Resurrection Sunday!

Elevation Easter!!! Wow!! What more can I say....very moving service today!

Pastor Craig, Phil ( isn't such a bad guy for a NON-Buckeye fan) and the Worship Team, and all the volunteers were on point! They do an amazing job each and EVERY week.

I loved the energy there today. I think I heard the attendance was upwards of 325+ which is amazing considering we had some members out visiting their families!

It is a blessing to see that people we have been inviting are coming to check out Elevation. We have invited quite a few friends and family and it seems like each week we have someone new as our guest there which is amazing! I would like to make that a goal for EVERY week of the year! So I have to think of someone knew to ask quick for next Sunday. This week we had a double bonus.

We had invited a friend that someone else had invited and she came out (Jerrica Choy), but also had been posting about all of the AWESOMENESS of God and all that He is doing in and through Elevation CC via Facebook. It led to my friend Sarah Goodwin (whom I have been great friends with her oldest brother since I was in the 1st grade) and her Fiance' showing up this Sunday which was such an amazing blessing to see her! She gave me the biggest warmest hug of the day!

I also got a lot of complimentary comments on my purple attire! More blessings, yeaaaaa me!

It was also great to see friends from our old church come to visit. (Millers)

I got to share my testimony with a couple whom I have known forever and I made Mrs. Morris cry! Sorry.... lol

Ok so onto what I got out of the message today. As I sat and listened to Pastor Craig talk about "having a BIG Faith in a BIG God, and it will lead to a BIG Comeback", I pulled this out of it..........

If we are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) because of our faith in Christ through His death, and Resurrection . Then why is it that we fear the changes that God has for us? It is sinful and unfaithful to God to have that fear in our hearts, is it not? Romans 8 says that we are "More than Conquerors". Phillipians 4:13 says that "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us". Not some things, not a few things, ALL things!!! I so agree with the analogy that most Christians keep their God in a small box, because they think He is a small God (just in their neighborhood) Do we forget Genesis? He created the Heavens and the Earth! That is a BIG God, a God who can and will do ALL things. Psalm 27:1 says "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread? (or whom shall I tremble from?)

I encourage those of you who read this to start putting more and more faith into our ENORMOUS God, who can do anything he wishes. Matthew 7:7 says "Ask and it will be given unto you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you".

Just another little side note:

My wife and I have been planning a business venture for about 2 years. I had(notice it says HAD) lived in fear over some circumstances (even until today), but we have over the course of the last month been putting the wheels in motion a little bit each week. I will say that after today, I gave it totally to God. It is His to do with as He wishes. I know that since it is His, only good things can come of it. I am surrendered to Him with this and everything else. That is the only way it will succeed!!

I hope that this inspires, witnesses, motivate, cultivates, configures, and encourages you in every way imaginable! God bless and have an awesome Resurrection week!

Scott Smith

Confirmation! Elevation!

My family and I have been attending Elevation Community Church, honestly we didn't pray much about it. Although we did pray for us to find a church like Elevation. Once we had decided to attend there wasn't much prayer going to the decision on whether or not to attend there full-time. We have both just been so at peace with the decision.

I must say though it is always nice when God starts confirming things in what you are reading, hearing, seeing, listening to, and doing in your life!


The first "series" we have got to experience is the "Once Upon a Marriage" series. Diana and I are not perfect by any stretch of the means, and having some marital guidance come from the Pastor whether in the form of a sermon or in counseling is always a plus! It has already spoken to me a lot! Craig, I am with you on the Monopoly thing, but for entirely different reasons! I thought Diana was going to bust out in laughter when you brought up that stupid game!

I love that Pastor Craig has addressed real issues that Christians deal with and some pastors are just too scared to mention from the pulpit. Things like adultery, lust, and pornography. These are issues that yes even Christians have issues with. The bad thing is they are all around us and most pastors are afraid to bring up those words in Church! I personally think that is the BEST place to address them!!


Also, staying true to keeping Christ at the center of a Marriage. I can say this, if it wasn't for Jesus... I would not be married today! He has been the constant in our marriage, a marriage without Him will surely fail. Yea, people may stay married without Jesus, but without sharing His Love it is a total failure!

Back to confirmation! Last Sunday, Pastor Craig was teaching on Abram and Sarai and the fact that they tried to do things their own way and what a disaster that turned out to be for MANY generations. One of the versus that Pastor Craig used was

John 15:5
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

I have been reading the book pictured above...."100 Versus Every Dad needs to Know" for about 6 weeks and guess what my verse was Monday morning? You guessed it John 15:5!! I just kind of sat back and said "Wow God, you ARE showing off!" Lol..... It is abundantly awesome how He just keeps reminding us of how we are where He wants us to be on a daily basis! It is REFRESHING! To say the least.

There is also some little inserts from different Authors, and Christian leaders. This one from is from Franklin Graham and I really liked it:

There is not a single thing that Jesus cannot change, control, and conquer because HE IS THE LIVING LORD! (Take that with you on Easter Sunday as we Celebrate the RESURRECTION!!!!)

A Fresh New Beginning!

So today was the first time we got to experience Elevation Community Church as a family! I think we were all a bit surprised in the amount of people that showed up for the Grand Opening. 416!!! Wow!!! That is so thoroughly impressive, even more impressive than that is the fact that 17 people gave their lives to Christ today! My family and I are moving right along with this Church. It has so much to offer for us. First, there are many, many areas to serve in (appealing for all of us). There is a Youth group that pretty much jumped from about 12-15 kids to 20-30 kids in one week (appealing for Austin). There are numerous families in this Church that Homeschool (appealing for Julie, and Diana). Phil, and the rest of the Worship team are absolutely AMAZING!!!! Pastor Craig seemed as though he is supposed to be no where else but on that stage teaching God's word. He was awesome, incredibly funny, and so, so sincere! Very BLESSED that my family FINALLY found their NEW Church home.

It is funny, last week Julie and I attended an event and their Sunday Church service, and we both made up our mind. Today we had Diana, and Austin with us, as well as EVEN more friends and family that came out to see what the NEXT BIG THING God was doing.... Like I said before BLESSED, but even more than blessed. Me and my family are so relieved that we have found this group of people. We have all quickly made some new friends, and are moving quickly to find roles in this new group of believers. Austin and Jordan (our friend Sarah's son) attended Youth Group tonight and they loved it! Both want to be there every week. God is just so amazing. I don't know why it took so long for us to find a new home and hopefully He will reveal that to us, but we are so glad that we have found Elevation Community Church.

Pastor Craig! If you read this, I only have one thing to say (out of Love of course). We need to get a Men's group going! Man time is a MUST!! Lol. We can not let the women out duel us in anything, Monopoly, or Men's Group!

I am willing to go ABOVE and BEYOND to help make it happen too!!