Christ Community Church of Greenwood

08/20/2026

Day 232

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”
~ Romans 8:26

As I sit this morning about to attend a graduation ceremony as my son completes boot camp, I am filled with a sense of awe and responsibility!

He has been transformed into a man, and it is obvious in the few times we got to speak to him on the phone. However, he goes on from here, and life doesn’t stop or slow down.

I’m as proud as a dad could be, but the weight that is on my heart is, did I teach him to pray…really pray! Life is going to get difficult for him real quick, and decisions will have greater impact…did I teach him to really pray?

E.M. Bounds makes this statement about America in the early 20th century: “An increase in educational facilities and a great increase in money will be the direct curse to Christianity if they are not sanctified by more and better praying than they are doing.”

Anyone who wants to see truth can see this is what has happened to Christianity in America. My thoughts, as I read this, went toward my son. Did I lead him to the one that will never leave him and never forsake him? Did I show him that Jesus was better than all the silver and gold he could ever acquire? Did I show him that God is smarter than the smartest man?

Oh, that we would understand the transformative power of prayer! Even when we are at a loss for words, the Holy Spirit will pray for us! We don’t have to understand it, comprehend it, or even know why He would be willing to do this…just be willing to let Him!!

The is a place we can reach in our prayer life that we let go and let God! A place where words no longer suffice and we must lean upon the Spirit of God to mold us, shape us, make us, and pray for us! Make this kind of praying a priority in your life and wait and see God begin to move you closer and closer to Him!

“Father, I pray for my son this morning. I intercede for him and his life as You, through the Spirit, intercede for me! Help me to remember life is so much better when all of it is bathed in prayer! In Jesus’ Name! Amen!!”

08/19/2026

08/19/2026

Day 231

“Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:25

In the Apostle’s closing words of the letter, he makes this request. Between encouragement and salutations, “Pray for us.”

The placement seems off. The timing in writing almost feels like it was a forgotten “phrase” more than a request. I know a lot of times people will come up to me after church and say thank you for the sermon, and the response is always the same, “Pray for me!”

It’s not a passing phrase, a forgotten request, but a sincere and desperate cry from my heart! “Pray for me!” I find it hard to share the burden, the inadequacies, and the lack of confidence I have in my abilities. However, that is because I know where my true strength lies…In the Holy Spirit!

Reading in context, you can see and hear the tone of the words, “Pray for us!” A cry from the heart recognizing that with the call, without the Lord, without the power of the Holy Spirit, they would just be spinning their wheels!

The next time you hear the words, “Pray for me” presented to you, remember to do just that! Pray for them that God would open up the heavens over their life! Pray that God would give them direction, strength, wisdom, understanding, and power to do His will! The best thing and the most important thing you can do in the Kingdom of God is PRAY!

“Oh, Father, may we grasp this simple yet powerful truth! Through Jesus, we have direct access to the throne, to our Strong Tower, our Refuge, and a very present help in time of trouble! Help us to pray! In Jesus’ Name! Amen!!”

08/18/2026

Day 230

“One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and He prayed to God all night.” ~ Luke 6:12

I have heard and received many a different “words of wisdom” when it comes to my personal prayer life. Most have been to set aside time first thing in the morning. Others have simply said to be deliberate in setting aside time. Still others have said to make time before going to bed. All are true and good and would improve my devotion and walk with God for sure.

However, I have noticed that when I have been “deliberate” about setting a time to pray, it often becomes more of a “religious act” than intimate time with the Lord. In the morning, I have the day on my mind, and at night, I have sleep on the brain. Throughout the day, there are so many distractions that I find it near impossible to focus on any one thing!

I’ve learned, over many years, that it’s not about being deliberate in setting aside time; rather, it’s being deliberate in my desire to spend time with Jesus! If my heart is set and my mind made up, I will spend time with Him. It may be in the morning, night, or driving down the road in the middle of the day!

Jesus goes to the mountain to pray and ends up praying all night! Can’t say it was His intention to pray all night, but that’s what happened! It happened because He was deliberate in His earthly body to be dependent upon the Holy Spirit! It was after this “all nighter” that He selects the 12 Apostles.

It’s good to set aside time to pray, read, study, and meditate on the Lord, but it’s not the time that makes the impact and difference; it’s the choice and determination to spend time with Jesus that makes the difference! Be determined today to spend some time with the Master!

“Father, just to be in Your presence is the cry, the desire, and the drive of my heart! Like the woman with the issue of blood, my heart cries out that I might just touch the hem of Your garment! In Jesus’ Name! Amen!!”

08/17/2026

Day 229

“I didn’t know He was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, He told me, ‘The One on Whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” ~ John 1:33

Yesterday I spoke to the church I pastor about 2 Corinthians 3:18, becoming more and more like Jesus, and being “changed” into His image. As I read this verse this morning, my heart wept and cried out to be more like Him. I tell others, if I’m preaching about it, it is only because God has been dealing with me about it!

As I read this passage out of John, I was overwhelmed in my spirit. The words “descend AND rest” jumped out at me and latched on! Am I giving the Spirit room to ‘Rest’ in my life? Am I living in such a way that the Spirit abides with me throughout every day and every moment?

This is the desire of my heart! I want to be a place of habitation for the Spirit of God! I want to live in such a way that He feels welcomed and wanted, no matter what I am doing or where I am!

We often use the word “Sanctuary” to refer to a safe place for animals or people to find rest. 1 Cor 6:19 reminds me that my body is the “Temple” of the Holy Spirit! I am to be His sanctuary!!!

If there was a literal dove sitting on my shoulder, I would be careful how I moved if I wanted it to stay. Better yet, my every thought would be consumed with making sure it didn’t fly away! How much more should we be about making sure the precious Spirit of God finds a place to rest in our lives!

“Heavenly Father! Oh that I would be a resting place for Your Spirit! Don’t let me settle for a touch here or a passing moment there! Lord, I long for the abiding presence! In Jesus’ Name! Amen!!”

08/17/2026

2026-08-16 Swiping Right .....

08/16/2026

Day 228

“But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.”
~ Luke 22:26

These words were spoken during a “teachable moment” at the Last Supper. The disciples were arguing over who among them was the greatest. I can almost hear a boyish tone, reminiscent of a playground argument! “I bet I can! I can do it better! No one is as good as me!”

Despite everything they had witnessed and experienced, and all the teachings of Jesus, they were still acting like little children! They were behaving just like the Pharisees, the religious elite who were currently rejecting Jesus—the very people Jesus had warned them against! They were fighting and jostling over the “top seats” in the synagogue.

In God’s Kingdom, leadership, power, authority, and so on, all stem from a place of humility! It’s not because we deserve it, earned it, were born with it, or are able to do it! God elevates us only because we have humbled ourselves before Him!

The greatest men and women of God, including the Apostles, never felt worthy, special, or even capable! Take Peter, for instance, who returned to fishing after the resurrection, or Paul, who cried out that he was the “Chief of sinners!” They all understood that God had elevated them above their “station” and that it was not because of who they were!

If you want to do great things for God, start right now by humbling yourself before Him and acknowledging that you need Him above all else!

“Father, no amount of education, charisma, smooth talking, or handshaking can make me a good leader in your Kingdom! Without you, I am nothing! I need You more today than every previous day combined! In Jesus’ Name! Amen!!”

08/15/2026

Your Sunday plans just got an upgrade. ✨

Pull up to Christ Community Church this Sunday at 10 AM for live worship, good people, and a message that meets real life right where it is.

No dress code. No pretending. Just come as you are.

📍 304 Parkland Place Rd, Greenwood, SC 29646

⏰ Sunday Morning - 10 AM
Everybody’s invited. Bring a friend.

08/15/2026