Causeway Lite

On one hand, you have the Panthers

The Cardinal and Gold

In their fancy Hughes Stadium

With New Turf, New Seats,

And a Jumbotron near a Light Rail Station

On the other, you have the Beavers

They were Navy and Red

They play on Grass

With smaller crowds

And with championship swagger.

Many see this matchup as small

Because, after all, JuCo football

Doesn’t draw excitement

While the players are bigger,

They still seem like high school

However, for this sports enthusiast

I do not see small-time football

I see a town divided by allegiance

Many favor the Panthers of the South

Others See the Beavers in the North

So, as these goliaths meet

One team willing to clobber the other

This is not just a JuCo football game

It is North versus South

One side of town versus the other

(This is a poem that I submitted for Susurrus, a literary journal for Sacramento City College.)

Charles Linzie

Back to school

The Fall Term for Sacramento Area colleges are as follows:
LRCCD (ARC, CRC, FLC, SCC): August 23
Sierra: August 25
CSUS: September 2
UCD: September 28

Charles Linzie

If Jesus lead the Church...

On August 10, 2014, Keith Davis of the Sacramento Metro church of Christ preached a provocative sermon about Christ and our commitment to His Church.  The lesson is not merely a reminder of who we are in Christ, but a challenge to the congregation that if Jesus led the church (which He does),how would we react.

The key Scripture reference is Luke 14:25-33, when Jesus called His disciples.  He warns that one must count the cost to follow Him and put his or her love for Him above all else.  This means that if we are to be His followers, we must surrender to Jesus.  To put this plainly, we must remain focused on the mission to seek the save the lost, follow biblical standards of purity (Ephesians 5:3, I Timothy 5:1-2), and sharpen each other through the Scriptures.  It comes down to an uncompromising faith in Christ and being the salt and light of the earth.  After all, a church with people who are lacking in commitment id unacceptable.

With this in mind, all of us as Christ's followers must adhere to Jesus'  Headship in order to effectively bring people to a knowledge of the Truth.  To God be the glory!

Charles Linzie

Time to Make History: Campus-led Service in Sacramento.

On January 26, the SMCC Campus Ministry led the Sacramento Metro church of Christ in worship.  As a congregation, the church continues to find creative and innovative ways to present the full gospel of Christ and through spirited music, moving sharing, and an uncompromising preaching of the Word, it exceeded expectations.

The highlight of the service was Kris Saldana's preaching from Exodus 13-17.  He preached about how the Chosen People were grateful for the big victories from God, such as their deliverance from Egypt, yet they were ungrateful and largely ignored Him when He provided them with manna and quail to eat on their way to the Promised Land.  In comparison, the Church can often ignore the little victories from God and only focus on the big ones.  Kris closed the sermon by challenging the congregation to make history by making impact for Christ by celebrating the small victories.

In all, the Campus Ministry did an exemplary job in conveying that our God is great through things big and small. And to Him be the glory!

Charles Linzie

Jackeline Hernandez's Baptism

On October 20, 2013, Jackeline Hernandez was baptized into Christ!  She is currently a freshman at Sacramento State.  She was introduced to the Sacramento Church by her family and friends at the Turning Point Christian Church in Van Nuys, in which the Sacramento Church is in close fellowship.

Upon her arrival to Sac State, she immediately immersed herself in the Campus Ministry.  Rather than than just mill around, Jackeline served in in the various capacities in the church, including the monthly respite care for special needs children (a project of HOPEworldwide Sacramento).  Before long, she began to study the Bible with her roommate, Kierra. Before long, Jackeline made her commitment to Christ and was baptized.

Please pray for Jackeline as she grow in her newfound relationship with the Almighty. And to Him be the glory!

Charles Linzie

A Chosen Instrument

                       

            On March 17, 2013, Steve and Carrie Loundsbury of the Los Angeles church of Christ spoke to the Sacramento Church.  The Loundsburys serve as the Campus Ministers for the LA Church and oversee the outreach at the University of California, Riverside, California State University, San Bernandino, and other colleges in the Inland Empire.  They not only shared about their victories, but were candid about their own spiritual challenges and encouraged the Sacramento Church to press on.

            Carrie spoke about her rough upbringing, from dealing with her drug-addicted father to trying to fit into several different high schools.  She sought attention from the boys from school and sought approval, eventually becoming pregnant out of wedlock (and subsequently aborted her child).  While in college, someone tried to reach out to her with the gospel, only to believe that Carrie was the last person on Earth to accept Christ’s message.  To the individual’s surprise, Carrie did embrace the gospel and was baptized in 1992 in the LA Church.  Her husband, Steve, had a similar story of being ignored by the LA Church due to perception.  He recalled in his sermon that when he was in the corporate world, an intern under him, who was part the LA Church admitted that he was too intimidated to share the gospel because of his status and his crude behavior on the job.  Eventually, the ministry staff invited Steve to a Bible Talk and eventually baptized him into Christ in 1989.

            Later, Steve preached from Acts 9 about Saul of Tarsus receiving a vision from Christ, which eventually led him to coming to the knowledge of the Truth.  Using Saul’s example, he reminded the congregation that anyone can become a true disciple of Jesus and He can use us to be a multi-tool instrument to reach the Sacramento region for Christ.  Steve and Carrie’s testimony serves as a reminder that we should not be intimidated by people when sharing about Christ and He will use anyone to share His message of hope and redemption.  To Him be the Glory!

Spring Break!

Here is the Spring Break schedule for the Sacramento-area public colleges:

UCD: March 24-31, 2013 (Winter Finals March 19-23)
LRCCD (ARC, CRC, FLC, SCC): March 25-31
CSUS: March 25-April 1

Charles Linzie