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Seven. . Last weekend I invited people to take a step they’ve been too afraid, too distracted, too comfortable, or too hesitant to take. . It was a little out of the ordinary for our typical church services, but I invited anyone who wanted to, to come forward and declare their faith in Jesus, to get in the water, to be baptized, and to accept his grace and hope. . Last Sunday, SEVEN more people took that step!!! . Every week for the past 14 weeks we have seen at least one person come to Jesus. Most weeks it’s more like two, three, four… . Every time we turn around someone is finding hope. Experiencing community. Learning to live with purpose. . God is so good! Hope is real! Jesus is for all people! Including you! . If you are searching, if you’re hurting, if you’re curious, if you’re cautiously optimistic…if you’ve convinced yourself that Jesus is for everyone BUT YOU… I’m here to tell you he’s FOR YOU! . And if you’re looking for a church to try that is a safe place for you to figure things out, we have a place for you. Every Sunday, 9&11am as well as online. You’ll feel welcomed. Seen. Appreciated. Valued. Loved. . If you’ve been on the fence, maybe this is your nudge. Give it a try. You will be so glad you did! . #JesusForAllPeople #AllForTheOne (at First Christian Church - Canton) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqD4az5v9gX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Today has been one of our toughest and saddest days as we said goodbye to our Zoey. She’s been my dog for almost 13 years. . Our house is too quiet and already a little less hairy. Our home will never be the same. . Im so thankful for years of walks, fetch, rolling in the grass out in the sun, stealing food off of everyone’s plates when no one is looking, running up from behind and sticking her head between your legs just right so you can’t avoid her and fall over if you’re not ready for it, barking at anything and everything, and generally driving everyone crazy. . But man, did we love you, girl. Thanks for being such a good pup. You will be in our hearts forever. (at North Canton, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpqqF1IvIwN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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You are light. You are joy. You are goodness. You are love. You reflect Jesus in those ways, and many others. You make every day better. There are no words to describe how grateful I am for you. Happy Valentine’s Day… I love you! (at Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i) https://www.instagram.com/p/CopkOFNuEUE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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HEY, here's a late Saturday evening invitation for you. If you don't go to church, or haven't gone in a while, why not try it tomorrow? You don't have to dress up (unless you want to). I'm the pastor, I'll be preaching in jeans and a t-shirt, I do it all the time and they haven't kicked me out yet. You don't have to have your life figured out. You don't have to have your faith figured out. You don't have to clean yourself up first. You can belong before you believe. You can belong before you behave... ask our staff. You don't have to know "church" lingo...even if you do, we don't use it. We have a safe, clean, fun place for your kids. We have great coffee. You'll meet some of the friendliest people ever... I know, every church says that, but we mean it. You'll leave feeling encouraged, inspired, and better than you walked in. You'll hear that we are for you... we are. You'll hear that Jesus is for you... He is. We're a church that wants to help all people - including you - find hope, experience community, and live with purpose. It's a new year. Time for new beginnings. You might just find something you've been searching for. Tomorrow at First Christian Church - Canton we're starting a new teaching series called "START HERE". Through this series we'll present a handful of principles you can apply to your life - whether you don't follow Jesus, just started following Jesus, or have been following Jesus for years - that are guaranteed to help you grow in your faith, make your relationships with other people better, or if nothing else, shed some light on things in your life, make hurting things a little less painful and make broken things a little less broken. If you're in the Canton area, I'd love for you to be at one of our 9 or 11am on-campus services. If you're not, you can click to www.firstchristian.live at 9 or 11am to gather with our online crowd. If your life is great and there's no room for improvement, I'm super excited for you. If you're like most of us and you're hoping 2023 is a better year than 2022, I hope you'll join us tomorrow. I'm willing to bet you'll be glad you did. (at First Christian Church - Canton) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnI_lWZua2i/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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These are the best days of my life! (at Beech Creek Botanical Gardens and Nature Preserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfweKtIu3X3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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No clever caption, just posting because you’re beautiful and I love you. (at Churchill Downs) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwKFZDOLpA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Ya’ll, I have such an amazing update for those of you who have been praying for Sue. To recap, just a few weeks ago Sue had two heart attacks in less than a week. There’s no medical reason or explanation for her to have survived. But she fought, and many of you prayed. And today, I did a double take when I saw Sue and Mark walking through the lobby at church! She was back in the front row and man was it SO GOOD to her there with her family. If you ever wonder if prayer works, here’s proof! https://www.instagram.com/p/CfRrmSnOirJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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We got a happy kid! ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CfFcYJluwOt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Dinner on the beach in Aruba with my girl 😍 📷 @stevestantonphotography (at Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfDTtc9uuOA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Satan says you’re beyond hope. Jesus offers a second chance. Satan says you’re unloveable. Jesus loves you unconditionally. Satan says you are too far gone. Jesus rescues and restores. Satan steals, kills, and destroys. Jesus offers you life to the full. Satan makes promises he can’t keep. Jesus never fails. Satan offers you nothing but a grave. Jesus turns graves into gardens. Satan says your past defines you. Jesus says HIS GRACE defines you. The next time Satan reminds you of your history, remind him of his destiny! #HopeHasAName #JesusForAllPeople @fcccanton (at First Christian Church - Canton) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcgpLYAOxKa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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It’s 3pm, which means @josemedinaandassociates office just closed for the holiday weekend…which also means that @ashleymcloud’s last day on their team has come to an end. It’s a bittersweet day to say the least. Five years is a long time, but I have watched my wife grow and learn and totally crush her job and still be an incredible wife and mom all at the same time. And now for a season, she will be a wife and a mom…and a pastor’s wife…and a volunteer…and a hundred other things. I know her well enough to know that sitting around is the last thing she would ever do. Jose and JMA team, thank you for making Ashley feel like family for five incredible years! Thank you for giving her opportunities to grow and use her passion and skills to do something she has truly loved, with people she truly loves! I’m deeply grateful because watching her thrive has brought so much joy to both of us. Ashley, I’m thankful that we will be able to travel together. I’m thankful that you will get to make even more memories with each of the kids. I’m thankful for the ways God is going to use you in this next season because I know that whatever it is, you will crush it just like you always do when you put your mind and heart into something. I love you with all my heart. Thank you for loving me and our family. This new chapter will be different…but I can’t wait to jump into it together! https://www.instagram.com/p/CcYgjHWPwiF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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SHOW SOME LOVE: This past Sunday morning @fcccanton we took a minute to recognize and honor @kay_annreed and @jrkohler! For the past season, Kaylee has been our Communications Director and Jake has been our Graphic Designer and they have both done an AMAZING job helping us communicate the message that Jesus is for All People! Both are stepping away from their roles for different reasons - Kaylee isn’t leaving the area but she and her husband @reed.bw are about to welcome their new baby boy and she will be staying home for a while, and Jake and his wife @aubkohler are moving to Virginia to begin an exciting new journey following God’s calling on their family. While they will be missed as part of our staff team, they will always be part of our church family! Thank you both so much - we love you and we’re cheering you on as God works in your lives in these new seasons! (at First Christian Church - Canton) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTNr4nOFJr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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We'll be living out where the river bends Where the grass gets green and the highway ends Livin' easy Where it's you and me baby and the daffodils Kids growing up in the rolling hills And love will be enough for us (at Carrollton, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcRcXwLu860/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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This girl can’t wait for her little sister to be old enough to run around and play with her! (at Summit Mall) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcLo-zePAcV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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THANK YOU! Ashley and I have been so overwhelmed the past 24 hours with the number of messages we’ve received from so many of you offering encouragement, prayers, and support. Thank you so much for making us feel so loved and appreciated! We are incredibly humbled and grateful to be part of the @fcccanton family. We’re excited to get back to moving forward toward our vision of sharing the good news that Jesus is for all people with our community! The best is yet to come…and it’s all because of Jesus! (at First Christian Church - Canton) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb7_hUEucxg/?utm_medium=tumblr

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So many adventures together…so many more to come. I love doing life with you @ashleymcloud! https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYkgauuwlJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

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We got to celebrate @fcccanton this morning when Krystal got baptized and then turned right around and baptized her daughter Mya! So cool to see family take steps together! (at First Christian Church - Canton) https://www.instagram.com/p/CafmQSKv29S/?utm_medium=tumblr