CreativePastors Blog & Podcast

Listen to Christmas 2006 Message!

Ed delivered the first of many Christmas services last night and wants to share it with you. The Divine MP3 is available here, or you can check out an early release of the podcast here. We were blessed with a very full house last night and can't wait to see what God will continue to do at Fellowship Church throughout these services and at your churches as well!

Podcast > The Divine (Early Release Christmas 2006)

Special Early Release Version!

One night that changed everything for everyone

It is the greatest mystery of all time. How will the gap between God and man ever be bridged? And for thousands of years, man has attempted to solve that mystery by building staircase after staircase to God. But no human has ever bridged that gap or solved the mystery. God, though, has built his own staircase. And on the first Christmas night, he walked down that staircase with a baby in his arms and solved the mystery for all eternity. In this special Christmas message, Ed Young reveals the truth about the divine mystery. And we see that when we embrace God’s solution to the mystery, we can finally put down our own hammer and nails and rest. The divine mystery has been solved.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 24:47

The Divine

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Updated Christmas Message Available

As Ed continues to revise and polish this year's Christmas message, The Divine, he's making the most recent version available to you:

You can feel the excitement, can't you? It's Christmas week. Our first service is Thursday evening and we've been busy with preparations, as I know you have too. Earlier this week I made available two drafts of my Christmas message. And as my team and I continue to fine tune it, I wanted to add the most recent draft into the mix. All three versions will be included in the same download package. You know that a great message isn't just what you say but also what you don't say, so we've taken a lot of stuff out and added some new twists. I'll be tweaking it all the up until our final service on Christmas Eve, but I hope this helps generate some ideas for you. (For those of you who have already purchased the previous drafts, you'll find an updated version in your downloads.)

And, by the way, don't forget to give yourself some distance between prep time and delivery time. I always try to take at least a day off from looking at the sermon. That way, when I come back to it on the big day, I can view it with fresh eyes. My family and I wish you the best this week. Keep your eyes on Christ, The Divine.

God's Best,

Ed

Podcast > Cribs > At the Crib

From Ed Young's Cribs Christmas Series

Guided by a star, wise men sought a king. And what has become the most renowned search of all time culminated at a most unexpected place. Their search and what they did at the crib is a lesson for us all. 

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 31:11

Cribs

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Sneak preview of Fellowship Church 2006 Christmas Message

You can get a sneak peek at the message Ed will be delivering this Christmas at Fellowship Church. It's called The Divine and the early relase draft manuscript with notes is available here. In case you missed the newsletter that went out today, here's a quick note from Ed about it:

I don’t know about you, but I always have mixed emotions at this point in December. Christmas is an incredibly exciting time of year. It’s a time when many people, who don’t darken the door of the church all year long, will give God a chance—just this once. It’s as if thousands of people are following the star to the manger, and we have this God-given appointment to move them from seekers of the Christ child to worshipers of The Christ. The manger is like a magnet. There’s something mysterious about it that draws a curious crowd. Who is this baby? Why did He come? What does He mean to me?

On the other hand, I’m filled with apprehension and, yes, a little bit of fear when this season comes around. As we anticipate record crowds, I wonder how I’m going to bring something new to the Christmas message table after doing this for sixteen years. Well, needless to say, our creative team has been meeting about this message and I’ve gone through quite a few drafts of the sermon. And if you’re interested in joining in the creative process, I’ve made my most recent drafts available on CreativePastors. There are two different versions: one for the Boomer crowd with some nice alliteration and one for the Emergent group that has a more non-linear feel. Let me know what you think!

I pray for all of you this Christmas that the Holy Spirit will guide you as you communicate the truth of this holy season once again. The mystery of the Divine draws a crowd but, through Christ, the mystery has been revealed.

"O Christmas T" Outreach

In Ed's Creative Leader newsletter for November (missed it? sign up here for free!), he discussed some of the things we're doing to get ready for this year's Christmas services at Fellowship Church. One of the ideas we're implementing is something we've never tried before - a project we've dubbed "O Christmas T." We printed vibrant t-shirts featuring our Christmas service information and gave them away to our entire church to wear throughout their Christmas shopping, with an emphasis on one specific shopping day. Seeing 20,000 Fellowship Church t-shirts throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth area should be a great way to start a conversation and invite someone to our Christmas services! 

Our incredible volunteers came out in full force to help fill bags with a t-shirt, small promotional poster, and invite cards in a business card size and in postcard format. The bags were handed out during the weekend services at several stations throughout our campuses. Even the children who attended FCKids services were given a t-shirt to wear to school!

Ed reminded us that almost anyone will give God a chance and try church during Christmas, so equipping our members with these materials gives them the tools to reach out to those around them. 

Podcast > Clueless > Bratwurst

Few people would expect a chance encounter at a baseball game to alter someone’s eternity. But that’s exactly what happened one hot August day. In the midst of a major league baseball game, one man discovered the path that would ultimately lead him to eternal comfort.

Through this powerful and very personal story, Ed Young presents the gospel message in a unique fashion. And as the inspiring and life-changing message unfolds, we discover the one true path that leads to eternal comfort.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 35:21

Comfortable Series
Expanding Our Comfort Zone

The world can be a very uncomfortable place—from the pressures at home and work to worldwide issues like poverty and war. So naturally, we seek out those things that will make us feel comfortable and secure.

But true comfort isn’t necessarily found in lounge chairs and lattes. And when we focus solely on our comfort, we miss out on an enormous aspect of the life God designed for us. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone. But how far do we step? And why would we want to?

In this 5-part series, Ed Young teaches us the importance of stepping out of our comfort zone. And we see that the only way to experience the true comfort found in Jesus Christ is to make sure we get uncomfortable enough to do what he has called us to do.

Comfortable

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Podcast > Comfortable > Godcast

“Follow me…I will make you fishers of men.”

Those are some of the first recorded words of a seemingly simple carpenter from Nazareth. Yet with those words, Jesus Christ gathered together a group of ordinary fishermen and began to transform the world.

Those same words resonate in our lives today. But so often, Christians forget the purpose of Christianity. So in this eye-opening message, Ed Young reminds us of the reason we are here. And as we reflect back on Christ’s call on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, we realize the potential that comes when we simply learn to cast.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 33:33

Comfortable Series
Expanding Our Comfort Zone

The world can be a very uncomfortable place—from the pressures at home and work to worldwide issues like poverty and war. So naturally, we seek out those things that will make us feel comfortable and secure.

But true comfort isn’t necessarily found in lounge chairs and lattes. And when we focus solely on our comfort, we miss out on an enormous aspect of the life God designed for us. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone. But how far do we step? And why would we want to?

In this 5-part series, Ed Young teaches us the importance of stepping out of our comfort zone. And we see that the only way to experience the true comfort found in Jesus Christ is to make sure we get uncomfortable enough to do what he has called us to do.

Comfortable

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.