As someone who worked in the fitness industry for more than 20 years, I'm not a big fan of the New Year's resolution. The gyms become twice as busy and the regulars become twice as angry about all the machines being taken.

Resolutions are really good intentions. I find the best way these work is knowing they will. Too many of us state how we're going to "try" as opposed to this is the year I "will". I've heard it said that the best way to follow through on a resolution is to be specific. For example, "I'm going to lose 15 lbs by May 1st in comparison to "I'm going to lose weight this year and get in better shape.". Specificity helps you gauge where you're at and can also motivate you. 

Secondly, I feel resolutions work best with accountability. I feel we need others around us to "coach" us, not "critique". People who are FOR US. People who will check in to see how we're doing. 

Lastly, I believe the best resolutions are the ones that change us forever, not just for a year or several months. Creating a habit. Based on my faith, I've often made commitments to read the Bible more which, in turn, helps me become a better person. I am challenging you this year to join me. This Bible has changed my life. I am a different person than I was years ago. I am asking any of you to join me in a quest to strengthen our faith and to read through the Bible in a year. I've done this the last 2 years and I cannot tell you just how much it has helped me. 

Here's your warning: Life WILL get in the way. You will be distracted. You will fall behind. But here's my promise: God will change you. You WILL be different and you will not regret it. 

I am asking you to email me (Rich@fellowshipchurchct.com)  if you are interested in taking on this challenge - and let me know you're in. I will, in turn, check on you and at times, email you some thoughts. The plan is called "Bible in One Year 2017" Here's the link to get started. We'll start "officially" on New Year's Day. 

Looking forward to what God has store for all of us in 2017! 

When I changed careers almost 4 years ago going from the fitness industry to working at a church, I got to somewhat share my journey on Social Media and through speaking at my church. I have been extremely blessed to get to know many people in my 20+ years of working in the health clubs. In developing these relationships, I was given incredible grace from so many who, instead of thinking he's lost his mind and has joined a cult, asked questions about the career change and genuinely cared to listen.

The incredible advantage I have in these relationships built with many of you (my Social Media friends) is that many of you know my heart and my sincerity. So I write this in hopes that:

1. You're still reading
2. You read with an open mind 

Some of you think the church is completely screwed up. Some of you were so hurt by people in the church that you'll never return. Some of you, quite frankly, feel as though you're doing great without it. My invitation is that this Christmas, you take a chance, and attend a service. This is not about me or my church, Fellowship (although I'd love to see you here!). This is about finding a church that, when you leave, you've learned something and you are different. A church where, although we're all messed up, there is an intentionality to be better. A church where EVERYONE IS WELCOME, not just those who think they have it all together. A church where you can learn about why Christmas is such a big deal. 

That's my ask. That's my invite. No, I will not "Create an Event" on Facebook and ask for an RSVP. I will leave it here in hopes that you will take me up on this invite. I truly hope all of you have the best Christmas ever. I pray for peace and hope this upcoming year and that 2017 will be full of blessings. 

If I had a nickel every time I warned the kids that their gifts they received on Christmas were affected by their behavior, I would have plenty of left over money to buy more gifts. With the Christmas holiday so close, children naturally get more excited about the toys and cookies and, in turn, lose focus on what we feel is important, doing their chores and finishing their homework. It's an ongoing tension coming to a head on Christmas Eve. Sometimes, I'm not really good at handling this. I tend to overreact. The peace that should come in the season doesn't necessarily show on my face. 

I wonder how I would've done over 2000 years ago as Joseph. How would I have reacted if my girlfriend had become pregnant (not by me) and having the whole town question the both of us. Then, in our search for a place to give birth to the Messiah, there's no room at the Inn. We have to go into this smelly barn with the animals. I imagine my complaints would be heard. I imagine I would say plenty of things I would regret. I imagine my wife (pregnant and certainly uncomfortable in every way) would look at me in disbelief as if to say, "You're kidding right? I'M PREGNANT not you.!" The circumstances were not ideal. But are they ever?

The great thing about following Christ is (or, at least should be) that perfect peace is not dependent on our circumstances, it is dependent on trusting God.

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3

The more we pursue Christ, the more peace we have. I'm not the same person I was many holidays ago and I'm so thankful. He has given me more peace in my life than ever before. In the times where I've lost loved ones, had financial burdens, or was unsure of my career, I had peace. I have Christ. 

What if this was the first holiday you truly leaned into Christ? Sometimes the chaos in our lives stem from our push for independence. We convince ourselves that "we got this!" when all along He's ready to intervene and give you some much needed peace. Trust in Him and see. Your holiday will be different. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

This holiday is different. There's an empty chair. It's not the same. 

My heart truly goes out to all of you that have lost a loved one and have to go through these holidays without them. The memories of the lost person multiply based on the shared memories of this season. It's extremely difficult to process this throughout the year, let alone the holidays! 

Some of you know of someone who is dealing with this. I want to encourage you to do all you can for those grieving this year. Reach out to them. Pray for them. Be there for them. Talk about their loss - the good memories you have or open the door for them to talk about it.

Most people (not all) want to talk about their loved one they lost. Most, based on my experience, do not want to go about their lives as if nothing happened. For us on the outside, that's the easy way. We can just "sweep it under the rug" and avoid a possibly emotional conversation. But that's not beneficial.  You can be different. You can help them in this process. Maybe you've been through this already-if that's the case, you're the perfect person to help them here. 

Before I lost my parents, I was not someone who helped others grieve. Some of it was because I didn't know what it felt like. I never experienced this type of loss before. Some of it, quite frankly, was selfishness. It didn't affect me so I didn't have to deal with it. Sorry, but that's who I was before Christ. 

So I leave you with this list of asks:

• Remember those who have lost loved ones
• Reach out to them
• Encourage them
• Be there for them
• Talk to them about their loss
• LOVE them

This will be a very difficult holiday season for many. Let's do what we can to help them. Most people are in need of a Christmas presence, not so much the Christmas presents.

So we elected a new president (you may have heard). Wow, I was amazed at all the reactions. Whether it was fear, joy, indifference, or despair - we all saw it. For a week of social media, we heard it all. Some of it with love but most of it without. And that's ok, unless of course, you are a believer of Jesus Christ. You see, this changes the game. Jesus Himself says in John 13:34 "Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another." We, as Christians, should know how much He loved us - He died for us! So what exactly are we doing when we post something that we know may be offensive and may drive others to respond? What is our purpose? Most of us deep down know that no matter what we put on social media it will not sway one's opinion. "I remember knowing who I was going to vote for and then I saw so-and-so's post and decided to vote for the other one" said no one ever. 

The pause before the post is crucial. Ask yourselves these questions before doing so: 

• Will everyone really understand what it is I'm trying to communicate?
• Will it encourage others?
• Will this instigate a day full of time wasting, back and forth banter?
• If I'm a Christian, will others see evidence of this in my post? 
• Would this post be better as an actual conversation?
• Who is my audience? Or, has most of my audience abandoned me based on my previous posts? 
• Why am I posting this? Am I looking for a reaction?

I have a good friend that recently really dove into her faith. She leads a small group at our church, serves every week and genuinely loves people. She saw some of her older posts (Facebook memories) and compared it to what she posts today. She couldn't believe the difference. Christ changed what was important to her and she became an encouragement to others because of it.

I wonder what our social media pages tell others.....really. I'm working hard at trying to love as Christ loves. Since we can't see everyone face to face all of the time, sometimes our only "voice" is social media - we need to use it well.

Have you ever prepared Thanksgiving dinner for a houseful of people?  20 people?  30 maybe?  Can you imagine shopping and putting together Thanksgiving food for 1,000 families? That would be quite a challenge, but that is exactly what Fellowship Church and the Middletown Community Thanksgiving Project (MCTP) has done for the last 2 years!

     Though challenging, it is quite rewarding as well. During a time when all we hear in the news is negative, it’s refreshing to see something so great happen right here in our own community and I am so thankful that FC can be a part of it!

     The Middletown Community Thanksgiving Project Committee has been working for months behind the scenes to contact companies and organizations that are able to donate food to go in the baskets.  In a couple of weeks that food will begin arriving and taking over the atrium at our church.  If you haven’t been at FC the Sunday before Thanksgiving in the past…. you’ll want to be there this year.  It’s something you can’t imagine until you see it.

   In addition to this project providing the baskets of food to 1,000 families here locally, we here at Fellowship Church, have seen God do amazing things in other ways. We have several people in our church that are here because of the Thanksgiving project.  They came in past years to volunteer or to receive a basket and were so impressed with the love and generosity here that they knew it was a place they wanted to be each Sunday. 

    It is awesome to see the love of Christ our FCers have for others.  When people come to FC on November 22nd to pick up their baskets they will be greeted by a friendly parking team, a short line and a team of volunteers who will wish them a Happy Thanksgiving and personally carry the baskets to their cars.  The volunteers (and there are a lot of them) all have an attitude of joy as they are able to serve others in their community and be the hands and feet of Jesus.

So are you ready to prepare Thanksgiving for over 1,000 families? Can you help with the challenge?  Bring a pie…or two… or three, to FC on Sunday November 20th.  Pies must be store bought (not frozen) and have an expiration date of Thanksgiving or later. Be a part of something special and help us help others!

I didn't really go to church until I was in my late 20's. All I knew of church from my experience was that it was boring, the people weren't very friendly and I didn't learn a thing. That was my experience. 

A good friend of mine from the fitness club (huge bodybuilder) invited me and my fiancé' at the time, Vicki, to his church. (Looking back, he may have bullied me into going!) He was persistent. He also knew we would like it. We did. But it wasn't what we had church perceived as or what we remembered from our experiences. The music was more upbeat with people standing and even clapping at times. The words were clearly in admiration of this Jesus Christ person, who I was only recently introduced to at the time. The Pastor or speaker spoke in a language I understood and pointed us all to read it for ourselves in this Bible. He was easy to understand, very relevant to what was going on in the world and really inspired my wife and I to return the following week to learn more. It was almost the complete opposite of any church experience I've ever had previously. Maybe that's why it initially felt so strange. 

What is church suppose to be? We all have these preconceived notions based on upbringing and previous experiences. Some of us have been completely let down by the church which, incidentally, will happen when humans are involved. Although Jesus will never let you down.

Nobody leaves the faith based on Jesus, it's always a human's following of Jesus that rubs people the wrong way. 

We all come to church with the baggage of all the experiences we've had. Sometimes this closes our mind and heart to the possibilities of what God has planned for you. If we continue to put all of our stock in people instead of putting our faith in God, we don't stand a chance. 

Our biggest purpose here at Fellowship Church is to introduce people to the hope of Jesus Christ. We know His power by the hundreds of lives He has changed in this building. We have story after story of how God transformed people here. Addiction conquered. Relationships restored. Anxiety and depression gone. New relationships built. 

What are you looking for when you come to church? Is it just to check off your to-do list or is it a possibility of a life changed forever?

I'm so glad Sunday is over! I had the opportunity to speak here at FC. My message "How To Affair-Proof Your Marriage" went into the topics of Adultery and Pornography. I don't know how that happened but God had His plans! 

One of the biggest "advantages" I have in speaking to this congregation is the fact that I have lived a long time "outside of these walls". In other words, I have seen what is now going on in this world. I see so many dangers. It scares me to think what our society will look like when my children are older. I want to do everything I can to tell others what we can do to help. God's Word has all the answers! 

All that said, we as a church, and followers of Jesus Christ, feel an enormous responsibility to preach God's Word with clarity, truth and grace. Sometimes we get the enormous satisfaction of seeing someone take this incredible step in their journey and sometimes we get criticized for the way we preached the message. It comes with the territory. The biggest thing we want from the audience is grace. We want them to know our heart and our intention. 

The other option would be to speak about "unicorns and rainbows" each Sunday but I'm certain that is not what God would want. No, He wants us to be relevant to today's world. He wants people inside this church to relate to what we are talking about. He wants authenticity. He wants the speaking to come from a true example of this faith. Not someone perfect (no such thing aside from Christ) He wants us to only offend with the Gospel not by our actions or words. He wants boldness without brashness. Truth with grace. AND ALL OF THIS WITH LOVE.

I'm giving it all I have. I take this really seriously. I genuinely love people and want the best out of them. I truly believe when one accepts Jesus Christ into their heart, they become a new creation. Life becomes different. I want to help them in this journey in any way I can.