Gilbert Thurston

Random Thoughts About Life, Ministry and Whatever Else Happens to be on my Mind

Coffeehouse

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Wow the CAYAsponsored coffeehouse last night was awesome.  Big props to the Miller Twins (“wonder twin powers…activate”) for all their hard work in getting things ready.  The bands were great and the socializing was even better.  Heavenly Grounds Coffeehousecatered the event and did a fantastic job as usual.  The next one is tentatively scheduled for sometime in late March…come check it out.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

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  • For being my “day off” I certainly have a lot to do today.  Most of it’s good though!
  • Our house is now under contract, so my brother-in-law is coming in from NC to remove some of the things we’ve been storing for him and his new bride.  We enjoy hanging out with them so it should be fun.
  • Tonight CAYA is sponsoring another coffee house at the church.  If it’s anything like the last one, it should be great.  If you’re not busy tonight, check it out.
  • I’m pumped up for tomorrow night at well.  Lisa, my sister, her husband and I are going to the House of Kobe Japanese Restaurant to celebrate Christmas 2006…yes you read that right…we we’re supposed to do it and never got around to it…now it’s on the calendar and I’m excited!  It’s my favorite restaurant in the whole world and as soon as were done we’ll schedule our Christmas 2007 dinner there as well!  Oh yeah, it’s also my sister’s birthday so I guess we’re killing two birds with one stone.
  • This weekend I’m going to be talking about how to “Get Real” with people in our small groups.  I’m praying this message will be a major eye-opener for many.
  • I had two great meetings yesterday with people from outside out church.  The first was with Rich the architect who designed our building.  He, Andy and I were brainstorming how we can take some of the things we learned in the construction of CFCOG and use it to help other churches. 
  • Then I met with Wayne Good the pastor from Newville First Church of God from within our denomination to give him some of our staging and backdrops we used for United in the old building. 
  • In both cases, I love helping out others.  It’s one thing to make a difference in our area, but if we can then plant seeds into others and help them reach their communities better or more efficiently then our impact grows exponentially.
  • The above is why I loved working for Purpose Driven.  As I travelled and taught pastors at conferences, I knew that most likely I would never step foot in my lifetime into many of their towns.  However, by influencing the influencers, I helped them to learn, grow and reach their communites more effectively.  So in a small way I helped change communities that I’ll never visit…that was very rewarding!
  • Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to open up your homes for small groups.  We will open up registration this weekend.  Group sizes are limited so make sure you sign-up quickly.
  • The band was working on a new song that we’ll be debuting in a few weeks that is going to rock…you won’t be able to get it out of your head.
  • For being a Youth Pastor, Gene certainly does stink at playing the Wii.  I thought that’s all youth pastors did was sit around and play video games all day :)
  • Hey speaking of the youth, we’ll be launching an after school program for students at Faust starting on Feb. 14th.  E-mail Gene for more info or to volunteer.
  • Don’t you love it when you try to do something nice for someone else but it backfires on you.  It sucks, but that’s life…”Do not grow weary in doing good.”  Gal. 6:9
  • If the Redskins hire Jim Fassel, please remove all sharp objects from my possesion…just kidding…sort of.
  • Don’t forget to participate in some of the new forum topics or comment back on some of my blog posts.  The only way for the site to become really effective is for you to participate not just read.

    • Fishing

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    I’ve been relaxing tonight, reading, praying, listening to Podcasts and in general just being thankful for all that God is doing in our midst. So far this week I have gotten 3 very positive and encouraging e-mails from people telling me how much they love United and how much their lives are changing…the sad part (at least for me) is that I’m not really sure who they are.

    Tonight through all that I’ve been doing God has made it clear to me though that it’s OK.  When you fish with a rod-and-reel you personally pull in every fish and you’ve got a story to tell with each one.  However, to have the maximum impact you need to fish with a net and pull in a bunch at a time, but this means you don’t get to interact with each one personally.  Yes the joy of knowing everyone is gone but the greater difference for the Kingdom makes it all worth it.

    The truth is each of those people are still someone special and although I may not know them, God does.  However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need a relationship with someone from the church.  That’s why I’m so excited that small groups will soon be starting.  Everyone will have the chance to get connected into the deep meaningful relationships that we all so desperately desire and since it doens’t require me knowing everyone, together we’ll make a huge eternal impact on Chambersburg and beyond!

    New Forum Topics

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    I added some new forum topics last night for you to contribute to…or feel free to ask some of your own questions or make comments. As we continue talking about building friendships and community, the forums are an important part.

    In fact I remember when I was working for Purpose Driven we had forums which people all over the country participated in. It’s amazing how close of a relationship you can build with people that you may have never met. It was neat then each year at our annual Purpose Driven Church conference to participate in the special luncheon we set-up just so you could finally meet some of these people face-to-face. So jump into one of the following:

    I Have a Dream       Favorite Song      Favorite Moment
             Your Story               Small Groups