Ever wonder what Condoleezza Rice is doing now that George Bush is out of the Oval office? Well, that question was answered last week in an article from USA Today. I read this article and it actually made me think of, believe it or not, the Gospel. The former Secretary of State is now back at Stanford University as a senior fellow for the Hoover Institution, a public policy research center that studies politics and economics.

Although the Gospel wasn’t mentioned in the article, I was drawn to contemplate our gospel assignment when Rice was quoted as saying, “It’s nice not to have that knot in your stomach as you go to the front door.  I loved representing this country, but eight years was a long time.”  Rice was referring to the knot that was constantly in her stomach, especially after Sept. 11,  when everyday there were security briefings and her job revolved around keeping the country safe from terrorism.  The thought hit me — We, as believers don’t have that luxury.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big Condoleezza fan.  I think she is one of the most gifted thinkers and policy makers of our day.  She is a credit to her family and I understand that she is a committed Christian.  But the thought hit me – Jesus Christ gave all believers an assignment to share with a lost world and the stakes are high.  Eternity is at stake.  There should be a knot in our stomach every moment of every day because our job is to make disciples of all the nations.  Here’s the kicker!–We are never off the hook!  Our whole lives are consumed with doing everything we can to get Jesus to lost people.  There is no relief.  Not until we enter into eternity with our Savior.

Rice said, “I’ll tell you, after what happened to us on Sept. 11, every other day was Sept. 12.  I worried every single day that there might be another attack.”  Now think back to the day that you were converted.  There was an attack upon your soul and Jesus rescued you.  Don’t forget that day, and all subsequent days should be lived with urgency that there are others that need to be rescued.  We have marching orders from Jesus himself to share the life changing message of the gospel.

I’m glad the knot is out of Condoleezza Rice’s stomach.  She can rest that others have her previous assignment.  We, as followers of Jesus, don’t have that luxury.  We have the unique privilege to carry an even more significant burden every day.  We will carry it until we see Jesus face to face.

What a blessing it is to write you for our May edition of the “Lifeline.” My prayer is that you and yours are well as we all seek to follow our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Our church is blessed in so many ways. Our Sunday school is growing. In February we had 65 more in average attendance over the same month in 2008. That is a 26% increase in average attendance. Just as important as these numerical victories are the spiritual victories of growth in these lives of our people. We’ve just completed our Strategy for Souls Training for the 41 of our people who signed up to learn how to share their faith. The Love Dare Bible study is attracting couples who are inspired to grow in their understanding of marriage. We have completed fourteen messages on the Book of Proverbs, and are continuing to be challenged by our Acts study entitled: Acts: The Expansion of the Gospel. The Bible says, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” God’s Holy Word is what changes lives and this is what we emphasize at North Central.

Our people are responding to our Seminary Scholarship effort. We are attempting to raise $30,000 toward this worthwhile fund. Please pray about giving toward our efforts to help students prepare for ministry.

Several exciting events are coming up that I want to tell you about!

On May 17 we have scheduled NCBC 101 for all new members and prospective members. That’s right, if you know someone considering joining North Central, why don’t you invite them to come on the 17^th? We begin at 9:30am and conclude with a wonderful fellowship luncheon. This event also provides crucial orientation information for all new members. We have planned this day with them in mind. Many thanks to Larry and Linda Taylor who give fine leadership to this wonderful event.

Special Children’s events are happening. Upward Soccer Award’s Night is May 12^th and AWANA Awards night is May 20. Our new summer event for children on Wednesday nights is entitled, Walkabout Wednesdays. It begins on May 27 and will be blast for kids from 5^th grade on down. Don’t miss these special times this summer for your family. All of these new children’s meetings will take place along with Conversational English training, youth worship and Choir rehearsal.

Vacation Bible School is such an awesome event! We begin on Sunday night, June 14 and conclude with an incredible family night on Thursday night, June 18. Note the change…we will conclude on Thursday night. Kim Hart is our wonderful director of this fun and exciting week. Let’s support her and our kids by getting involved in VBS!

Men, I’m looking forward to being with you on Saturday morning, May 16, at 8:30am for the Men’s Fellowship Breakfast. This is a great opportunity to bring a friend for a scrumptious breakfast and a spiritual challenge.

I am blessed to be your Pastor. May we continue to turn our hearts toward the Lord’s Word and His ways.

Pastor Calvin