let your life answer that question in an unmistakable manner.