Month: January 2020

Awaken Nashville!

On By Aaron AllisonIn CIL News, DevotionalLeave a comment

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On Sunday, CIL joined over 500 churches in the Nashville area for a time of prayer and fasting.   I am so encouraged by this multi-church cooperation across varying church traditions and expressions.

Joint fasting is not about adhering to one common practice, but it is about positioning hearts.  Everyone’s fast will look different since we have such a broad spectrum of individual experience, work schedules, family dynamics, and health concerns.   Fasting is not about what you do; it is about where you turn.   Let the Awaken Nashville initiative turn your heart to God and the needs of those around you.

Let’s enjoy this opportunity to feast on the Lord!

Roe vs. Wade is not the end

On By Aaron AllisonIn Abortion, Culture, Current Events, History5 Comments

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On January 22, we recognize the somber anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision to federally legalize abortion in 1973.  Though this is an important and consequential occurrence that should be acknowledged, it is not the linchpin of the pro-life movement like I once believed.

If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, as I hope it will be, abortions will still be legal in many states, and a vast portion of the United States population will yet have the choice to participate in an abortion.  While legal wrangling in our future will continue to go back and forth, one state at a time, it is the hearts of Americans that are in balance.

Abortion must be eliminated one heart at a time.  God, turn our hearts to the children.

CIL now means …

On By Aaron AllisonIn CIL NewsLeave a comment

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I want all my friends to know about this change at CIL.

We are still CIL, but now CIL stands for Christ is Love.

This change aligns us more with our mission, differentiates us from other churches nearby, and gives us a clear identity for future advancement.

We still will refer to ourselves as CIL or CIL Church.

I am excited about the future of CIL!

Day of Prayer on January 8, 2020

On By Aaron AllisonIn CIL NewsLeave a comment
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Hey guys!
 
Wednesday is the CIL Day of Prayer to start this new year.
The CIL sanctuary will be open from 7am – 4pm on January 8. We are adding a new component. We will have some live worship at these times:
 
7am –  Aubrey McGowan
12pm – Beth Allison and Abbey Allison
3pm – Tim Howard
 
Come to the sanctuary for any portion of the time you desire.
 
Realizing that many of you cannot physically be present in the sanctuary, you can sign up through Church Center to let us know you will participate on your own.
 
The link is:
 

Smell the Roses

On By Aaron AllisonIn DevotionalLeave a comment

This writing from the late Christian philosopher Dallas Willard is working on the unhealthy parts of my personality. Maybe it will speak to you, too:

“A popular saying is ‘Take time to smell the roses.’ What does this mean? To enjoy the rose it is necessary to focus on it and bring the rose as fully before our senses and mind as possible. To smell a rose you must get close, and you must linger. When we do so, we delight in it. We love it. Taking time to smell the roses leaves enduring impressions of a dear glory that, if sufficiently reengaged, can change the quality of our entire life.” – Dallas Willard

Don’t get caught in the January 1 trap

On By Aaron AllisonIn DevotionalLeave a comment

I am so glad I am friends with a God who does not put the pressure on me that I put on myself.

For as long as I can remember, January 1 was a day in which I imagined a new me.   While resolutions can be useful, they are often traps.  We set ourselves up for entanglement in discontentment, shame, and self-doubt.

I wish you a successful year, but know you are loved no matter the outcome.

“As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him …
from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him”Psalm 103:13, 17