Good news of great joy! That’s what we’ve been focusing on this Advent season: the good news of the birth of Jesus. Why was it such great news that a baby had been born in a little town in Israel? Why is it such great news now, more than two millennia later?The answer can be found in the themes of the Advent season: hope, peace, joy, and love. God sent his Son to bring us back to him, to give us h...  Read More

Hey Everyone,There's a lot happening in the next few months at Carlton Landing Community Church. We use these monthly updates to keep you aware of what's happening in the life of the church. Here's what's happening in the next few months: Elder Ordination This weekend was a milestone for our church. We ordained four new elders to lead and shepherd our church: David Walker, Chuck Benningfield, Brad...  Read More

We’re getting close to the Holiday season in Carlton Landing. As we enter the Advent season in just a few weeks, we have so much to look forward to as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Here is our holiday schedule and a couple of exciting updates for the new year. Holiday Schedule Sunday, November 19 - Eufaula Thanksgivin...  Read More

The internal change the Gospel brings about in our hearts always makes its way out into our lives. It’s no coincidence that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is just like it, to love our neighbors. The love of God, the gospel of the saving work of Jesus Christ, will radically influence the way we treat others. In this section, Paul focuses on our lives together in the church a...  Read More

How can you really tell that someone is a Christian? If the outward “markers” and good works don’t prove that you are in Christ – or in this context, a child of Abraham – then what does? The natural practical response to Paul’s argument in Galatians is to wonder how we might know we are saved.In this section, Paul gives us three indications: (1) freedom in Christ, (2) faith working through love, a...  Read More

Tonight, we're continuing through the book of Galatians, picking up in chapter 4. Paul's relentless argument in the book is that we can only be made right through faith. No ritual, action, or religious effort can make us right with God, only faith in Jesus Christ.Click here for the study notes from tonight's lesson. ...  Read More

Global Missions in the Local Church“Missions” is a churchy word, and in a church like ours, you might have twenty different conceptions of missions in the same worship service. Simply put, missions is our strategy for fulfilling the Great Commission. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make d...  Read More

The word Gethsemane means “oil press.” In those days, when olives were gathered, they were poured into a woven bag and placed beneath a millstone. These stones, which could weigh hundreds of pounds, would press the olives into the ground, and soon they began to sweat.A steep ravine runs down the east side of Jerusalem, and on the other side is the Mount of Olives. Some of the oldest trees in the w...  Read More

Disciples: The Gospel of MatthewJesus called them to be his disciples. A disciple is more than a follower of a friend; a disciple is an imitator, someone who has been transformed into the image of their master. It’s no coincidence that the final lines of Matthew call us to go make disciples. That’s the call for every believer; learn to be like your teacher. We’ve been called to be like him, to liv...  Read More

This week during Borough Bible - as we've started to call it - we told the stories of the Tower of Babel and the calling of Abraham. Though humanity was drifting away from God, God had a plan for humanity. In the days of Seth, people were turning away from God, but a few started to call upon the name of the Lord. In the days of Noah, violence spread across the earth, but there was one faithful fam...  Read More

It’s “Culinary Weekend” in Carlton Landing, and that’s got me thinking about the power of meals, tables, and conversations over great food. Though it might seem like a stretch to get from there to the gospels, we often forget how much time people in Jesus’s day spent eating together. You could almost tell the story of Jesus’s life as a series of tables. He’s celebrating at a wedding in Cana, eatin...  Read More

Hey CLCC, What a wonderful summer it’s been at our church! We’ve met new people, seen old friends, and watched God work in every area of our community. From Kanakuk Kampout until now it’s been a whirlwind of grace. Whether you’re here in CL or at home somewhere else, take a minute this week to thank God for what he’s done in your heart these last three months and say a prayer for what’s to come. O...  Read More