It's official!

I hope to have pix up next week, but you heard it here first: at about 6:30PM last night in the largest city in the world, Miss Susana Soledad Pacheco Ramos officially became Mrs. Brent McQuay!

See you Sunday!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

In the meantime, you can get more info here.

off to Mexico City

Well, I need to get to bed since we're up at 4:30am tomorrow for the trip to Mexico City for Brent & Sol's 'first' wedding. (They're being married by her pastor in Mexico City on Friday, for the benefit of all her family & friends who won't be able to travel to Chicago for the 'official' wedding on May 19.)

Since the whole ceremony will be in Spanish, and my understanding is limited to, well....., hola and maybe a couple of other words, this should be interesting. Actually, the thought of seeing our youngest son married is interesting in itself. There's already been a few tears in the McQuay household this week. Any parents reading this who can sympathize?

But this is part of life: watching them grow up and begin a life of their own. And I'm thrilled beyond measure at his choices - to love a dedicated young woman who also loves the Lord and wants to minister the Word alongside him (what do they say about the apple not falling far from the tree?), not to mention how neat it is to have my son working on our staff. So, all in all, I'm a very blessed man, and Chris and I don't feel we're loosing a son; we're just gaining another daughter!

Can't wait for a very special 'Family Sunday' this weekend and my next look at Pleroma with "How to Enjoy God's Fulness" - CLCers, don't dare miss it!

Monday morning reflections

I sometimes try to post this on Sunday evenings, but didn't get a chance last night. I thought this weekend at CLC was just incredible. Not only was the weather outside glorious, but so was the atmosphere inside at all 3 worship celebrations.

What happened during our worship time in the 11:15 service can only be described as a visitation of the Holy Spirit. As I said afterwards, we all know we didn't cause that; it is all of grace. However, I do think there's a few things we can do to "ride this wave":

1. Make time to just be with the Lord. All of us are busy, but during this 'season' of favor, let's find a few minutes daily to read the Word, pray to Him, or just sit quietly in His presence.

2. Be conscious of/sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. These may be gentle impressions throughout your day of something you should do or someone you should speak to - don't argue or resist; just cooperate with His leading.

3. Walk 'softly' before the Lord. Be aware of ways that we all oftentimes displease Him, and avoid any hint of sexual immorality or holding onto anger or remaining estranged from others. Our holiness doesn't earn God's favor, but it's a proper response to His favor!

4. Share with someone else. I'm convinced that true visitations of the Spirit are never for our own consumption; God blesses us to be a blessing.

I'm sure there's more, but that's enough for now. Whatever you do, don't miss May 5/6 when we'll explore the "Full Blessing of Abraham". I love this church, and I'm so excited about what God is doing here!

Wish I'd said this...

Ever wish you'd said something first?

A few months ago I had the chance to meet a young pastor from Anderson, South Carolina who's doing incredible things for God at NewSpring Church. At any rate, Perry's post about the Virginia Tech shootings says it exactly the way I'd like to say it for all of us at CLC.

Read his post for yourself here and then invite your friends and family to our weekend services in Tinley or Shorewood this weekend!

the big question about Virginia Tech massacre

I know that our nation will be asking questions about the Virginia Tech shootings for a long time, and no doubt some of them are valid questions that a civilized society needs to address. But the one question that I'm already hearing is "Why would God allow this?"

It seems like that's the enemy's tactic anytime something tragic happens to anyone - to somehow get us to blame God or even question His existence or His goodness. (I guess that's no surprise when you read this huh? He's a smart devil.)

But I must say, it's NOT God who allows this kind of evil; it's a result of free-will. In reality, I don't think any of us would want to live in a world where we were just puppets on a string, being forced to do what God wanted for us, instead of having the freedom of choice that He created us with. No doubt, that freedom to choose is what introduced sin to the human race and still causes the misery and heartache that each of us has experienced today, but truly we wouldn't want it any other way.

Bad things happen, like the Virginia Tech shootings, because we live in a flawed world and we are a flawed people. The real question is, what will it take to turn us to Jesus for help? He's the Answer to our every question!

prayers for the Virginia Tech people

Unbelievable....I was transfixed by the images and reports again last night of another senseless tragedy in our country. I cannot even imagine how the parents, families, faculty and fellow students are handling this today. What an awful reminder of how much our nation needs Jesus and of the reality of brokenness and depravity within all of us.

"Father, I lift up every one of those affected by the shootings yesterday. Be with every single individual who was touched by this horrible event, and be a Comfort to them in ways beyond their imagination. May your Light shine during this dark hour of their lives, and may some turn to You and find relief from their pain. In Jesus' name, I ask it"

Feel free to add your thoughts and prayers today-

En Espanol

Wow, am I pumped today! Not only did we have our 3rd-best attendance of the year this weekend (behind Easter and our 17th Anniversary celebration only - but you have to understand that the Sunday after Easter is traditionally the lowest-attended Sunday of the year) with at least 1,550 folks worshipping with us at one of our campuses this weekend!

Besides that, I'm excited that 44 Hispanics gathered for the first Spanish worship experience at our Shorewood campus, including some from as far away as Berwyn and Cicero - two suburbs that 'just happened' to have been mentioned by name in one of the prophetic words we received earlier this year! I'm so excited with Pastors Jaime & Jeanette Flores for what God is doing in Centro Christiana de Vida, and I hope you're inviting your Hispanic friends to be a part of their big Friend Day event this Friday, April 20!

And you know what's the neatest thing of all? We had that great day in attendance (and a tremendous offering, by the way) with me and Chris in Shorewood. That's because CLC is not about a one-man show; it's about a team ministry. And so while we were team-teaching the newest part of CLC in Shorewood, our Tinley campus was crowded with people and the presence of God and a great message from Pastor Dan Johnson!

I love you guys, and I love serving this church!

just not a Harley guy...

I'm not talking about me, although I haven't been on a motorcyle since 1983, I think. Not sure how many of you reading this are familiar with Pedro, our miniature Dachshound who actually belongs to my oldest son, Chad (well, that's a long story in itself).

At any rate, with the slight rise in temps yesterday, Chris and I resumed one of our favorite activities, "walking the boys" (Pedro & Jasper, our 110-pound Chocolate Lab) around the neighborhood. All went well until we got near one of the model homes in our subdivision, where someone had parked a Harley-Davidson bike, and Pedro went ballistic! I'm sure my retelling isn't doing it justice (you had to be there), but he was not happy and barked like a dog much bigger than he is on the outside.

Our guess is that he thought the Harley was a big dog, or at least some strange animal occupying his territory (Pedro has laid claim to the entire subdivision and even 80th Avenue alongside our subdivision). Or maybe he's just a Honda or Suzuki guy...who knows?

Acceleration!

One of the prophetic words we received in January of this year was 'acceleration' - that God was going to do things with us at a much faster pace than we were accustomed to. Well, less than 90 days later, I'm trying my best to keep up with it!

I'll have more to say in the days ahead as things become clearer, but I can tell you that right now we are considering not one, not two, but three different opportunities for future ministry that, if any single one come to pass would be absolutely AWESOME!

I truly believe that the words God has spoken to us corporately also apply to us individually, so be on the lookout for an acceleration in what He's doing for you - and expect the full blessing of Abraham to manifest in your life!

Pastor Dan's message last night only added more fuel to my fire: our best days are just ahead!

CLC: don't miss the next series we begin on April 21/22 - "PLEROMA!"

another Tithe challenge testimony

Hey folks - the Word works! Had another hallway conversation this week with the same CLCer who had the incredible report of accepting the "90 day tithe challenge" and then seeing her income drop drastically, yet discover that she always had enough and was able to pay cash for stuff she usually went into debt for. Turns out last week she was given more hours, more pay and an upcoming promotion that will substantially increase her income!

How 'bout it: any more tithe testimonies out there? I wanna hear from you!

Degunkify!

I've admired Tony Morgan from afar for a while now, but his post on "Stop Gunky Build Up" was too good not to pass on to you: I really enourage you to read and heed:

tony morgan one of the simply strategic guys: Stop Gunky Build Up

Easter numbers

Finally figured out the total numbers from Easter weekend: it appears that over 1,950 worshipped with us in one of our 5 Easter celebrations, and best of all, 42 people made a decision to follow Jesus - some for the first time; others in a recommitment!

Now, if the Scripture is true that says the angels of heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents, there must have been some serious par-ty-ing going on in heaven all weekend over CLC!

To me, that's even more important than buildings or new choir songs or goose bumps in the service - it's really all about changed lives! I'm so thankful for what God is doing here through our efforts, and I shout THANKS to every volunteer: every CLCer who helped park cars, who cooked pancakes, who greeted guests, who changed diapers, who checked-in children, who taught, who sang, who played musical instruments, who helped latecomers find a seat, who passed out bulletins or offering buckets, who counted offerings after the rest of us had gone to lunch -- every one of you is invaluable - because what you did enabled those 42 people to find Christ real this weekend! The secret of this church is NOT about me and Chris; it's about the awesome team of staff and volunteers who work so hard to make it happen all year long! I'm just gonna say, "I love you all" before I cry tears of gratitude...

Easter reflections...

I really intended to post this Easter evening, not the day after. But the truth is, I was so wiped out last night I couldn't put words together in a sentence. After preaching 4 times in 18 hours, I was dead meat! (Makes me think I'm a real wimp compared to John Wesley and some of those preachers of the past!)

At any rate, this weekend has to go down as one of the BEST ever in our history - the final counts showed that almost 2,000 people worshipped with us over Easter weekend (the usher's count for Saturday & Sunday was 1,912 - including 263 at our new campus in Shorewood, and I'm sure there were others in our Hispanic service Friday night that would bring the total near the 2,000 mark!) Who would have thunk it 17 years ago when just over a hundred of us worshipped together at Tinley Park High School???

And that choir! You guys were absolutely on fire all weekend, and I love the new songs. Thinking about the fact that "You tore the veil; You made a way, when You said that it is done!" sure got my engine revved with the Good News of what Jesus did for us at the cross!

I also thought it was awesome how CLCers cooperated with a record-attendance on Saturday night and a great showing for the 6:30am Sunrise celebration, to free up seats at the normal Sunday worship times - without it, we would have been in trouble because the auditorium was packed for 9 and 11:15 a.m. - so thanks for making the sacrifice to help someone else have a place here.

Best of all, Jesus showed up and people responded - I don't have a final count yet, but I know that many folks responded to the invitation to receive Christ, and still more made fresh commitments to serve Him. That's what Easter is all about!

I'm still tired this morning, but it's a happy tired!

Refresh...this Easter

Last night's "Refresh" service was perhaps the most awesome one yet! On the first Thursday of each month, we gather for a time of refreshing - lingering in His Presence through extended worship & praise, prayer and communion. Our youth joined us last night and their presence in the band and praise team made it even more special...but most of all was the awesome Presence! Guess you just had to be here to appreciate it....

Speaking of being here, we're just a few hours away from the first of 5 Easter celebrations this year, and I urge you to invite everyone you can think of. Easter is one of those times when even unchurched Americans seem to think about God, and numerous surveys have indicated that unchurched folks will accept an invitation from a friend to attend their church. So CLC, make that last-minute phone call to a friend to come with you this weekend. I promise it's going to be special, with great music, a powerful dance presentation, and confrontational preaching on "The Easter Effect". Let's come expecting people to be born again: tonight (en Espanol) at 7:30pm; Saturday at 6:00pm; and Sunday at 6:30, 9:00 and 11:15 a.m.

Board of Directors

One of the unique aspects of this ministry is our external Board of Directors, which is presently commprised of Eddie Cupples, John Nordstrom, Gordon Banks, Dale Van Steenis and Tudor Bismark. What an incredible assortment of gifts and anointings and wealth of experience, that blesses us regularly! Chris and I are so thankful to call them our friends, and we value their wisdom and counsel.

Yesterday we met together for our 2007 meeting, and while it was a long day, it was so beneficial, as they helped us immeasurably in our journey of being a multi-site church with a vision to impact the south suburbs and beyond. No wonder Scripture says, "in the multitude of counselors, there is safety"!

Do you have someone speaking into your life?

TV commercials for CLC

We gave a quick preview this past weekend, but in case you haven't seen them, we've produced a couple of 60-second ads that are now airing on several cable networks and on WJYS throughout Chicagoland, usually around the ministries of Joel Osteen, Andrew Wommack, Joyce Meyer, and T.D. Jakes. Kudos to our very own Joe Dascenzo and John Vassal for all their expertise in making this happen. Take a look for yourself here and let me know what you think.

Staking Your Claim testimonies

I heard 2 GREAT stories today about your experiences in 'staking your claim' last weekend - one from each campus:

• at Tinley Park, one of our members planted their stake in the backyard and one of the neighbors, with whom there had been difficulty in the past, came over afterwards and asked to receive prayer from her!

• at Shorewood, one of the new attenders there (who attended the first membership class ever at the Shorewood campus tonight!) had experienced a difficult and painful divorce that left her living in a small apartment with no 'yard' in which to plant a stake. Instead, she planted hers in a small flower pot - the only 'soil' she owned. The next day, her ex-husband called with a promise to send her a large sum of money that had been in dispute for quite some time - totally out of character for him since their divorce!

I'm expecting to hear more of these stories in the days ahead - our prophetic act may have seemed strange to some, but we're getting the 'how' out and expecting God to do great things!

Do you have a story about the stakes to share? Let me hear from you.

Weekend reflections

Wow again. If you haven't heard our choir do, "The Blessing of Abraham", you gotta be here next week for one of our 5 Easter celebrations. I got goosebumps in both services listening to them!

Better than goosebumps, we saw some wonderful answers to prayer all weekend long in response to the message on "How To Get Your Inheritance". I'm not sure what all happened in our altars, but I know that there were people healed who came in great pain and others who were baptized in the Holy Spirit and still others who experienced the greatest miracle of all as they were born-again by confessing Jesus as their Lord and Savior! Now, that's the way to do church! Any other reports of answered prayers that you can share with me?

Also heard some GREAT reports from our Student Ministry trip to "GameDay" where they were not only inspired, but actually began to practice reaching out to others with the Good News of what Jesus has done - kudos to Brent and the whole Consumed leadership team for making this trip possible for our kids!

The momentum is building in regards to our 'inheritance' as the 'seed of Abraham' and we plan to continue riding this wave a little longer, so invite a friend and don't dare miss our Easter celebration with an Adult Dance ministry presentation, special music, and another look at the inheritance God has promised each of us!

90-day tithe challenge

Today I heard a testimony about tithing unlike any I'd ever heard before: one of our CLCers who prefers to remina anonymous caught me in the lobby between services to thank me for issuing the 90-day tithe challenge. She said, "Pastor, I've always been a sporadic tither, not one who tithes regardless. But after you challenged us to put God to the test, I decided to do so. Right after I made that commitment, I experienced a significant drop in income - a serious reduction in pay. BUT, my family and I never suffered and I was able to pay cash for stuff that I never was able to before - instead of relying on credit cards, I paid cash in spite of the fact that my income had been reduced, and I know it was a result of putting God first!"

Like I said, I never heard that one before, but I love how God keeps His promises to us, even in unexpected ways! Any more tithe testimonies out there? What's He doing to prove Himself to you?