Champion Life Magazine Fall 2012 by Champions Centre

FALL 2012

life LET GO10

ONE DAY20

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Bellevue 425 • 289 • 1878 Tacoma 253 • 475 • 6454 Follow us on Twitter @kevingerald @sheilagerald @cctacoma @ccbellevue

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Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile -Albert Einstein

LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND 90% HOW YOU RESPOND”

FEATURES

— CHARLES H. SPURGEON

YOU GOT TA LE T GO

1 0 YOU GOTTA LET GO BY MILES MCPHERSON

1 4 HEART FOR THE HOUSE BY CHAMPIONS CENTRE TEAM 2 0 ONE DAY

BY KEVIN GERALD

IN THE KNOW 6

Team Spotlight

Greatest Summer Ever Recap

18 Champions Foundation Update

IN EVERY ISSUE 3 LET’S TALK 4 YOU TO US 24 CHAMPION FINDS

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life

LET GO10

ONE DAY20

ABOUT US Champion Life Magazine purposes to equip people to live successful Christian lives.

26 REAL LIFE CHAMPIONS 28 K. WISE FALL 2012

E xecu tive Pu b lish ers Kevin Gerald & Sheila Gerald

E DITO R-IN-CHI E F Jodi Cameron

S enio r P roje c t Manage r Art Dire c tor

Jen Mueller

Dallas Drotz, Drotz Design Abbie Buck, Corianne Burton,

Contrib u t in g E d itors

Andrea Dashiell, Kim Ludwick, Stephanie Jannsen, Raelynn Poulin, Leslie Powell, Judi Shackett Contrib u t in g P h otograp h y

Andy Mueller,

Ardorlit Photography, J. Hobson Photography Prince Originals Photography Contrib u t in g G rap h ic Design Contrib u t in g Writers

Venessa Koehn & Mickey Elliott

Kevin Gerald, Jodi Cameron,

Catalina Mahon, Robin McCoy, Miles McPherson,

Share Your Story EMAIL US AT: CHAMPIONLIFE@CHAMPIONSCENTRE.COM

Nichole Moore, Brandon Stewart Distrib u t ion

P R ODUCE R

Kim Ludwick

Champion Life Magazine is produced by Kevin Gerald

Communications (KGC). KGC is a department of Champions Centre in Tacoma | Bellevue, WA, a non-profit organization.

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Mail Champion Life Editorial 1819 E. 72nd St. Tacoma, WA 98404

Produced by Champions Centre Publishing ÂŠ 2012. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without expressed written permission is prohibited and a violation of applicable laws. 2012 copyright. Printed by Print NW

LET’S TALK.

AS I WATCHED THE OLYMPICS THIS PAST SUMMER,

I was reminded how so much of our lives are built on the choices we make every single day. We choose where we will be tomorrow based on the decisions we make today. The Bible clearly says we can even choose life itself: “I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live”.* This issue we want to focus on what it means to choose life. Sometimes choosing life means choosing to let go. A new friend of ours, Miles McPherson, shares his perspective in, “You Gotta Let Go” on page 10. We’re excited to have the former NFL San Diego Charger who now pastors a great church called, The Rock Church of San Diego, with us for this year’s BOLD Men’s Conference. We had some of our Champions Centre team write their thoughts on having a heart for God’s House on page 14. These team members, along with hundreds of volunteers every single week, give their lives to pursuing and building God’s House. When we invest our lives in something that God’s heart is in (like His House), our lives will be enriched and our hearts renewed. One of the team members from this collection of articles shares how her personal and family life dramatically changed once she committed her heart to God’s House on page 26. And, you can read on page 20 where I talk about how our lives can change in just One Day. Sometimes we get caught up in the everyday routine of life and yet God can work in us and through us to make our everyday someone’s One Day. We had a really great summer at Champions Centre and we’re looking forward to building on that for an even greater fall! Take a look back at some of the highlights in our Greatest Summer Ever Recap on page 8.

P.S. Tell us your story at championlife@championscentre.com. *(Deuteronomy 30:19-20, emphasis added)

So, take a minute, grab a coffee and be encouraged to live the fullest life you can as you turn the pages in this issue of Champion Life Magazine.

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YOU TO US I want you to know that my staff and I were profoundly impacted by Team Church Conference this year. It was just what we needed, just when we needed it. Thank you! —Ghyrn W.

If there is a better team of volunteers anywhere in the world, I’ve not met them! Champions Centre volunteers, you make Team Church Conference the best. —Jason B.

Thank you Pastors Kevin and Sheila, and the Champions Centre staff for investing into our teams. No one champions the cause of the church like you! We are grateful to TC12 for the warm welcome and eternal investment into our team. We are changed forever! —Terry & Judith

HEART FOR THE HOUSE

This past summer we were in a series Heart for the House and we asked everyone to post a photo of heart shaped hands and asked the question what does Heart for the House mean to you? Here are some of the photos we received:

These two girls have a huge heart for God’s House! — Jarret H.

Heart for Tacoma, Heart for the House. — Paul B.

Every week I get to serve with some of the most passionate, dedicated people. There’s nothing quite like giving and serving in God’s House. — Erin W. This heart is for my city and for Bellevue. — Ricardo I.

I love my church, Champions Centre, God heart is His House! — Destiny N.

WATCH HEART FOR THE HOUSE VIDEO HERE

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I couldn’t imagine my life without worship. Not only is the worship team like my family, but I’ve grown to be better in all areas of my life from my time invested serving in the House. — Savannah S.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

DO YOU HAVE FEEDBACK OR A STORY TO SHARE? CLM WELCOMES YOUR COMMENTS. PLEASE WRITE US AT: championlife@championscentre.com MAIL: Champion Life Editorial 1819 E. 72nd St. Tacoma, WA 98404

SOMEONE’S

Robin McCoy

CHAMPION LIFE MAGAZINE

TEAM SPOTLIGHT: CONNECTIONS

he parking lot is really where our weekend worship experience begins. The message may be great and the worship may be amazing, but if a guest or someone has a bad experience or they feel less than welcomed in the parking lot—then they may not hear or experience the weekend service in its fullness. Chances are they could be missing something. Every step along the way until our guests (or anyone really) gets to the main auditorium is intentionally and purposefully designed with genuine hospitality in mind. The parking lot is no exception.

It’s not just concrete with lines and a bunch of cars parked all in a row. It’s not just a place where you leave your car while you attend a church service. The parking lot at our Champions Centre campuses is so much more. It is a place of connection—the beginning of someone’s One Day… “On February 5th, there was an opportunity to serve on the parking lot team, so I grabbed an arm full of umbrellas and offered them to each person as they got out of their cars. I soon met Shelby who shared that it was her very first time to Champions Centre. I wrote her name down so I would remember it when I would hopefully be able to connect with her after service. She said she loved the service and that she would be back. She said, “We had her at the umbrella”. Most people may not ever serve on the parking team, and it is a team that can be overlooked because we just run past them to get to service. They arrive earlier than everyone else to get the parking lot ready. They leave after they know everyone has left the parking lot safely. They may seem like a motley crew because they wear orange vests and jackets, carrying flashlights and stop signs. But, they are the ones who set the stage for the people who come to a worship experience on any given weekend.

ONE DAY CAN BEGIN IN THE PARKING LOT. Here is what they say when asked, “Why do you serve on this team?” “It is an honor for us to serve this church and we don’t do it because we want to be recognized (even though we like the recognition when it comes). We do it because God has called us to do it in His service to the men and women that He has appointed over us at this time. The entire parking lot is the red carpet for us. We want to make everyone who walks on the campus know that no matter what is going on outside of this place that when they arrive here, they can look forward to seeing us no matter sun, rain, sleet or snow – we will be there, serving with the same excellence we expect and receive from our church.” Here’s JJ’s story, his life will never be the same because his One Day started in our parking lot: “This story starts in the Champions Centre parking lot. You see, that was the only place my ex-wife would allow me to see our little boys. I remember it pretty clearly, even though my life was completely engulfed in an addiction to methamphetamine. My wife had been attending Champions for some time and had a feeling that if she could get me to the parking lot there might be a chance that I would make it inside…and she was right. I was like a stray pet that was coaxed in by being offered a meal, but I got so much more than a meal—I got a new life! Pastor Kevin was preaching on the power to choose and that day I went from hopeless to hopeful. I was never alone after that moment. God began to undo what I thought could never be undone. I am a father to my children and friend to my ex-wife. I began school and ended up helping those who are in the same position I was in. God took this drug addict and made me into a drug counselor. God helped me to become the example I couldn’t see.” You may have never thought of the parking lot as more than concrete with lines and cars parked neatly in a row…but now you know… it is so much more! We love our parking lot team. We are passionate about what they do and the part that they play in each and every service as people come and have a very real encounter with the living God. FALL 2012

Pictures say a thousand words, here are some of the moments captured during our Greatest Summer Ever.

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te r than a e r g is g in v e of se r Th e expe rie nc obse rving.” f o e c n ie r e p th e ex

WATCH H IGH LIGHT VIDEO

GReATeST

suMmer

“Baby shark...” -Ed Young

eVer.

Furtick Fear will not evaporate , it must be evicted.” - Steven FALL 2012

Article #1: GUEST Ar t a youth conference in Colorado, out in the middle of nowhere, I see these people falling out of the sky. Parachuting. I had never parachuted so I go over to the parachute place in between my speaking engagements and say, “Yo, I want to jump out of one of those planes.” Turns out I have no idea what I am saying. The guy signs me up, and we do a little practice. I think I’m ready. We take off, and they put an altimeter on me. As you go up, you watch it say 1,000 feet; 2,000 feet; 3,000 feet…12,000 feet. Two miles up in the air. Then they open the door. You know, it never really dawned on me what was gonna happen. Six dudes are in that plane and they’re all screaming, and I’m starting to come to my senses. I’m married, I got a family. You know? I yell to my instructor (have to -- it’s loud in that plane!), “Hey, has anybody ever punked out? Like, refused to jump?” He thinks a minute and yells back. “One time. A 12-year-old girl.” “Oh,” I mutter. Just wondering…

BY Miles McPherson

Okay, so there’s no backing out of this. We have to kneel and crawl to the

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door. There’s a bar to grab, and when the instructor counts to three, you let go. I happen to be the last guy. I crawl over and look down. We’re two miles above the earth, okay? The others are floating specks below. But I grab the bar, and he yells, “On three, you gotta let go!” I start thinking about all the workouts I have done in my life. I’ve been an athlete since I could walk. I was a former professional football player. There’s no way the instructor can make me let go of this bar. I have to voluntarily let go. “ONE... TWO…” When he yells “THREE!” I take a deep breath, release the bar, and launch into thin air. Now, what’s ironic is that I do not have a parachute on me. I have the instructor on me. I’m hooked to him, and he has the parachute on. I have to trust that the guy on my back knows what he’s doing and is equipped to save my life. It’s a great illustration of what Christians need to do, every day. Let go, and trust Jesus. The Holy Spirit, in a manner of speaking, is going to yell “THREE!” and you need to trust that Jesus has your back.

rticle:

Miles

You don’t have your own parachute to get you through life. Jesus is your parachute. Not only that. He’s the pilot and the plane and the wind under the plane and the Creator of the sky and the earth and everything in between. But we still hang on to the bar, and pretend we’re trusting God. Let’s switch from the air to the sea. Take a look at Matthew 14. You know the story. Jesus puts His disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. There’s a storm. They’re scared out of their minds. He comes walking on the water to save them. One of them steps out of the boat in faith, the others don’t. You have to understand that this is a set-up. Here’s what I mean: Jesus set the circumstances in place to give His disciples the opportunity to take a leap of faith. In previous passages, we’re told that Jesus performs miracle after miracle after miracle. He reveals His power and nature time and again. He gives sight to a blind guy. He heals a leper. He raises a young girl who was dead. He feeds 5,000 with five loaves of bread and some fish. And every time He performs a

miracle, He asks His disciples, “Did you see that? One day y’all gonna do that…” Then in verse 22, immediately after the dramatic feeding of the 5,000, Jesus makes His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Meanwhile, He goes to a mountain to pray alone. Now, I guarantee you He’s praying for what’s gonna happen. I wasn’t there, but I believe this may be what He prayed. “Dear Father, you know storm 103B? Not the big storm, not the little storm, the mini storm. Can you throw that on the boys out there right now? Just stir them up, make them think they’re gonna die...” I wanna tell you right now, not only are there people praying for you, God’s praying for you. He’s like, “This time they’ll get it.

FALL 2012

This time, they’ll let it go.” He knows every single one of you, and He’s set you up to be where you are in life. No coincidences in God’s Kingdom. Maybe you’re in the middle of a storm. Like Jesus’ disciples, you’re in the middle of the sea, in darkness, soaked, panicking, and clinging to what you think might save you. Like Jesus’ disciples, you’re in a situation where the only thing you can do is cry out to the Lord. You don’t have anything else to cling to. The disciples are freaking out so badly that they don’t recognize Jesus when He comes walking over the waves to their sinking boat. It’s pitch black, between 3 and 6 in the morning, and they’re convinced they are dead men floating.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:25-27)

HE KNOWS EXACTLY

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Be of good cheer? Do not be afraid? Is He crazy? No, because you have a lifesaver to grab, a parachute to tie on your back. But you have to let go to do it. All of us are clinging to the bar in the parachute plane, looking down instead of up, thinking we’re in control. All of us are crossing the lake and facing storms that come up and realizing that we’re going to die. Jesus comes walking out on the storm, unaffected by the circumstances. Your drama, your mama’s drama, nothing can sink God. He knows exactly who you are. He knows your family, He knows your past, He knows all about your present, and He knows your future. So what boat are you trusting in? What bar are you hanging on to? What are you trusting in other than God? What are you clinging to for your happiness, for your sense of security, for your future, for your comfort, for your sense of purpose, for your identity? Jesus wants to be that thing. Let go, and grab Him.

Miles McPherson, a former defensive back with the San Diego Chargers, is a frequent conference speaker, author and senior pastor of the Rock Church, San Diego. His latest book, God in the Mirror: Discovering Who You Were Created to Be (Baker, comes out in March 2013.)

FALL 2012

Nichole Moore Recently, my husband took our family to visit a dear friend of his grandfather’s. I looked forward to our visit knowing he had spent much of his life as a Pastor. As we stood outside his door anticipating our invitation inside his home, I noticed a small plaque placed above the doorbell. It read “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” What a bold statement he made to every person that entered his home. He was declaring to the world that his life was completely devoted to the service of God. As a granddaughter to a Pastor, I am no stranger to the world of serving. The small neighborhood church that my grandfather pastored provided many opportunities for me to serve. I can recall starting my first act of service as a junior helper in the kids ministry. Before long I was asked to place the paper pictures carefully on the flannel board for all the class to see; this was a huge promotion! I guess you could say that by growing up in God’s house, it just seemed normal to me to serve somehow. It wasn’t until I matured that I realized why it is so critical for me, and my house, to have a heart for 14

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the on-going work of the Lord. While teaching middle school, I witnessed uncertain, insecure teens completely change the way they looked, acted, and spoke in order to find acceptance in a peer group. It became obvious to me that humanity actively pursues relationship with people who share common values. It’s pretty simple. God put a desire within humanity for community with one another. In fact, God himself wants to be in our community. It is the motivating reason He sent Jesus to the earth—to restore relationship between Him and His creation. As a mother, I feel an incredible sense of urgency to help my children find their community in God’s house. The teen years can be so cruel and volatile, and the measure of my influence as a parent can easily be replaced by a peer group. It is my determination that the peer group with the strongest voice in my children’s lives will be within God’s community. It will not happen on accident or by coincidence. I have to position my children in God’s house so they have the opportunity to develop relationships with other Christians. I need to help my children develop a sense of ownership for the work of ministry by encouraging each of my kids to serve on a team at church. Helping your kids discover the unique gift God has put inside them, while learning the importance of using that gift to give honor back to God, builds their confidence and helps them see that the role they play in building God’s house matters. I also try to purposefully invite their church friends over, repeatedly, creating moments for my kids to connect with other kids who

share their values. Should my children be faced with critical decisions about their faith, I want the confidence that the families they turn to for advice are the families that share our beliefs. Matthew 6:21 offers this insight: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The heart follows what it is invested in. When I choose to serve God with my time, my energy, and my money, I become fully invested in God’s priority on the planet: The building of his kingdom. I am no longer a passive church attendee who visits a worship service. Instead, my investment begins to cultivate a sense of ownership for God’s house. I become passionate about furthering the message of hope and salvation to my hurting community. My heart is intertwined with the happenings of God’s church and I feel compelled to serve in any role that positions the church to advance. It is the only earthly investment that follows me into eternity. Joshua said it well when he spoke to the Israelites. He took them through a mini history lesson reminding them of all the ways God had been with them and delivered them from bondage. In fact, he challenged them to determine to whom they would become fully devoted. Would it be the God of their forefathers, or would it be the God of the pop-culture of their day? Every day we are challenged with the same question. Who will you serve? Will it be you? Will it be your entertainment? Will it be your success? Just like Joshua declared it over his household, we can say the same, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

HEART FOR THE HOUSE

I believe being planted in God’s House is one of the greatest decisions a Christ follower can make. A simple commitment to let your heart be firmly rooted in God’s House.

Brandon Stewart My story begins 30 years ago, when I was approximately one year old. In the fall of 1982, my parents arrived with me at our church— what is now known as Champions Centre. From that day on, we’ve been planted in the same local church. Never moved, never disconnected. We’ve stayed in place, and we have seen God do bigger things in our lives than we could have imagined. Psalm 92:13-14 says it like this, “Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” In a day when it is trendy to be up on Jesus but down on the church, I decided that my life was going to reflect something different—a heart for God’s House. In fact, I decided a long time ago that if God’s heart was in His House, then mine would be also. I didn’t want to be found tearing down or being apathetic toward the very thing Jesus gave his life for, The Church. I believe being planted in God’s House is one of the greatest decisions a Christ follower can make. A simple commitment to let your heart be firmly rooted in God’s House. Here’s the point: God wants to get us ready for what He has already prepared for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has big plans for our lives. He wants to use you and me in a significant way to establish His Kingdom. We’re purposed by God and designed to serve His call on our lives, but first he has to get us ready. Part of the process is growing up. Think about it like this. A seed, in seed form, is nothing more than embryonic potential. Inside, it has everything it needs to fulfill its purpose. But in order for a seed to germinate and bring forth new

life, it must have the right combination of soil, water, and temperature. If one of these things is missing, a seed simply remains undeveloped potential. In other words, a seed must be planted in order to grow. I’m going to be honest, though. I didn’t stay planted in the same local church because it was always easy. It’s not as if I didn’t have moments of potential offense, disagreement, or doubt. I’ve had all of those things. The miracle for me has not been that my walk with God or experience in church has always been perfect, but rather that I simply stayed put where God had placed me. I stayed planted. I weathered the storms and endured the hard times. And because of it, I believe my life and family is stronger; and by God’s grace, I’ll be able to do more for His Kingdom as a result. Too often, people disconnect from the place God has planted them. We are often tempted to sacrifice God-assigned places in life on the altar of our own opinions. We look for faults in the church, or others, as if we are going to get a reward for it in heaven. But no monument was ever erected to a critic. And I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing great will come in my life when I allow internal opinions and motivations to uproot me from the place where I belong planted. If you find yourself part of a local church today, I want to call you to a high level of commitment to the House. I want to invite you to make one of the greatest decisions of your life—to be planted in God’s House, fixed and immovable. I believe you’ll wake up many years from now with the same sense of gratitude in your heart that I have in mine today. You’ll realize God has you right where He wants you, and He will use you to do something significant for Him. FALL 2012

HEART FOR THE HOUSE

Catalina Mahon Every single position and every ministry matters and makes a difference. What we do as a team creates the environment and atmosphere for people to see and give their lives Our Heart for the House Series that we were in this summer was so amazing, especially within our Media Department here at Champions Centre. A few months ago, I sent out an email to our Media Team to communicate some things I was observing as a whole. I wanted to get everyone on the same page as to why we do what we do and the heart behind our team. Here’s a little of that Letter:

“There are some of you who have been planted in this team for a long time…I always look to you and the reason’s that you are still part of our team. Mainly because over the years this ministry has gone thru many transitions and many of you have had the opportunity to get frustrated, to get offended and walk away from serving, but you didn’t. And I just want to say Thank You for that… I don’t ever want to take for granted those of you who have been faithful past your feelings—Thank you! Our Ministry was built on your years of Zeal for God’s House! God’s word says His heart is in the House (the center of His attention), and my prayer for this ministry, and the people who serve in it, has always been that your heart or Zeal for the House be the center of everything that you do. I’ve seen volunteers from our team experience Blessing, Goodness, Promotion and Protection in their life and I know it’s because of your faithfulness to being where God’s Heart is…in the Church.

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to Jesus. People of all ages are saying yes to Jesus because of what you do! You are having an eternal impact in the lives of people. People are going to die and burn in hell if they don’t meet Jesus. I don’t want them to die and go to hell. Not on our watch, not in our house…they matter and make a difference, you make a difference! Like I said, we are on the verge, on the edge of huge breakthrough! Lets be ready for it! Let’s be all in. ”

We have volunteers on our Media Team who have been serving for almost 30 years…It blows me away just writing about it now. The amount of honor I have for this previous generation who paid the price to be Kingdom Builders is so overwhelming. They’ve paved the way, they’ve made sacrifices, they’ve made the choice to serve, to pledge, to dedicate their gifts, talents and their finances and stay connected to the community that is the local church. That is zeal! It’s all consuming and I am so thankful that they’ve kept their zeal for God’s house at the very center of their lives for all these years. Why we do what we do comes down to a choice. When it comes to having a heart for God’s House, we make a conscious, intentional choice to allow our roots to be planted deeply within the center of God’s Heart. This commitment will affect life and the generations following plain and simple. And that is the point—I would not be where I am, serving, loving, and having this big heart for God’s House if it wasn’t for those who came before me and paid the price so that I could have a second chance at life.

UPDATE Take a brief look at the four major initiatives within Champions Foundation

Faith

Through efforts like the Faith initiative we support local churches and pastors around the world. One of the longest relationships weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the opportunity to invest in is The Life Church with Pastor Ancho Buenaventura in the Philippines. Life Church sets out to leave a legacy in the community as The Home of Champions, as it embraces in its fold people: whose lives are being transformed, whose passion to win the lost is intense, and whose stand to make Jesus famous never grows weary. With all the devastation the Philippines has seen in the last few years with major flooding the Champions Foundation looks to continue partnering with people and organizations like the Life Church who are on the ground making a true and lasting impact for generations to come.

Take a look at the website:

www.championsfoundation.com

Hope Every month teams of volunteers go into Pierce and King county to serve our local community. We are proud to partner with various organizations to bring HOPE to people closest to us. One of the partnerships that has developed over the last few years has been with the Foster Care Resource Network. This past August we hosted the Back to School Bash for the third year in a row at our Tacoma Campus. We made the entire day an experience for the students who attended with big bouncy toys, games, lunch, and we passed out over 300 backpacks full of grade-relevant school supplies. Meeting the needs of so many foster care students and making it a special day for them to remember for the entire school year is why our volunteers enjoy investing their time and energy into the event.

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Education We want to help bring better education to students around the world. One way we do that is supporting schools like American English Academy (AEA). AEA is an international school established in 1992 in Sofia, Bulgaria by Frank and Ruth Munsey (parents of Champions Foundation Founder Sheila Gerald). It started with 15 American students, but each year there has been remarkable growth. In the 2011-12 school year AEA served students from 31 countries. This unique school in a former communist country attends to the needs of parents from Diplomatic and Military missions from the United States and the international community in Bulgaria. The classes are small in size, which enables the teachers to reach the individual needs of every student.

Compassion Through our Compassion Initiative we hope to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. One of our major projects within this initiative is our Champions Forever Home in Johannesburg, South Africa. We support boys and girls who literally have nowhere else to go. The social workers in the area find out if we have a bed available, and as long as we do we’re able to place orphans in a safe and family environment. Most of the children who have been part of our home either have the HIV/Aids virus or have been affected by it in some way. Their lives are forever changed because people care enough to give the time and resources needed to support this home.

[to give text ‘champions’ to 80888] ($5 donated with each text)

FALL 2012

“ One Day BY KEVIN GERALD

We all have our routines, our daily schedules, our normal. Often, it may seem like a blur of the same things day in and day out. These daily routines even begin to overlap each other; Wednesday is just like Tuesday. Thursday is just like the Thursday the week before. What we do on these days is what we do every day. In Acts 3:1, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Peter and John were doing the same thing they did everyday at three o’clock in the afternoon. They were going to church! And this wasn’t something they did weekly, on a Sunday or a Saturday evening—this was a part of their daily routine. In verse 2, we read about a man who was disabled from birth being carried to the temple gate where he was put in place every day to beg from those going into the temple. The Bible is telling us about routine here. This man was carried to the gate every single day. The routine of the every day is about to give way to the transforming, life-changing power of One Day.

This was One Day unlike any previous day. Peter and John were doing what they were supposed to do. They were being consistent in the outworking of their faith. They were right where they were supposed to be, and in the beauty of the routine, their everyday became this man’s One Day and his life was changed for the better forever. The story changes, the person changes, the heart changes, the future changes—all in One Day. Everyone who has encountered God up close and personal can tell you almost everything about that very moment in detail. The setting. The service. The song. The speaker. The date. One Day can change everything so much so that it makes an imprint on our hearts that we do not easily forget. What happens on that One Day is a highlight of your life story. OUR EVERY DAY COULD BE SOMEBODY’S ONE DAY. God can work through your everyday routine and use you to as a tipping point for someone else on their journey toward getting closer to God. Whether it’s at the office, your kid’s school, the grocery story, wherever you are, God can

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When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. -Acts 3:3-8

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work through your routine to speak into people’s lives if you’re open to it. Sometimes we can allow our weekly church attendance or volunteering to become routine and we can settle into an “everyday” type of mentality. Let’s look at a weekend experience at Champions Centre Tacoma. At approximately 2pm on Saturday, and 7am on Sunday morning, someone arrives to open our church doors. Thirty minutes later, our teams start arriving. Some people are getting ready for the children that will soon fill the classrooms. Others prepare for those who may wish to grab something to eat or drink before service. Some of us are in a room praying. Musicians and singers rehearse. Sound, lighting and video technicians are busy with last-minute sound checks and run-throughs. Then the people start arriving. The auditorium opens up. People save their seats. (And this is just the actual weekend activities, not including any additional preparations that happen throughout the entire week or months leading up to it.) Some of us have done this literally thousands of times. It’s fair to say that we don’t always think about the magnitude of what’s at stake. The truth is, it’s not always on our minds. But at some level, there’s a very real hope that what is our normal “every day” type of routine will become somebody else’s One Day. Mike’s story: Before becoming a Christian, I struggled with drugs, porn, alcohol, and was mentally abusive to the ones I loved. My wife left me because of my self-destructive and abusive behavior. I was suicidal due to my numerous addictions.  One and a half years after my wife left me, I broke down. Everything I wanted was gone and I had done it to myself! So, I started praying, and little by little, my life was being repaired. I came to Champions Centre on May 15, 2011 (One Day) and re-dedicated my life to the Lord.  I have been drug, porn and alcohol free since that day. My wife and I are back together. In fact, we were baptized together on October 16, 2011.

some of the worst days of peoples’ lives are often a setup for their One Day experience with Jesus We love the Lord. We love our Church! We love our Pastors! And we love our new life in Christ! I want to encourage every person who has had an encounter with God to never forget that One Day in your life when God showed up and changed your heart. When it comes to God’s House, be like the Psalmist who said “better is One Day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere!” (Psalm 84:10) Be inspired and stay inspired by the idea that One Day—one message, one song, one moment—can be the catalyst that God uses to change a person’s life forever. Some of you have prayed for people you love for years—do not quit praying. Do not quit inviting. Do not quit believing. Be encouraged! Heaven is setting up somebody’s One Day right now! God uses people like us to create places and spaces and atmospheres where people experience God in a way they have never experienced him before…and in a way they will never forget. Let’s look at another story from Jesus’ life on earth: John 1:43-50 MSG Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.” But Philip said, “Come and see for yourself.” When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.” Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? FALL 2012

ONE DAY

grace can do in a moment what you

You don’t know me.” Jesus answered, “One Day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!” (emphasis added) GOD WANTS US TO BE A CHURCH FOR UN-CHURCHED PEOPLE, and for the people who don’t think of themselves as church-going people. Those people ARE PERFECT for this house. A member of our church family recently said: “Thank you for having a church where the people I bring are not repelled from but drawn to God. I brought a guy a couple weeks ago and he had his One Day... everyone I bring gets saved.” What I really appreciate is that he didn’t see it as someone else’s job to get people to come to church… but instead, as his job, to bring people to church. People say: “You’ve got to be kidding…” We say: “Come and see.” There was something significant in Nathanael’s life that had to do with a fig tree. And, when Jesus said “One Day I saw you under the fig tree,” it apparently represented something very personal in Nathanael’s life story. Something leading up to his One Day. It could have been a reference to something else, but I found it interesting, upon doing a bit of research, that the Syriac dictionary says that when Jesus was a baby and Herod was killing all the male Israelite boys that Nathanael’s mom hid him under a fig tree. Maybe a person’s One Day under a fig tree is preparation for a One Day experience with Jesus. In other words, some of the worst days of peoples’ lives are often a setup for their One Day experience with Jesus. When Philip was being persistent, he didn’t know what would happen. He probably had no idea about the fig tree and certainly didn’t know Jesus would speak to Nathanael about it. When Jesus spoke to Nathanael, the “You’ve got to be kidding” guy became the “You are who they say you are” guy. Philip’s One Day under a fig tree bow brought him to his One Day with Jesus. WE NEVER KNOW WHO GOD HAS BEEN LOOKING AT IN OUR WORLD WAITING FOR US TO BRING TO HIM. Don’t try to figure out who will and who won’t or let your invites become based around false 22

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assumptions. Don’t let the “You’ve got to be kidding” discourage you from saying, “Come and see!” The greatest One Day in history—the first Easter—was a day beyond days, a day that would transcend cultures and calendars, to offer hope to millions of people. What an example of how One Day changes everything. Lets go back to Luke 23, about 60 hours before one of the Easter story accounts, and look at the last and final act of Jesus’ life. Luke 23 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The first man represents the person who sees no need for God in his life. He’s skeptical and self-reliant. But something that recently stood out to me—something I had never noticed before—is the silence of Jesus. Jesus didn’t answer him. He didn’t hear anything. Heaven wasn’t talking to him. Jesus had no comeback. But what happens next is almost equally as shocking. Someone just like him - the same rough life, the same bad choices—sees it very differently and separates himself from the other. The second man clearly believes in God. His life was not sinless to say the least, but in the middle of another day comes this One Day. It’s not only unfair, it’s downright scandalous… Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The sins of a lifetime were stacked up on this man’s bio and One Moment, One Prayer, One Day trumps his lifetime of sin. Here’s the bottom line: good people don’t (ALWAYS) go to heaven… and bad people (SOMETIMES) do. Here’s why: the criteria is not based on

ONE DAY

can’t even do in a lifetime of effort

man’s system of fairness, it’s based on God’s plan of forgiveness. When it comes to salvation, most people assume that God will give us what we deserve: that good people go to heaven because they are good and deserve to go to heaven, and that bad people don’t because they don’t deserve to. This is where Christianity is different than any other religion. A slew of other religions have a “good behavior list” that qualifies a person for heaven. But, Christianity is the only religion that has a Savior. The 10 Commandments were not something God gave us assuming we would never mess up on them—He gave them to us to make us aware of our sin and our desperate need of a Savior! Any time God gives us something we don’t deserve, the Bible calls it grace, and grace is the unmerited, unearned favor of God. One Day of grace is greater than a lifetime of sin. One Day of grace will triumph a lifetime of mess-ups, goof-ups and screw-ups! If you find yourself thinking right now I WANT A GOD WHO IS FAIR! Don’t worry. You’re not alone. I can certainly understand why that would be so appealing. But what complicates this demand is that our view of fairness is subjective, based on which side of the fairness fence you happen to be on in any given situation. Here’s an example. When you don’t get a job or a promotion you want, it’s unfair. Right? But when you do—even though other people may have been equally qualified for it—you don’t announce it as unfair, you announce it as a blessing! See how this works? If God were to embrace our system of fairness and all of us were to get what we deserve, then none of us would ever measure up. He would have to start grading on a curve, comparing our sins with other people’s sin; we’d have to start distinguishing between big sins, little sins, common sins, cultural sins.

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Everyone gets in the same way Everyone is accepted Everyone can be forgiven

That day, the One Day of forgiveness, is so monumental that most people remember exactly how and when it came to be. Before that day, when you don’t understand grace, you will invest a ton of human energy resulting in frustration and discouragement. But, when you receive and accept the grace of God, grace can do in a moment what you can’t even do in a lifetime of effort. By its very nature, One Day always distinguishes itself from the other days. These days are God scheduled, God appointed, and putting the person in close proximity to Jesus. Of all the places Jesus should not have been, it was on that hill, on that cross, next to those men. For the one man, you can sense the hope that rises up within him. He couldn’t go back and change what was wrong in all his yesterdays, but he could in this moment lay hold of what was right for his tomorrow: that his life would not be futile, that his death would not be final. He set aside his pride; he separated himself from the opinion of the other man, and stepped into his One Day. And his future was forever changed.

Champion Find: One Day Find it at kevingerald.tv

Want a God who’s fair? One Day of forgiveness is the ultimate act of fairness and provides what truly is beyond fair. Think about it: everyone is welcome!

FALL 2012

CHAMPION FINDS

Heart for the House (7 CDs, DVD) God’s Heart is in His House. There’s nowhere on earth like the House of God. And when the House of God is filled with people who love God, things happen that don’t happen anywhere else.

Local 253.475.6454 ext. 361 Toll free 888.935.6914 Online kevingerald.tv

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TC12: Team Church Conference (15 CDs, DVD) We are building on yesterday for a greater today! We really are living in the greatest generation of the Church. Listen again and again to the inspiration and wisdom from two full days and three nights of TC12 with speakers Kevin Gerald, Ed Young, Steven Furtick, Israel Houghton and more!

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One Day (5 CDs, DVD) One Day changes everything. Every person who has encountered God up close and personal can tell you about the moment, the setting, the service or the date their life was dramatically changed. God uses people like us to create places and spaces and atmospheres where people experience God in a way they have never experienced Him before.

Greater (Free Download) Jesus won it all, He is greater than all. Download this free song recorded by our very own Champions Centre Music Team for Greater: Team Church Conference 2012.

Mind Monsters (Book) Mind Monsters are those negative thoughts we all battle, the creeping shadows in the corners of our minds that feed our insecurities, worries, and fears. But the good news is, you can take control. In Mind Monsters, Kevin Gerald shows you how to recognize destructive thoughts, take them captive, and use Biblical truths to overcome them.

RESOURCE YOURSELF AT KEVINGERALD.TV

Go online to find a wealth of resources, including free videos from Kevin Gerald and MP3s of messages. FALL 2012

REAL LIFE W AT C H V ID E O HERE:

would say, 11, was the age that I was first raped by my father. And that continued until I was about 15. There came a point where I just kind of disconnected myself…disconnected from the situation as best I could. I just kind of became very destructive. I became very promiscuous. What really drove me was just simply anger that it had happened to me in the first place. I remember my freshman year of high school, getting pregnant— turning around and having an abortion—getting pregnant again, turning around and having another abortion—getting pregnant again and having another abortion. I had no self worth. I didn’t care. I met my husband in my sophomore year of college. I remember feeling like, “Oh my gosh, I think I’m pregnant again.” And I felt like I was literally basically hitting bottom. About a week later, he

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stopped by my dorm room and he just…he said those three words that I was really surprised to hear, and that was “I love you”. I made the decision that I was going to go ahead and keep the baby. We ended up getting married, and I ended up having a baby girl. We started our lives together, and we tried our best to make the marriage work. At this point, we had been married for seven years, and I had a baby girl, and we had had another baby, a son. I ended up making the wrong friends, and I remember the one night, I got really drunk, and I ended up having a one-night stand. I had literally given up on my marriage completely. I knew that he was going to leave me, and that was going to be the end of it, and I just need to be prepared. And then when he decided to come back, he really didn’t know what to do at this point. I just said, “You know, there’s a couple’s conference at this church. Why don’t we just check it out”, and surprisingly he said, “Sounds good. Let’s do it.”

C ATA L I N A M A H O N

CHAMPIONS

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...I HAD NO SELF WORTH. I DIDN’T CARE...

And I walked into this church, and immediately felt loved, welcomed and accepted, and all I had done was walk through those front doors. It was overwhelming. I just remembered thinking, “These people don’t have a clue. If they had any kind of idea what kind of person I was.” I remember this lady came up and she just sat down and started talking into our lives. And later on, I found out that that was Pastor Sheila. I really thank God that she took the time. I remember my husband saying that he wanted to make the marriage work, but I still had not dealt with what had happened to me when I was a child. You know, if I want to get better in my life, I had to acknowledge it. It was really…still very hard to move forward from

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that and to turn and process and deal with being abused…you know, being raped…being molested…being rejected by your mother. I was able to sit down and have a conversation with my husband about it, and I was able to sit down and have a conversation with my kids about it. And I’m grateful. I’m grateful for my family. I’m grateful for my Champions Centre family. I’m grateful that God has given me everything that I need to live out this wonderful life of purpose, and my destiny and my future in Christ. And that’s my story—my Champion Life story.

FALL 2012

K. WISE The Big Life What are you facing in your life today that is trying to contain you and hold you back from a bigger life? It’s time to recognize that as a child of God His plan for you is that you would live a blessed and increasing life. However, the only way to live this big life that God has for each of us is to think big and abandon smallness.

THINK BIG ABOUT GOD’S PLANS FOR YOU. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Let’s take God out of a box and take the limits off where God hasn’t put them. It’s easy to underestimate His readiness and power to work on our behalf, but He wants us to accomplish great things. Nothing is too hard for God! Jesus said, “What’s impossible with men is possible for God.” God identifies with you beyond your needs of survival—He wants to bless your family, home, and business abundantly!

Think Big In Our Attitude Towards Life. It’s time to abandon petty thinking and poverty thinking. Think about it—getting stuck on petty arguments or accusations or competition will contribute nothing worthwhile or beneficial to your life. When we spend our time and energy thinking from a place of lack, it takes all our mental energy to constantly try to figure out how to cut back instead of using mental energy for expansive, forward thinking. Let’s not live our lives fenced in by negativity or complaining. Your words and thoughts can edify and build you up if you choose to think big in your attitude towards life.

the only way to live this big life that God has for each of us is to think big and abandon smallness

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Think Big When It Comes to God’s Favor And Grace. I have learned that it’s impossible to grow in my relationship with God unless I am willing to receive more grace than I deserve and more favor than I have earned. God’s plan of salvation is based on unmerited grace and unearned favor! Don’t let your past failures hold you back from the brighter future God has for you. God’s grace is an extravagant, over the top, outrageous grace! Just receive it, accept it, and believe it!

Go conf iden tly IN THE DIRECTION

of your

DREAMS. LIVE THE

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