Help

Friends, would love your help with raising funds for STV 11' This year we are taking a step of faith and renting the entire complex of the Abilene Civic Center. If you would like to help spread the word please contact us as soon as possible.



Dear Friends,

Day after day, we hear story after heartbreaking story of tragic violence and senseless injustice in our local and national news media. We are sometimes appalled by the most tragic of stories. But even in the worst, our personal lives typically remain unfazed until violence touches us or someone we love. We become almost oblivious to violence and injustice because we hear it so often that we minimize the devastating effects to the unknown victims and their families. But when it happens to us…to someone we love, our lives are dramatically changed. We look at life and injustice from a different perspective. We shouldn’t wait until those tragic circumstances become our own before we raise our voice against injustice.
On August 27, 2011 Mission Abilene will be hosting the 4th Annual Stop the Violence Rally. The family-friendly event shines a light on violence and crime within our city and raises awareness to the many tragic and widespread consequences of violence. We seek to make a difference by using our voices to give a voice to others as we invite all to take a stand against injustice. The Rally will be a filled with well-known speakers and music artists who will share their testimonies and experiences as they use their talents to bring awareness to the dangers of violence and abuse. There will be a variety of children’s activities and many local non-profit organizations will be on hand with information about their services. We will reach out with love and hope to victims and their families as we remember their loved ones’ lives that were taken or dramatically changed due to violence. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Regional Crime Victims Crisis Center.
To make a difference in our neighborhoods and our city and we need YOUR HELP. Please consider becoming a Sponsor for Stop the Violence. Your support will make a powerful statement
to the community that you are committed to making a difference. Enclosed you will find Sponsorships forms with the different levels of Sponsorships available and additional information about Stop the Violence. If you have any questions please contact our sponsorship chair Katta Mitchell at 325-320-1433. Thank you in advance for your participation and generosity.


Live to Love,



Chad Mitchell
Founder – Stop the Violence

Thermostat

This week as I was doing some research I stumbled across this quote that intrigued me.

“There was a time when the church was very powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society." 

--Martin Luther King, Jr 

I pray in days to come that the church will began to be more of a thermostat, than a thermometer. In reality, the possibility of whether or not this will occur depends on you and I, and the effort or lack of effort we put forth.

Live to Love.

C

Setbacks to Setups

The more I look back at life, the more confident I am saying that most of the setbacks that I have faced during my lifetime have been setups to make me what I am today. In other words, if it wasn't for the times in the valley, the sea of storms, the barren seasons, there is no way I would be what I am and who I am today.

What if you personally viewed the setbacks that you experience as setups for what is to come? Would it change your life? Your perspective? Your attitude?

Live to Love.
C

Time Away

During Spring Break the fam and I were able to break away from good ole Abilene, and enjoy some time with each other and some close friends of ours. Here is a picture of Lex and S.J.during our time away. Wow, time passes by so fast!

Live to Love.
C

New Promo Cards

Here are our latest cards, if you would like to pick some up to distribute to the community, please stop by our office.

Last Hours

Have you ever lost someone close to you that you? Did you have the opportunity to be there for them during their last hours? This scenario has happened to me quite a few times throughout the years. The unique thing about it, regardless of how many times I have been there for people during their last hours, each incident creates memories that I will never forget. Starting this Sunday we are going to go on an investigative journey as we relive our Savior's last few hours...What did he say? What did he do? Join as we find out these important factors...

Join us this Sunday as we enter the series called Last Hours.

Live to Love.
C

Post It Note Time

Here are a few dates to mark on your calendar.

April 2 Sock Puppet 7pm Mission Abilene

April 3 Speaking at Gethsemane Assembly of God

April 5th Emmaus Community Gathering Mission Abilene

April 10th Recovery Cookout Mission Abilene

April 16th Poetry Night with Serenity Mission Abilene

April 22nd Good Friday Potluck Dinner 6:30pm Mission Abilene

April 27th Speaking at Broadview Baptist Church

One Human Being

Sitting back, catching the latest news can be somewhat depressing as a result of the tragic things that hover on the newscast. I mean what do you do with all of it? How can you, one human being possibly make a difference? Join us for service tomorrow on how you can make a difference in such an enormous world.

Live 2 Love.
C

Existing

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that’s all.
Oscar Wilde

This quote summarizes the sad reality of the consequence that is birthed as a result of being a victim of repetition. As you are preparing to get ready to start a new week, i want to challenge you to take a different route to work, taste a new food, or maybe just maybe take that risk God has been prompting you to take. More than anything chose to live, instead of merely existing.

Live 2 Love
~C

It Doesn't Matter

Today I watched Clint Dobson, the young pastor in Arlington Texas that was murdered celebration service. In the midst of his service a revelation came to my mind. In all reality I have officiated so many tragic situations, yet the most heart breaking are those that have departed from this earth at such a young age. The revelation that came to me is that it doesn't matter how long we live on this earth, what matters is what we do with our lives while we are here. Clint although his life was short in years, he impacted more people than most people do, who live twice as long as he did.

Martin Luther King, Jr said it this way "The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important."

Live to Love.
~ C

Rocking Chair

"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."
~ Author Unknown

As believers in Christ the opportunity to become complacent surfaces from time to time. I believe that worrying, which so many of us are guilty of, is one of the strongest forces to restrain us from moving forward. What if I get sick, what if I lose my job? What if an airplane lands on my house? What if? What if? What if?

The sad reality is so many of us make the choice to live a life that is restricted instead of living a life of liberation that Christ has chose for us to live. Tonight as you get ready to go to sleep, pause and ask God to help you not get caught up in being trapped in the rocking chair.

Live 2 Love
~C

Parking Spaces

"The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places"
~ Author Unknown

As I dial back and reflect on my life I quickly become aware of countless parking places I have witnessed that have attempted to cause me detour from the proper direction. I think if all of us were to be transparent, sometimes we have even parked temporarily in these particular parking spaces. But there is a hope that remains constant, the road still awaits us. All we have to do is back out of the parking space and continue journeying.

Live 2 Love.
~C

17?

17? The last two weeks it has been absolutely amazing to watch God move among our community. There has been so much going on, in, and through our church community in recent days. There is a vibrant joy that flows through the hallways of our building as people are exposed to the recent renovations, and the recent surge of people that walk through our doors, yet what excites me the most is the number 17. Why? Because that is how many people have followed in obedience and proclaimed that Jesus is Lord of their life through the act of baptism in the last two weeks. I am so blessed to be able to witness the move of God first hand as I witness people put footsteps to their faith.

Live to Love.
C

Colossians 2:12
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

Yes there may be chaos out there.

It seems like lately every time I blog, I first must apologize because of my absence from blogging. This time I wont apologize, I will simply say that I have not blogged, wrote anything for my upcoming books,or read anything other than the Bible in quite some time. I wanted to focus on detoxing from so many recent events that have consumed my time and focus on simply being present when I am present with my family, instead of banging away on the keypad of my computer or having my nose stuck in a book. Although I will continue to focus on first and foremost my relationship with God and my family, I have once again started reading.

Currently I am reading a book that is extremely challenging and thought provoking. Although I wont give you the name of it, because I feel it is not for everyone to just pick up and start reading I will share a quote with you from it. The text states "yes evil may well exist-there may be chaos out there somewhere-but at least, thank goodness, we are all right, we are not immediately threatened by it." This statement could not be more truthful. In fact if you have read some of my published articles this is exactly how I have responded to evil in the past, but not anymore.

I remember as if it was yesterday seeing the twin towers being destroyed over and over on the any and every news station. The sad reality is when I was tired of looking at it, I simply turned it off by flipping the channel on my television. It wasn't until I put my feet on the land that surrounded ground zero in New York that I was truly influenced. I saw up close and personal the destruction, the faces of those that had lost their lives, and the notes that had been left behind by family and friends. Tragic to say the least, yet it began to change me.

For those of you that know me, you know I am extremely passionate about stopping the violence not only in our city, but also in the world. Call it a fairytale dream, or whatever you wish, but it is a passion of mine that I can't shake as a result of years of being blind to violence and the damage it causes. Last week once again, the world was reminded of the devastation that occurs as a result of violence.

Last week, Im sure you heard about the Clint Dobson, the pastor in Arlington that was murdered, I beg you to pray for his family and the church community that he once led. Please pray that will find healing in this tragedy and in due time they will respond to this tragedy with an aggressive love, doing all they can to make a difference to silence the silence and stop the violence.

In closing, I want to remind you of the quote that I shared with you:
"yes evil may well exist-there may be chaos out there somewhere-but at least, thank goodness, we are all right, we are not immediately threatened by it."

Do these words resemble your innermost feelings or thoughts, or are you willing to be different, to get involved, to stand up on behalf of justice?

Live to Love.
C