Powerhouse Christian Church Blog

“How are you?”

RuthG — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:12:21 +0000

Every morning, while his son Joseph was in Afghanistan, Joe Fiorito sent a text message before leaving for work. Most mornings it included the question, “How are you?” These cross-Atlantic messages from Wanaque to Kabul were more than an exchange of information, they were conduits of relationship. And when young Joseph texted back, “Not so good,” his father was not only moved in heart, but moved into action.

The story of PVT Fiorito’s injury and return to NJ were on the front page of our paper Monday. It caught my attention and made me wonder what it would be like to get a text message from God every morning asking me, “How are you?”

What would I text back? After all, I couldn’t tell God anything He does not already know. And if I texted, “Not so good,” would He spring into action like Joseph’s dad?

God’s word tell us emphatically, “Yes!”

“Call on me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you.” (Psalm 50:15)

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:13)

If you are a parent you know the strong emotion you would feel if your child texted a distress message from a war zone. God’s feelings toward you are immeasurably stronger.

Wednesday evening, June 19, we are gathering at Powerhouse for prayer, confident God will hear every message we send. Please join us, or join us to pray in one of our Small Groups.

Small Groups meet at church and in homes in northern New Jersey. We meet to read God’s word, pray together, and encourage one another. To find a list of Small Groups click here, or go to our home page, click on Full Menu, and select Small Groups from the drop-down menu. You can also pick up a printed list of groups when you worship with us on Sunday.

Powerhouse is a contemporary Christian church in Bergen County, New Jersey that is committed to teaching the Bible. Our mission is to impact people with the love and power of Jesus Christ and develop them into fully devoted followers of Christ.

Our family includes people from a wide geographical area including, but not limited to, Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, Wayne, Prospect Park, Haledon, North Haledon, Paterson, Midland Park, Glen Rock, Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook, Paramus, Ho-ho-kus, River Edge, New Milford, Bergenfield, Oradell, Westwood, Woodcliff Lake, Closter, Ridgewood, Washington Township, Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Saddle River, Ramsey, Mahwah, and many more towns.

Happy Father’s Day!

JonK — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:01:20 +0000

It’s Father’s Day weekend, and what better way to celebrate than to come out and join your Powerhouse family at one of our Sunday morning services?! The worship team is excited for another week – check out this week’s setlist here!

Weekly Setlist June 16, 2013:

When The Stars Burn Down

Lead Me To The Cross

The Same Love

I Will Lift My Eyes

The Hope of The World

Happy Father’s Day from the whole Powerhouse staff!

So come by and visit us at Powerhouse Christian Church, 500 West Main St. Wyckoff, NJ. You will enjoy our very relevant and contemporary services. At our Wyckoff campus, we meet every Sunday at 9:00 and 10:45 am. At our Bridgewater Campus, we meet at 11:00 am each week.

Towns near Wyckoff include: Franklin Lakes, Oakland, Wayne, Prospect Park, Hawthorne, Haledon, North Haledon, Paterson, Midland Park, Glen Rock, Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook, Paramus, Rochelle Park, Ho-ho-kus, River Edge, New Milford, Bergenfield, Oradell, Washington, Westwood, Cliffwood Lake, Closter, Ridgewood, Washington, Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Saddle River, Ramsey, Mahwah, Suffern, Tuxedo, Pompton Lakes, Pompton Plains, Wanaque, Haskell, and more.

Happy Father’s Day!

Giant Problem?

RuthG — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:04:00 +0000

It’s there when you get up in the morning. It’s there when you go to bed at night. Like a giant on a nearby hill it bangs its scary sword on its shield, the very noise inviting you fear.

A young lad named David had a seven foot giant named Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4.) What’s the name of your giant? Unemployment? Divorce? Debt? Boss? Prodigal? Illness? Addiction? Do you feel small when you face it?

Truth is, we are small, but God, who loves us, is infinitely bigger than that noisemaker on the hill…Pete Franco, one of our Small Group leaders, faced a “giant” when his teen son was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness no doctor could treat. Pete spoke of this Sunday at Powerhouse; if you missed his sermon, you can listen here. Their problem would have been overwhelming if Pete and his family faced it alone. But they didn’t face it alone; they faced it with God who rules the universe, and who is able and willing to do miracles for us.

Young David, who took down Goliath wrote these words:

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

And David wrote this prayer: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. (Psalm 56:3,4)

I’ve memorized this short prayer, and I use it often. It may seem that everywhere we go we run into a Goliath. But the greater truth is that everywhere we go, God is by our side.

Never let the giant on the hill make you doubt the promises of God.

I hope you take the time to listen to Pete’s story. And I hope you visit Pete’s Small Group or one of the many groups that meet in northern New Jersey. To find a list of Small Groups click here, or go to our home page, click on Full Menu, and select Small Groups from the drop-down menu. You can also pick up a printed list of groups when you worship with us on Sunday. We meet to read God’s word, pray together, and encourage one another.

“I take thee…”

RuthG — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:37:18 +0000

It’s June, so chances are you have been to a wedding or are going to a wedding. What is your favorite part of a wedding? Mine is when the bride walks down the aisle, but not because I’m watching the bride. I’m not. I am watching the groom.

Most folks miss this, but I love to keep my eye on the groom and wait for that precious moment when he sees his bride for the first time. Instantly his face beams with incredible joy and love.

And that is how Jesus’ face beams when He sees you coming toward Him.…

Many times Jesus referred to Himself as the bridegroom. He used the the first century marriage tradition of the bridegroom going to prepare a place for his bride and returning to get her as what He is doing for us (John 14:23). He wants us to understand how powerfully and joyfully He loves us.

I know, I know…this is hard for us to get. We have a hard time thinking of ourselves as recipients of so much love. We see the past we want to forget, the blemishes we want to hide, the brokenness we try to fix. But Jesus sees the one He chooses to love, you!

Mac Powell, of the group Third Day, has written a song, “When Love Sees You” that describes such love:

I see your story, I see my name Written on every beautiful page You see the struggle, You see the shame I see the reason I came

I came for your story, I came for your wounds To show you what love sees When love sees you.

My second favorite part of a wedding is the exchange of vows. I get all choked up when the groom looks at his bride with love-filled eyes and says, “I take thee,__________.”

Put your name right there, because Jesus cries out to you from His death on the cross:

“I take thee!”

Would you like to know more about Jesus? At Powerhouse Christian Church we would love to introduce you to Him.

Please consider joining one of our many Small Groups or worshiping with us on Sunday morning. Small Groups meet at church and in homes in northern New Jersey. We meet to read God’s word, pray together, and encourage one another. Please join us! To find a list of Small Groups click here, or go to our home page, click on Full Menu, and select Small Groups from the drop-down menu. You can also pick up a printed list of groups when you worship with us on Sunday.

…so much noise!

JonK — Fri, 31 May 2013 01:01:36 +0000

I’d like to draw your attention to a passage of Scripture that I can’t say I’ve ever really noticed before. Perhaps because it’s tucked away deep inside the Old Testament. It speaks for itself as an example of passionate worship and unashamed emotion over the things that break God’s heart. Two things I believe that can further develop us into fully devoted followers of Christ….

It was shortly before 515 B.C. and the Israelites are rebuilding the temple. It had been destroyed and it was an exciting work of God that it was being reconstructed. It’s during the early stages of construction where we read in Ezra:

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD:
“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:10-13)

I picture this scene as a cacophony of worship. Like a Sunday morning church service, lots of people in different places are all completely authentic before God in this passage. Authentic in the sense that emotions were not held back – sounds of singing and weeping both filled the air. Hearts were broken over the memory of a destroyed temple, yet at the same time there was rejoicing over the repentance of a nation and the reestablishment of the house of God.

No matter where you are in life, you will feel freedom to open your heart before God during our Sunday morning worship services. As we sing this weekend, I challenge you to approach God with the same level of authenticity as the Israelites do in this passage. Let’s restore a passion for the things of God and abandon our pride lest we approach God with anything but a completely abandoned heart.

So come and visit us at Powerhouse Christian Church, 500 West Main St. Wyckoff, NJ. You will enjoy our very relevant and contemporary services. At our Wyckoff campus, we meet every Sunday at 9:00 and 10:45 am. At our Bridgewater Campus, we meet at 11:00 am each week.

…so much noise!

Safely Rest

RuthG — Mon, 27 May 2013 18:33:50 +0000

You, no doubt, heard Taps played today at a Memorial Day activity. Are you familiar with the words that fit the music? What remembrances come to your mind while you listen?

As Taps was played this morning in Westwood my mind went back, as it always does, to the flagpole in front of Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, Colorado. While stationed there decades ago I took my turn as Officer of the Day and saluted the flag as it was lowered to the playing of Taps. A few floors above the flag were the wounded soldiers I thought about as I stood at attention. I saluted my flag, my country and my wounded friends.

My father, a WWII veteran, who died on Memorial Day, taught me the words to Taps:

Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the skies
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh.

Down the road from my home is the pond where in the fall of 1780 General George Washington and the troops stopped to rest. It was a short rest, and another year went by before the war was over and they could safely rest.

Yet, as history tells us, war is never over. That is why the last three notes of Taps sound so deeply in my heart: “God is nigh.” God is not off somewhere, untouched by our distress. God is nigh, and He is personally involved in bringing rest to the world through His Son Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus said, “My peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed.” (John 14:27)

I pray that you know the One who brings peace to us. He is nigh and He loves you.

At Powerhouse Christian Church we would love to introduce you to Jesus. Please consider joining one of our many Small Groups or worshiping with us on Sunday morning.

Small Groups meet at church and in homes in northern New Jersey. We meet to read God’s word, pray together, and encourage one another. Please join us! To find a list of Small Groups click here, or go to our home page, click on Full Menu, and select Small Groups from the drop-down menu. You can also pick up a printed list of groups when you worship with us on Sunday.

Stand Beside Her and Guide Her

JonK — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:01:57 +0000

You may not realize that “God Bless America” was first published in 1938. Given this is an unofficial national anthem of sorts, that’s a relatively young age for something so iconic and categorized in most people’s minds as a classic. It’s Memorial Day weekend and we must remember to lift our country and those who defend it up in prayer the way this song has for the past 75 years.

Irving Berlin actually wrote “God Bless America” back in 1918. It wasn’t until he was too old to fight in WWII that he finalized and published the song in 1938. Himself a Jew, Berlin offered the song as a prayer and a peace song – his part to play in the United States and Allied victory over Hitler.

As we close our service on Sunday, let’s do likewise and offer this song up as a prayer for our country. Let’s pray that God would indeed stand beside her and guide her, that it’s leadership would be given wisdom and direction from above. Let’s remember our soldiers and law enforcement who put themselves in harm’s way. And for those who have fallen – we remember. Pray for the American church – that it would rise up and be a light in our nation for the lost and broken.

Please come by and visit us at Powerhouse Christian Church, 500 West Main St. Wyckoff, NJ. You will enjoy our very relevant and contemporary services. At our Wyckoff campus, we meet every Sunday at 9:00 and 10:45 am. At our Bridgewater Campus, we meet at 11:00 am each week.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

KateM — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:22:49 +0000

When my children were little our special time together was bedtime. When it was time for one of them to go to bed, they would say “Mom, I’m ready for bed” and off we would go up the stairs into their room. We would always begin by saying our prayers and then I would climb into bed with one of them and cuddle. We called it spooning, laying side by side my arms wrapped around them. We would talk about their day, I always knew this would be the time each one of them would share the most. Nestled safely in my arms.

When I pray I ask God to come join me. I ask him to sit beside me, and immediately I feel a warmth come over me. I imagine God enveloping me in His arms and I surrender. I pour out my sins, I ask for redemption, I thank God for all of the blessings I have, and then I just begin to talk to God. I tell him about people I know who need His guidance or His healing and lay them all at His feet knowing he knows what they need more than I do. I read the Bible, I look up verses that I hear throughout the week. He answers me in these verses. He guides me with His words. I repeat verses sometimes reading them again and again out loud at times, I know God is listening. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”. Phil 4:6-7. Go to God with everything, before you sleep, when you wake, in the middle of the day, find the time to be with God. It worked with my children, they felt safe, our relationship grew in trust and love with those precious bedtimes, your relationship will do the same with God if you invite Him to put you to rest each day.

If you are in need of safety and love of people who will listen and pray with you, Powerhouse is here for you. Our services are Sundays at 9 am and 10:45 am. We are surrounded by Mahwah, Allendale, River Vale, Hohokus, Ridgewood, Paramus, Fairlawn, Midland Park, Wyckoff, Waldwick, Glen Rock, Oakland and Saddle River. We service Bergen and Passaic County.

Weep With Those Who Weep

RuthG — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:14:13 +0000

This is not the blog I started writing the morning before a monstrous tornado hit Oklahoma. This is written as news of the rising death toll streams across my screen. As I switched between news sources I was stopped by this simple sentence on CNN:

“A father of a third-grader still missing sat quietly on a stool. Tears fell from his eyes as he waited for news of his son.”

Night has fallen in Moore, Oklahoma, and the searchers are looking for missing children at the elementary school. When I think of that waiting dad, my tears fall, too.

Paul, writing to the persecuted church in Rome, asked them to “weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15) As Paul exhorted Christians to love others, use their gifts, and avoid evil, he also instructed them to weep.

Shortly before his own death, when Jesus attended the funeral of his good friend Lazarus, he found Mary and Martha sobbing, and wept with them. Jesus is never cool or distant. He is always God who is with us in all our sorrows.

Last Friday evening I went with other women from Powerhouse to visit with the residents of the Walter Hoving Home, a place for addiction recovery. While we were there a resident received word that her mother had died of a heroin overdose. We sat with her and cried. And with the grace given to us when we mourned, we gave comfort to her.

Paul wrote, “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

In our Small Groups you will find believers who know how to weep with broken hearts and pray with hopeful hearts because we know Jesus intimately. We know Jesus who wept at funerals, groaned on a cross, and rose from the dead. We know He is close to us in all times, even in the most tragic. We would love to introduce you to the risen Jesus.

Please consider joining one of our many Small Groups or worshiping with us on Sunday morning.

Stop and Smell the Roses

JonK — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:01:11 +0000

…..no, really, I meant it. I want you stop and go outside and take a look at all that is happening around you that you are missing. Spring has sprung, and as the weather gets warmer, the days longer, and the sweet aroma of cook-outs seems to hang in the air each weekend, God is putting on a show through his creation.

I enjoy working outside. Planting a vegetable garden is one of my favorite things to do in the spring (along with golf, but let’s save that for another post). As I watch the garden grow each year and see all the plants and flowers explode in beauty, I am reminded of all the verses that point to God’s creation and reference it as a display of his majesty. Creation is in front of us all the time, and it’s so easily taken for granted. Look at all these verses where the writers were inspired to worship God based on the creation around them:

How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures…
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works—
He who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Excerpts from Psalm 104)

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17)

Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Nehemiah 9:5-6)

I could go on, but the point is made. Allow yourself a moment to witness God’s creation coming alive around you this spring. Be inspired to worship him with a deeper sense of amazement. Do that this weekend, and let’s come together Sunday morning filled with a fresh sense of awe and prepared to give God our highest praise.

Stop and Smell the Roses