Hello ICC Family!

My first year here in Goose Creek after living for 25 years overseas, I was made aware that some Christians prefer to call the holiday at which Christians celebrate Jesus’ victory over death Resurrection Day instead of Easter. This was a new debate for me…

There are several reasons why using the name Resurrection Day is preferable for some people. While there is not anything close to the secularization of this holiday compared to Christmas, the name and background of Easter evokes many cultural images of spring and fertility. And chocolate for some reason. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the good news of the Gospel itself, it is important that the church be clear and bold when we state that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical and spiritual event that changed the world. It is the message that Paul writes is “most important” in his letter to the Corinthians.

3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4

And yet, it is also valuable to maintain the historical continuity and global recognition of the name Easter. This is the name that has been used for centuries to refer to the church’s celebration of the resurrection. It is the word that most English-speaking internationals have used for this holiday their entire lives. It is simple and familiar, making it a convenient and practical choice for referring to the holiday. Using the term Easter helps foster a sense of unity and solidarity among Christians of various denominations and traditions.

I can see both points of view. Which is perhaps why this Sunday, you will probably hear me use both terms. And you see both terms in our graphic to advertise our worship celebration above. If I know that you prefer one term or the other, I will try to use that term for you in my attempt to live out what we have learned recently about showing each other deference and becoming all things to all people. I would ask all of you to do the same. But also remember that regardless of what term you prefer, we will be coming together to worship our loving Savior, who gave his life as a ransom for many. Don’t let anything keep you from celebrating and proclaiming God’s love this weekend! And please invite your family and friends and neighbors to join you in worship as well.

He is Risen! He is risen indeed!

Don’t forget… Good Friday service is at 7PM Friday evening. This is a crucial part of the story as well as our celebration on Sunday. Please try to be there and worship with us!

And then on Sunday morning… don’t forget that service starts at 8:30 AM! Followed by brunch afterwards. Please bring something to share with everyone if you are able. It will be a wonderful time!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

Last year I shared a couple of the prayers out of the book A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. I would highly recommend getting a copy of it if you would like some new prayer prompts in your daily prayers. For every day of the month, it has one prayer to lift up in the morning and another prayer at night. Once again I want to share with you one of the prayers that has blessed and challenged me. This one is from the morning prayer on Day 28…

O Lord my God, may I go out now to the work of another day, still surrounded by your wonderful loving kindnesses, still committed to your loyal service, still standing in your strength and not my own.

May I today be a Christian not only in my words but also in my deeds;
May I follow bravely in the footsteps of my Master, wherever they may lead;
May I be uncompromising and honest with myself;
May there be no self-pity or self-indulgence in my life today;
May my thinking be clear, my speech truthful and open, and my action courageous and decisive.

O Lord, I pray not only for myself but for the entire community to which I belong: for all my family, friends, and colleagues, asking you to keep a fatherly eye upon them. I pray also…

For all who today will face any great decision;
For all those today working to settle important affairs in the lives of individuals and nations;
For all who are shaping public opinion in our time;
For all who write what other people read;
For all who are lifting up the light of truth in a world of ignorance and sin;
For all whose hands are worn with too much work, and for the unemployed whose hands have found no work today.

O Christ my Lord, who for the sake of all my brothers and sisters relinquished earthly comfort and satisfaction, forbid it that I should ever again live for myself alone. Amen.

Our regular prayers should not just focus on ourselves and our own family’s needs, but on the needs of others and the needs of the larger world around us. To that end, please join us tonight for our regular fellowship meal and discipleship time at 5:45/6:15 or for the Young Adult discipleship group that meets Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM.

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

Last Wednesday evening we had a great first session of The Marriage Course. We had a big crowd, and my hope is that we will get even more people to come tonight. Just like for our last discipleship course on prayer… I believe that the Lord can use this topic to bring much healing and growth to ICC. And I am excited to see the Lord bless the individual marriages and future marriages in our congregation as well. The first two lessons in this course cover connection and communication. Our homework assignment consisted of talking about several subjects, including our friendship, communication, physical relationship, and future. It was a challenge and reminder about how it is so important to discuss things with our spouse regularly in order to communicate encouragement and joy, to reminisce about things in the past, as well as tackle more difficult subjects now and then. This is part of the reason that I write this newsletter to you each week. I want you to have a taste of what I am thinking about or learning, and I want to remind you of things that are going on at the church. Even so, I realize that I probably don’t communicate my love for the church often enough. I love ICC. I love our people. I love our history. I love our name. I love our diversity. And I am excited about our future. I love our church!

As Laurel and I were working on our homework we discovered there were a couple of areas in which we had very different perceptions of how we were doing in our marriage! We were totally unaware that we saw things differently, so it was a good opportunity to communicate, which I am sure will lead us to grow even closer in our relationship!

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 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.
Philippians 4:6-7

Going through this communication exercise this week has impressed on me that there is probably an aspect of ICC’s church health that most people are unaware of, and that is all my fault. As your pastor, I have communicated poorly about our church’s finances! This week I realized that most of you probably are unaware that on a month-to-month basis, ICC is not meeting our budget.

Before I go into more detail, let me say there is nothing to be alarmed about at this time. We are not in an emergency or a crisis. The reason being that all of you, under the guidance of Pastor Jimmy, previously built up a good-sized reserve fund. Because of your generosity and faithfulness in the past, at the end of 2022 ICC was able to bring me on as your first, full-time, paid pastor. In addition to that, the reserves were sizable enough that last year the elders decided to spend down a portion of that reserve to make long-term improvements in our facility. We freshened the sanctuary, invested in some tech upgrades, installed a new A/C unit, and made extensive roof repairs.

However, while our financial situation is not an emergency, I do want to clearly communicate that at some point in the next year or two, we will not be able to continue things as we are… unless our current giving levels increase. Last year we failed to meet budget in 10 months out of 12, although our budget was a little higher than this year. Even if our budget had been the current level of $9200/month, we still would not have made budget 6 out of 12 months.  As you can see in the stewardship update below, we have missed budget in both January and February to start this year.

With the goal of better communication and clarity about this situation… I am going to start to share our monthly stewardship/financial numbers in this weekly email. That way we all can be thanking the Lord for how He blesses us, and we can be united in prayer about our need.  I am also going to try to have printed versions of this email available on a monthly basis for those that don’t read email or enjoy reading on their phones.

Let me reiterate… this isn’t an emergency. I am not worried. I believe that God in his providential care for our church will provide what we need, whether or not that amount is what we hope for. I bring this up because finances are a part of life, and a subject that we need to communicate clearly about - for our long-term spiritual and congregational health. I am certain that God will provide for us as long as we have a purpose in his kingdom. I want us to start making budget not just because I think we need to keep the doors open at all costs. I want us to be financially healthy because that will allow us to do more! Not more just for us, but more for missions, more for our community, more for the lost, and more for the kingdom of God!

If any of you have ideas for how to communicate better about the church’s financial situation, or if you have any questions or concerns about ICC budget or finances, don’t hesitate to email, text, or call me at any time!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

Pollen season is back. Along with the yellow dust, the allergies, the headaches, and everything else that comes with it. I just found out that the bright yellow pollen that looks menacing and messy and that covers everything is probably not the cause of the allergies and discomfort many people deal with. It might be annoying and difficult to clean, but because it is so heavy, the yellow pollen doesn’t blow around very much and therefore doesn’t usually affect people. It is lighter, unseen, airborne pollen from other trees that is probably causing most of your symptoms.

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God?
Don’t fool yourselves…
1 Corinthians 6:9

This reminded me of our study in Corinthians - especially in comparison to sin. Sin, which is so deceptive and that separates us from God. While all sin originates in our own hearts and will ultimately lead to death, some sin is more deceptive and destructive in the short-term. And it is not always the sin that seems obvious. We need to be on guard and diligent so that we can resist the devil and flee from sin. We need to be walking with the Spirit so that we can identify anything that could possibly harm us and lead us astray.

The key relationships in our lives are one usually unseen way that the enemy sows seeds of rebellion in us. One such relationship for many of us is our marriage. Tonight we start our new discipleship class called “The Marriage Course.” I’m very excited about this and want to implore all of you to try to attend if at all possible. This has the potential to be life-changing for each of us, for each of our marriages, and for our entire church! Tomorrow night the young adults will continue their look at the book of Ephesians. And then Saturday morning the men’s fellowship will get together for breakfast and study at 8:30 in the morning.

If those are not enough options for you to meet with your brothers and sisters and be in the Word… then there is also our Crowfield Bible Club that meets Tuesdays at noon. We just started a new series going deep to learn how to study the Bible. One person in the class was upset that the whole church was not getting to study this! I agree, so please come and join us! And then finally, I am at the church every Friday morning at 7:30 AM to spend focused time praying for revival for our church and community. Please come and let’s pray together!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

When it comes to prayer, we are incredibly blessed by the fact that we pray to a God that knows us, loves us, and wants the best for us. This means that we can pray honestly, emotionally, and persistently without the Lord getting tired of us. We can pray sometimes without having any idea of what we are actually asking God to do, and the Lord still understands. We can pray entirely unaware of the consequences that would come about if He gave us what we were asking for, and He will still answer in a way that will be a blessing to us. These truths led Tim Keller to come to an encouraging conclusion in his book on prayer: “God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.” That is such an incredibly helpful observation! Basically… when we pray, God will either give us what we ask, or He will give us something even better!

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

We will gather this evening for a special prayer time focused on the current conflict in the Middle East and Iran. Please come and join us because as Keller also says, “To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything.” We need his guidance, his peace, his direction, his wisdom, and his provision in this situation, and every other one in our lives! Let’s confess that and pray together tonight!

Next Wednesday night we will be starting a new discipleship series called “The Marriage Course.” This is a great opportunity to either learn for the first time or be reminded of things concerning one of the most important relationships we can have on earth. I know it will be a blessing whether you are currently married, have been married in the past, or maybe are just looking forward to it. Whether you think your marriage is doing well or needs a lot of help, you don’t want to miss it!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

I have been looking for good modern examples of Christian unity in the church for several months now. Between google and AI, you can find answers to almost any question and solutions to almost every problem, but finding a great testimony of people within a church who were in disagreement on how to move forward or how to change, coming together through prayer and compromise seems to be beyond the capability of the algorithms. Likewise, I can’t find examples of churches working together despite their differences to minister to the lost and proclaim the name of Jesus in their communities. Perhaps this should come as no surprise given how divided we are in every area of life (see the absolute polarization surrounding the State of the Union address last night), but shouldn’t the church be different? Shouldn’t there be examples and stories of Christian unity that shine so brightly in comparison to the surrounding discord that they are impossible to miss? Scripture seems to tell us that the church should be different…

21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
John 17:21-23 NLT

We have been in the book of 1st Corinthians for just a month or so now, and I am starting to think that it might take a lifetime to understand the importance of unity in the Christian life. At this point “Unity in Christ” might have been a better tagline for this current sermon series than “Basics of Life in the Church.” The verses from the gospel of John above show both the foundation and depth of our calling to be unified. The foundation is found in the relationship of the Trinity itself. Jesus states plainly that God the Father is in him and He is in the Father. There is unity in the Trinity! We also see in these verses that through our salvation, each Christian has unity with Christ as well. And just as we are one with Jesus, we then are called to be one with each other. This is the sense of unity within the church that we have been studying in 1st Corinthians. And the effect of this unity absolutely should be noticeable to the world around us - the world is supposed to know about Jesus and God’s love because of our unity! Please come this Sunday as we look again at how the call to holiness and purity should be helping us be unified.

Finally, there is another aspect of unity we find throughout Scripture. In Christian marriage, we are called to become unified as well - “One flesh.” As Larry Crabb states, “When God presented Eve to her husband, the Bible tells us, they became one flesh, that is, they fully experienced a relationship of Oneness. Developing this kind of relationship is the goal of marriage.” How fitting then, as we study unity in the church, that our next Wednesday discipleship series will be on marriage! I am very excited to lead this new study from the people that produced the Alpha course. It doesn’t have a catchy name - “The Marriage Course,” but I am greatly looking forward to spending a couple of months working on our marriages. There will be more information coming the next couple of Sundays, but I would highly encourage all of you to make this a priority - even if you don’t typically come on Wednesday nights. It will be well worth your time!  Starting on March 10th.

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

What a great time of worship and fellowship we had last Sunday for Valentines Day! Throughout the whole service we heard how God’s love is so amazing, and so far beyond our typical idea of love. We lifted up God in praise because He is love. Many verses were shared that proclaimed God’s love. Our children (and their parents) sang about how Jesus loves us. (Who knew there were so many verses!) Pastor Jimmy preached about it and challenged us to share God’s love with others. And then we blessed each other in love as were able to enjoy a great potluck meal together. Let me extend my appreciation to Pastor Jimmy and Sister Riza and Sisters Yay and Liza for preaching and organizing the special music and decorations. Thank you for the many others that helped decorate and sing and clean up and all that cooked and brought food. What a great church family and what a wonderful day! And what an amazing God we serve!

As we were cleaning up after lunch, it was unanimously decided that we need to keep some of the decorations up for at least another few weeks. They are beautiful reminders of what we learned. With all of the activity and visitors (and food!) I doubt many of you had time to read the verses and notes written on the wall of love. So, I captured a few of them for you below…

Please try to come tonight as we finish up our series on Life Changing Prayer for discipleship. It has been a fabulous study and all that have attended have been blessed and learned so much. Tomorrow night the young adults will continue their study of Ephesians.

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

5 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths….
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
Psalm 36:5-7

During our years as missionaries among a small Muslim people group there were several families among that group that we became close with. These were mostly young couples with small children similar in age to our own. They became the people that we learned the language and culture from. We ate in their homes often - meaning we jammed around the coffee table with our coats on in their one-room home that was heated with a coal burning stove in one corner. Sometimes the stir-fried dishes contained meat, but often they did not because they couldn’t afford it. We usually brought a leg of lamb as a gift when we visited, which they would make last an entire month.

We enjoyed our time with all these families, but one of the couples - Mr. and Mrs. Ma - were different. They truly seemed to love each other! Almost all marriages in this people group were arranged, meaning the husband and wife didn’t necessarily choose each other. Sometimes they had never even met each other! So, love was not usually part of the equation like in western marriages. In most of the families we met there, the husband and wife treated each other more like co-workers than spouses. There was not much warmth, and absolutely no romantic connection that could be seen. Which made the Ma’s so different! They genuinely seemed to both like and love each other. They would smile at each other in ways that the other couples did not. They would tease each other and voice appreciation of each other. We would come home after spending time with them and be shocked at how different they were compared to the other families that we knew. And it would make us think that they must be close to understanding Jesus’ love for them.

But as far as we know… they still have not accepted the gospel. The romantic love that they shared, and that we celebrate on Valentine’s Day is not the same love that the Bible talks about when it says that God is love (1 John 4:16).  Romantic love is part of it… but God’s love is also so much more! God’s love is unfailing, vast, faithful, righteous, and precious according to the Psalmist above. And it is made known to us in the person of Jesus Christ who displayed it in one amazing act of humility and sacrifice - while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8).

The Ma’s love for each other was so different than the marriages of our other friends in that people group. It was so clear that they loved each other. In this way, they were blessed to know an aspect of God’s love that most of their people group did not have any experience with, but they still need to accept that love and repent of their sins. There are many people here in America, perhaps your own friends and family members that are similar. Would you please consider inviting them to join us this Sunday for our Valentine’s Day service and fellowship meal? They will be able to celebrate their love for their spouses and their kids, but they will get to hear about God’s incredible love for them as well.  A love that is so different and so much higher than any they have ever experienced.

It’s going to be a great time of fellowship and fun. Our kids are going to sing a song. And we will enjoy some great food together. You don’t want to miss it!

Once again, I hope to see you tonight for discipleship. Or to hear that you have joined the young adults that will meet tomorrow night. We have two great studies going on right now!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

We did not linger very long on these verses a couple of weeks ago as we were focusing on the power and Spirit of God. So, I want to make two quick points today…

The first is simple… What a blessing and what an encouragement verse 16 is for us! This is why it is such a blessing to be able to come together as the body of Christ each week to worship - because God is there! He is present in each of us individually and personally. But He is also present with us corporately as the church, supernaturally drawing us together as one family with one Father. God’s Spirit dwells in our midst at International Christian Church! That is amazing! The God who spoke all things into being, and who continues to hold all things together… the God who is the giver of all life and every good gift… the God who loves us so much that He sent his Son to die for us… knows us and wants to fellowship with us and dwells with us!

This is why what happened a couple of weeks ago at Cities Church in Minneapolis is so shocking and so dangerous. And my meaning is not that it is shocking and dangerous for the church - whether that be Cities Church or another at some point in the future - even our own. God will build his church, and the gates of hell will not stand against it (Matthew 16:18). God’s will will be done and his kingdom will come. We should have no doubt or worry about that at all. But until it does, we have to remember that we are sent out as sheep among wolves to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). Therefore, we should not be surprised that wolves would want to attack us. And we should always be praying for wisdom for God to show us how to be serpents and doves at the same time - innocent and blameless, yet shrewd and wise. To that end, we will be having a review of our safety and security procedures this Saturday morning at 9:30 at the church. If we would like to be on the security team, please join us!

What is shocking about the church protest was to see people (some wearing the name of Christ) disregarding the consequences of verse 17 above: If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. The temple that is being referred to here is the church, and it is not referring to a building but the gathering of the church - the worship that takes place as God’s people come together as the bride of Christ. People that hinder that - whether it’s protesters from the outside or members on the inside that harm the unity in thought and purpose of the church - have been warned. It is dangerous for them! And therefore, even as we review our security plans we also pray for those that would seek to destroy us. We pray that God would have mercy on them, open their eyes and hearts to the beauty of his love, and that they would surrender their lives and wills to God.

If you have any questions about these things at all… don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I hope to see you tonight at discipleship or joining the young adults tomorrow night. We have two great studies going on right now!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

There is no denying that the country feels a little on edge at the moment. There are serious problems that need to be solved – politically, culturally, economically, and more. We pray for these issues every week at our service, discipleship meetings and Bible studies, and I hope you are praying for them regularly as well. The Lord Jesus himself modeled for us and told us what to pray… “may your kingdom come soon,” “may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and “rescue us from the evil one.” Prayer is vital and important and key to seeing change in our society.

However, for many people (including Christians unfortunately) prayer does not seem to be enough. And therefore, we are now being pushed and pulled, bullied and browbeaten into choosing sides. On every issue. In every area of life. It no longer matters whether you personally are on social media or watch the evening news… Even if you don’t, most everyone around you does, and regardless of what side of whichever issues they are on… they want you to engage. They want you to take everything as seriously as they do. They want you to have the same level of passion about the same issues as they do. And when it comes down to it… they really want you to agree with them and even feel the exact same way as them.

I have seen people on opposite sides of issues quote Martin Luther King, Jr. saying that someday we will have to repent over the appalling silence of good people. People on both sides of arguments refer to Jesus flipping over the money-changer tables in the temple as justification for taking action and being angry. The cumulative effect of these passionate pleas and arguments weighs heavy. I write this today not to say that you shouldn’t have an opinion or shouldn’t be moved into action or take a side. As I said, you should be praying about things and then step out in courage however the Lord leads you. I am in almost constant prayer about whether or not to speak on various matters from the pulpit at ICC. Last Sunday I mentioned that I have been thinking and praying about stepping out of our 1st Corinthians series for a moment to address a couple of current events.

But once again the Spirit has led me not to do so at this time. I don’t want to draw a line in the sand. I do believe that the Bible is powerful and wise and relevant for our society and for us personally even today. But as we have been learning in Corinthians, the wisdom of God seems foolish to the world. And all this week the following Scriptures have helped to remind me that we are called to listen and engage and love others in a different way than the world. So, I leave you to read and meditate on these verses and pray for yourself how God is leading you to interact with others in the days ahead…

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen,
slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
Proverbs 15:1

Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
Proverbs 19:11

The first to speak in court sounds right— until the cross-examination begins.
Proverbs 18:17

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9

This last one is key for me as I continually attempt to model and lead us to imitate Christ. That will be our topic in 1st Corinthians 4 this Sunday. Until then, I’ll be praying for each of you that we can all be peacemakers in every conversation and situation. Being a peacemaker is not cowardly, regardless of what your friend on either side will tell you. It is the very heart of God.

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
James 4:17

Yesterday at our Crowfield Bible Club study we finished James chapter 4 with this verse. The first time I was challenged by this verse was in college. Like it is for most students away from home for the first time, every day was a test. Nobody made me get up to go to class or work. There was no one to hold me accountable to live according to the values and morals that I grew up with and personally held to. The decision was mine alone. Leaving home for the first time and facing the decision of how to live is a trying time in life - whether one attends college or not. Young people are faced with the question - What do you really believe? Unfortunately, studies show that more than 50% of young people leave the faith fairly soon after leaving their childhood home. When confronted with the opportunity to live like the world in sin, the temptation is too overwhelming.

This verse, however, is talking about a different kind of sin. One that continues to tempt Christians even after they have made a commitment to their faith by resisting the devil and fleeing temptation. These are sometimes called sins of omission. You see, sin is not just giving into the temptations to do something that God has forbidden. Sin also includes the things that we know through his Word are right to do, and that God through his Holy Spirit has asked us to do, yet we have not done. When we confess our sins and ask the Lord to forgive us, it is usually easy to remember the ways that we have broken God’s law. But we don’t even usually recognize, let alone ask forgiveness for the things that He has asked from us, but that we have either ignored or refused. Failing to help a person that asked for it and we know needed it… Failing to offer the encouraging words that God told us to tell another person. Failing to be available or generous or hard-working, etc. James challenges his readers to be careful because failing in this way is also a sin. How different would the church look, if we took this verse seriously?…

Yesterday, I sang the following lyrics from old hymns that I led with the residents at Pinewood Square…
• Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way. Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
• Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe
• Where He leads me, I will follow. I’ll go with him, with him all the way.
• I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.

I have mentioned often how God always wants to do something new in our lives and in the church. This is the character of his kingdom. This verse bluntly calls us out and holds us accountable to take steps to see that happen. The Christian life requires courage and conviction and perseverance every day, not just when we first give our lives to Christ. So, whatever area the Lord is speaking to you about - whether in your work, or your marriage, or in your personal faith, or your place of service at church… whatever it is… make a commitment today to surrender all of yourself. Pray desperately, and then actually do the things that God has asked you to do!

Let me ask one little thing of you before Sunday… We will be covering all of 1 Corinthians chapters 2 and 3 and it would be great if you could read those chapters before the service. Thanks for that! And don’t forget… please join us tonight for discipleship at 6:15 or, if you are a young adult, tomorrow at 6:30.

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.
Isaiah 32:8

It is still early in the new year. and once again my heart and spirit have been directed to this verse. It seems every year the Lord brings this verse (that I was first challenged with long ago in college) across my path so that I can spend time reflecting. Is this verse a good description of my life? Have I made any progress in this since the last time I prayed about this verse?

Isaiah 32 is describing what it is like to live in a very different kingdom than the ancient Israel that was being threatened by Assyria.  And for that matter a very different kingdom than modern day America. Because he is describing a kingdom to come whose King will reign in righteousness and loves and cares for and serves his people. The righteous King’s people have had their eyes and ears opened to see and hear and experience the transforming power of the gospel. Their hearts and character have been changed such that they are no longer foolish or wicked, but noble. That word has nothing to do with rank or status or power or riches, but character. And most specifically the character of God. There is no way to make oneself noble. That said, the Lord will make you noble if you ask him. If you trade your way and your character and your heart for his…

If you have asked him to make you noble, then He has done it. And now you just need to live in that reality. You are noble… so… make noble plans and carry them out with noble deeds. And if you would like somebody to encourage you and pray for you and your plans, send me a note. It would be my privilege to pray for you to make progress in this! I will pray for you as I continue to pray the same thing for myself!

Don’t forget we are kicking off our new discipleship study this evening! The Lord is doing something new at ICC and prayer is a huge part of it. Don’t miss it!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

About 20 years ago I remember getting a call from my mother (from the other side of the world) saying that dad had fallen off a ladder in the garage and broken his wrist. I assume my initial thought was the same that most other people would have… “Why in the world is dad on a ladder at his age?!?” The clearest memories I have of my grandparents were their love for watching game shows, how their houses would always feel like 80 degrees, and my parents fighting with them to stay off of ladders.

Yesterday, the weather was so nice that I had to get outside for a while, and cleaning out the gutters from the annual fall of leaves and pine needles has been on my to-do list. Unless you are going to hire somebody else to do this for you (which is not a feasible financial option for most people) this task is going to involve going up on a ladder. In the past, I have done this by climbing up and grabbing out the leaves and needles and other gunk by hand and putting it in a bucket. You clear out as much of the gutter as you can reach, and then you climb down, dump the bucket, and move the ladder 4-5 feet over and do it again. The process is slow and tedious and involves going up and down the ladder about 50 times, which seems unadvisable if one is worried about falling off a ladder…

Last year, I discovered a way better option - that doesn’t involve hiring somebody else to do it or investing however many thousands of dollars it costs to have gutter guards installed by one of the hundreds of companies that leave leaflets at our door. You climb up the ladder just one time, get up on the roof, and take the leaf blower up with you! And then you just blow off the roof and blow out all of the gutters. You do have to walk fairly close to the edge of the roof the whole time, so when it comes to safety… it is probably a toss-up of whether it is safer than repeatedly climbing a ladder. But this method is so much faster and WAY more fun! The only problem was that the whole time I was wondering what my daughters would say if I fell off, though. Am I at the age already where they would say, “Why in the world is dad on a ladder at his age?!?” And how old should I be before I admit that perhaps I am?

That is an impossible question to answer, but I think the subject is appropriate in following up last Sunday’s service talking about how God wants to do something new in your life and in our church in 2026.  

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19

At first glance, the Bible would seem to encourage taking risks and being adventurous…

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

But we have to be careful… these verses don’t really tell us whether it is a good idea to go up on a roof with a leaf blower. You could take them out of context and convince yourself that the Bible is all about risk-taking. But the Bible never tells us how daring we should be. What it does tell us, however, is to pray and ask for courage. And wisdom. And boldness. And when it comes to matters of faith like in these verses above… we should be the boldest, bravest, and most daring people alive. This attitude and mindset doesn’t have any cutoff date when it comes to age either. Every week as I talk to the folks at Pinewood nursing home, I try to encourage them to figure out what new thing God is doing in their hearts and lives, and then figure out a new way to be a blessing to others. Even in their situation, where their food and sleep and exercise is monitored, and even the thought of climbing a ladder would get them in trouble, spiritually they can be as risk-taking and adventurous as any young teenager. If they can be spiritually bold and adventurous in the year ahead, so can we. So, as you think about all that God could possibly do in and through you in 2026… definitely climb up on the roof. And don’t forget to take the leaf blower with you.  

It would be great to see many of you for fellowship meal and discipleship tonight.  The young adults will be starting again next week.  Don’t forget men’s fellowship Saturday morning.  And then a new sermon series starting on Sunday!  New things all around!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

I hope you are having a wonderful week as you continue to celebrate Advent here in 2025. Let me once again say thanks to everyone who helped with last Sunday’s Candlelight service, especially Sisters Joy, Alice, and Marilyn. So many people contributed, especially in helping with clean-up, but those ladies took on the bulk of the planning and preparation.

We have one more Sunday in Advent on the 21st. That will be a normal ICC worship service at the church. Then we will have a quiet, Scripture-centered Christmas Eve service one week from tonight, the 24th. Please join us for that special time.

Starting at midnight tonight is our final Pray for Charleston 3rd Thursday of the year. Please see below for a link to this month’s prayer requests.

The devotional today is an excerpt from one of my favorite Christmas books…

“Look up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed. Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

Did you know that singing is surprisingly good for your health? Here is just a partial list of the potential benefits of singing:
•Relieves stress
•Stimulates immune response
•Increases pain threshold
•May improve snoring
•Improves lung function
•Develops a sense of belonging and connection
•Enhances memory in people with dementia
•Helps with grief
•Improves mental health and mood
•Improves heart rate and blood pressure

Singing is good for you, and that list doesn’t even include any of the spiritual benefits! Those should be no surprise to Christians since Scripture so often encourages God’s people to sing praises to him…

1 Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
Psalms 95:1-2

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Colossians 3:16

Singing is good for you. The Bible entreats us to sing to the Lord. On top of this, it has been scientifically shown that it is even better to sing with a group! “Singing as part of a group or a choir, for example, has been found to promote a greater level of psychological wellbeing than in solo singers,” says David Cox quoted in a BBC article titled “Why singing is surprisingly good for your health.”

I hope this has convinced all of you why it would be a wonderful thing to have you join us as ICC goes caroling at Pinewood Square residence home this evening at 6PM. It will be a healthy blessing for you, and you will have the opportunity to bless some dear friends and neighbors in our community.  Even if you don’t normally attend our Wednesday night activities, this particular one will be special.  Don’t miss it!  And of course, don’t miss this Sunday evening either, as we have our annual candlelight service. See details below…

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

How many of you have a Christmas list? I remember several years writing one as a child. My brother and I would spend hours looking through the big Sears catalog at all the toys and sports gear and then scribble out a list of things that we thought we really needed. We would add on things that our friends had that we were jealous about and maybe some things that we saw in a commercial during Saturday morning cartoons. I think there might even have been a couple of years that we mailed that list to Santa Claus. Not that my parents encouraged that thinking at all, but it was more of a “just in case” mentality. At some point (probably in middle school when I thought I was too cool for such things) I quit making a list.

When I got married, though, I had to start making a list again. That side of my family greatly values being able to give a gift that they know will be appreciated. The only problem is that I am older now. I have a lot more stuff than when I was 5. And I have a job. I have money. I can pretty much buy anything that I “need". So writing a Christmas list is not easy. This year, however… I am on top of it. I have had a note on my phone open all year long where I have jotted things for my list. When the family started asking a couple of weeks ago what I wanted for Christmas… I was ready!

Giving Christmas gifts is not something that only Christians do. It is a tradition throughout most of the world at this point. But the world’s idea of gift-giving is very different than the Bible’s. If you think about how in the Santa tradition kids either receive the gift they wanted or they receive a lump of coal… that is the natural human idea of gifts. You get what you deserve. Or you at least get according to what you have given. Naughty kids get coal. People that didn’t send a Christmas card last year or that didn’t give a gift, get taken off our list for this year. To make things simpler and fairer, we tell people exactly how much money they should spend so that we can make sure that we don’t spend too much more or less than them. It’s a reciprocal system.

But praise the Lord that God doesn’t participate in our system! His idea of a gift is utterly rooted in mercy and grace. It is not based on what we deserve. It is not based on what we did for him. It is not based on what we can afford.

But to all who believed him and accepted him,
he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12 (NLT)

God’s gift of salvation, made known to us and available to us through the life and death and resurrection of his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, is a gift like no other. It only requires us to believe and accept him. It is such an amazing and wonderful gift that many people can’t believe it. They have never experienced anything in life that didn’t come with a catch of some kind. They have been burned too many times, so they don’t trust it and refuse to accept the gift. As ambassadors of Christ and people that bear his name, we need to help others get to the point that they will see and accept this gift of life. We need to be godly gift-givers - spiritual gift-givers. Givers of hope, and peace, and joy, and love to all peoples, regardless of whether we like them or approve of them, or whether they will reciprocate accordingly. Whether by word or deed, let’s bless others during this season by pointing them to the source of every good and perfect gift.

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

Over in Asia - specifically Philippines and Thailand - the highways are a little different. While in the US, the interstates have very few rest stops or service areas right along the highway, in Asia you will encounter one every 5 or 10 miles. At these locations they will always have a gas station and huge convenience store. (7-11s in Asia are simply wonderful. I forgot how much that I missed them. I ate there for lunch at least once a week for ten years!) There will always be some kind of coffee shop. Usually a McDonald’s, a Burger King, or a KFC. In the Philippines, there was either a Jollibee or a Chowking. There will be a huge public restroom. And food stalls. Now, the strange thing is that almost every one of these rest areas is very crowded. There always seems to be more people at the rest areas than on the highway.

I really am not sure why there is such a difference between Asia and the U.S. when it comes to highway resting. One of my theories, though, is that Americans are, in general, more direct. We are task and schedule driven. A road trip is all about getting from point A to point B. We want to stop as few times as possible to maximize the time we have when we get there. While we know that we should find “joy in the journey” we prefer to have our journeys not take place on the freeway. And so we have to either pull all the way off the interstate to find a gas station or grab some fast food or wait 90 miles or so to reach the next rest stop. We get to where we are going faster, but we miss out on all of the options.

Filipinos enjoy the journey to celebrating Christmas differently than we Americans do as well. They celebrate a longer Christmas season than any country in the world! At ICC, we also want to make sure that we enjoy the journey leading up to celebrating our Savior’s birth. Celebrating Advent is one way we can do this. Instead of zooming right from Thanksgiving to Christmas and missing the blessings of the Christmas story, we will spend the next 4 weeks both remembering Christ’s first arrival on earth as a baby two thousand years ago, as well as looking forward to Christ’s second arrival when He returns as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. 
Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”
Isaiah 40:9

We will be taking advantage of the Christmas season all throughout the month of December to shout very loudly to each other and to all that would hear… that Jesus Christ is coming! We start this Sunday by looking at the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah chapter 40. There will be a special Christmas children’s talk each week during this season. Our praise and worship will shift slightly to include some wonderful Christmas songs and hymns. Please come and join us each week as we savor every step of the journey towards the arrival of our Savior!

Don’t forget that there are NO services at the church tonight or tomorrow night due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but we look forward to worshiping together on Sunday.

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

It has been a while since I have written one of these! I had high hopes of continuing to send out a weekly update out while we were in Asia the past couple of weeks, but it didn’t happen. I would blame a lack of good cell service or Wi-Fi, a lack of electricity, a lack of time, and a lack of sleep. But the truth is that it was just really good to be fully present in the Philippines and in Thailand, talking to so many people in those places that are called and burdened to see the name of the Lord proclaimed. I didn’t want to lose even a minute while I was there when those minutes were so limited. And I comfort myself also by thinking that you probably needed a break from reading these each week anyway. :-)

I shared a little of this on Sunday, but the trip has breathed fresh energy and passion into me as your pastor. Seeing the beauty and need of the nations might not seem like it would directly link to a renewed calling to see the Lord bless and use International Christian Church here in Goose Creek, SC, but it indeed has for me. I keep thinking of the Lord’s final commission to his disciples as He ascended into heaven:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8

As humans, we have a limited amount of energy, time, and passion to give to people and causes. We can’t be equally engaged in and passionate about every ministry that Bible-believing and Jesus-loving people are involved with. And hence the need for all different kinds of Christian ministry organizations and small groups. There are churches that are focused on school engagement, while others are passionate about the pro-life movement. Some churches have grief ministries, while others have divorce ministries. Or prison ministries, or refugee ministries, etc. They are all needed! But if one person tried to be passionate about all of them, they would quickly run out of time and money, and very quickly burn out.

Hence, the need for the church as a whole to take on the commission that Jesus hands his disciples here in Acts 1:8. There was not one disciple that was going to be his witness in Jerusalem, and all through Judea, and in Samaria, and to each end of the earth. No, they were going to accomplish this task collectively - each person playing their part. The disciples didn’t draw assignments out of a hat. They ended up pursuing their own personal calling as the Lord revealed it to them and opened doors. They responded in faith and courage to do their part!

That is the opportunity that we have as a congregation as well - to play our part in seeing the Great Commission accomplished. The Lord has given us ministry connections here in the Lowcountry, as well as in the Philippines and Kenya and other places as well. He has placed brothers and sisters in our midst that have burdens for ministry that are wide-ranging and that truly stretch to the ends of the earth. As a church, we can’t support or be involved in every place or among every people. But wherever the Lord has called us to be as a congregation, I want to be committed and fully involved. Travelling in person to the Philippines allows me to advocate and preach more passionately and explicitly about the needs there. It will be a while before it happens, but I confess that in the back of my mind is already the idea of making the same kind of trip to Kenya with Brother Winston in the future. I am praying that some of you will even now begin to pray about whether you should come with me! The vision and hope of the nations can and should drive us a church to passionately share the love of God everywhere we go!

The Lord is building his church! No matter what the headlines would have you believe, or the culture makes you feel… do not doubt that there is a resurrection to come. There is perfect healing to come. Jesus will return. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, and the bride of Christ - his church - will shine as it is bathed in and reflects the glory of God. Maranatha!

A few notes for you…

• Make sure you keep in mind the meeting of the church that will take place Sunday evening at 6:30. It is a great opportunity for us to come together as a congregation to interact with leadership and look at and pray about how the Lord is leading us in the year ahead. Click on the button below to download a copy of the 2026 proposed budget.
• Please note once again… We will NOT be having a Thanksgiving meal at the church after Sunday service. Please enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with your friends and families! If you happen to be on your own this year for the holiday, do not hesitate to get in touch with me, as there are several homes that have stated they would love to host more people.
• We will also not have any evening activities at the church next week on Wednesday or Thursday.
• Sunday, November 30th will be the start of the Christmas Advent season. Pray that it would be a wonderful time of worship and growth at ICC this year. And be thinking even now of how you can invite your friends and neighbors to join us in our Christmas festivities at ICC!

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

First off, apologies to many of you because we experienced some technical difficulties with last week’s pastor email such that only a few people actually received it! However, everything seems to be working again at this point, so praise the Lord for that! The difficulties came as a result of a website upgrade. I would highly encourage you to check out the new site by clicking HERE! Among other upgrades you will notice that our service Livestream is to be found right there on the home page, with a link to previous services as well. The website will be the primary place to watch the livestream from this point forward, although it will also be syndicated to our Facebook page as well.

I sent these prayer requests and announcements out last week, but since only a few of you received them, I am sending them again today…

• Please be praying for Laurel and me as we head to the Philippines and Thailand. She and I will be in two different places while in the Philippines! I will be with Pastor Devera and meeting the young pastors that he works with as well as the partner churches that we support there. From there, Laurel and I will travel together to Thailand to visit my former church and several ministries we continue to be involved with in that country.
  • Pray for our guest preachers that you will hear from while I am away:
    • Dr. Ryan Gimple from CSU on November 2nd
    • Pastor Jimmy Reeves on November 9th
  • Pray that I would be a blessing and encouragement to Pastor Devera and the churches we partner with
  • Pray that Laurel and I would be a blessing to my former church (Chiang Mai Community Church) and the Bible translators we will meet with in Thailand
  • Pray that we come back with many testimonies and stories of God being at work among the nations to spur us on here at ICC to love and good deeds
  • Pray for Laurel as she represents CSU
• After our return in mid-November, the elders and I will be preparing the tentative 2026 church budget. We will then conduct our annual congregational meeting to hear financial and ministry reports and vote on that 2026 budget. This will take place on the evening of Sunday, November 23rd at 6:30 PM at the church.
• Please note… We will NOT be having a Thanksgiving meal at the church after Sunday service this year. Please enjoy that Thanksgiving holiday with your friends and families! If you happen to be on your own this year for the holiday, do not hesitate to get in touch with me, as there are several homes that have stated they would love to host more people.
• Then November 30th will be the start of the Christmas Advent season. Pray that it would be a wonderful time of worship and growth at ICC this year. And be thinking even now of how you can invite your friends and neighbors to join us in our Christmas festivities at ICC!

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power
Ephesians 6:10

Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

Last year I planted azaleas in one shady corner of our little backyard. They are still alive. They don’t look bad. But they have never bloomed, and they have not grown much at all. This past spring I planted a jasmine vine in another bright corner of the backyard. It has survived the summer, but I think it is struggling because it has not grown much either. My diagnosis is that the azaleas need more sun and the jasmine needs less, so I think that if I just switch the corners of the yard in which these plants are located, they both might start growing and thriving. That is my hope anyway… I will keep you informed. Because I want to transplant them sometime soon, I am also hoping that they have not rooted too deeply in their current locations. I think the location is hurting them!

In a similar way, the spiritual environment that each of us lives in also has a lot to do with whether we are healthy and producing fruit. Being rooted and having stability doesn’t necessarily mean fruitfulness if a person’s trust and hope are in the wrong things. For example… you can attend church each Sunday, but if you rarely listen to the Holy Spirit and apply God’s word in your life, even though you might still be saved, you won’t see growth.

That is why our trust and hope and confidence must be in the Lord. When it is, you can thrive regardless of what happens around you, because your roots will be sunk deep into the living water of Christ’s love and mercy! Take a minute today to pray about whether these verses from Jeremiah are descriptive of your life. And if they are not, spend time praying about how you can pivot or maybe even be transplanted into ground where you can begin to experience the blessings that the Lord has promised!

I hope to see many of you at discipleship tonight.  Please make note that there will be no men’s fellowship this Saturday. It is postponed until the 25th. And also, please plan to come this Sunday for a special time of worship focused on our ICC families and children. It will be wonderful!

Blessings to you!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron

Hello ICC Family!

Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

I am thankful today that we did not have to weather Hurricane Imelda that was barreling down on us at the end of last week. The models turned out to be wrong and the storm made a hard right and stayed out at sea. Instead, we just had to deal with several days of gray skies and spitting rain. It could have been much worse, and again… I am thankful.

It was much more difficult to be thankful last night without any internet. Between the AT&T fiber breakdown and living in Crowfield which is a dead zone for most cell phones, I felt like one of my limbs had been severed. I wanted to check when the service would be restored, but my wireless signal wasn’t strong enough to open the app. I thought this would be a great time to call and catch up with family. But the only calling we do is through Wi-Fi, so that was out. Watching television (all streaming) - nope. Working on several projects for the church… again, I needed to be online. Playing Connections with Laurel didn’t work either. After one night of being cut off from the rest of the world, and cut off from almost every source of entertainment, communication, shopping, news, and even work (you could not receive this newsletter without the internet), it is glaringly apparent and even frightening how dependent on the internet I have become. I will be adding it to my fasting list.

But the brief experience has also given me the benefit of being thankful for the time to read. And go to bed early. I am now more aware of my dependence on the internet and can be more thankful for it than ever. I have obviously been taking it for granted.

Most of all it has once again been a reminder to just be thankful that God is in control, and all of life is a blessing from him. I have written about the nights without power in Thailand and how my family would lay on the cold tile floor to try to cool off without any air conditioning in the stifling heat. When we lived in China, it was water that would be shut off every now and then, to the point that we had huge 5-gallon containers stored around the apartment to flush the toilets and wash hands with. In some ways I miss those disruptions, because they revealed our dependency and forced us to be creative and change our way of thinking. It’s like when whatever you had planned for dinner falls through - you don’t have an ingredient you need, or maybe it gets overcooked or even burned. And so you end up eating cereal or popcorn or ice cream instead. Despair turns to thanksgiving quickly.

Someday each of us will experience much greater disruption and disappointment than a burned meal or an internet outage. When that happens, having been thankful in the seemingly little setbacks will have been preparation for how to be thankful during that big one - when the hurricane ends up being a direct hit, or when a devastating prognosis is received. A firm foundation will be in place such that you never wonder or doubt that God is in control and loves you!

Blessings to you!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron