Imagine Church Family,

Operation Andrew is almost here.

From March 30-April 3, we are setting aside five intentional days for outreach. This is more than an event. It’s a decision.

Many of you have been praying faithfully for specific people in your life. Friends. Family. Coworkers. Neighbors.

Now, decide. I know you want to do it. The question is, will you? Will we?

Decide that before Resurrection Sunday, April 5, you will share Christ with the people on your list. Remember, we are called to “share the good news of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leave the results to God.”

Decide that this season you will take a bold step of faith to ramp up your evangelistic efforts, praying intentionally, building relationships, inviting people to church, and clearly sharing the gospel.

What Are We Doing That Week?

We will be actively engaging our community Monday, March 28 through Friday, April 3, from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM each day.

We have a small team joining us from Compassion International, led by Shara Cowen. I’ll be serving alongside them — and you can too. I strongly encourage you to carve out time, even if it’s just a few hours, to participate.

What Will Outreach Look Like?

Here’s what we’ll be doing:

• Setting up a table at the Dollar Store to share the gospel.
• Walking the Pods twice (Monday and Friday).
• Visiting laundromats in Granbury and Godley to pay for people’s laundry and start conversations.
• Going into the neighborhood around our church.
• Reaching neighborhoods around Cresson.

But hear this clearly:

Our primary focus is on the people you’ve been praying for. Your family, neighbors, and co-workers. You may not get them to where you want them, but you will never get further until you start trying. If you have not started and feel behind, don’t worry about it. Start now.

If someone on your list has questions, wants to talk, or is ready to hear the gospel, our team will respond. We will meet for coffee. We will buy lattes and talk about life. We will listen well. We will care deeply.

• We will not manipulate.
• We will not pressure.
• We will always leave room for future ministry.

This is what good outreach looks like — truth and love together.

Action Steps

1. Decide now that you will share Christ with the people on your prayer list. Get your plan to invite to church and Christ.
2. Schedule specific times to join us during outreach week. Or create a space in your own life to get a project going.
3. Reach out if you’d like someone from our team to join you in a gospel conversation.
4. Pray daily for boldness and open doors.

Invite your people to Resurrection Sunday.

• Let’s believe God for salvations.
• Let’s believe for restored families.
• Let’s believe for stories that will only be written because we stepped out in obedience.

The harvest is ready.

Let’s go!

Alan

Dear Imagine Church Family,

We’re excited to share some great news about an important improvement to our building in Cresson. After thinking it through, our leadership team has decided to install new heating and air conditioning units in both of our buildings. Our present A/C on the auditorium side is 20 years old. It’s on its last leg. We don’t want to wait too long. The unit on the kids’ side requires natural gas to heat. We want to get away from natural gas on our campus. This upgrade will create a more comfortable, welcoming, and safe environment for worship, ministry, and other gatherings throughout the year. 

The total cost for both systems will be approximately $24,000. To make this investment possible, we will be financing a portion of the amount so we can get it done in mid-November. But our goal is to pay it off quickly through special giving from our church family. 

Please consider partnering with us in this effort. Every gift, large or small, will help us move forward together. Let’s ask the Lord to give us favor in giving. 

You can contribute toward the “A/C Project” through the same giving options you already use – online, in person during Sunday services, or by mailing your donation to the church office:

Imagine Church
1200 Weatherford HWY
Granbury, TX, 76048.

Please mark your special offering “A/C Project.” (Yes, our mailing address is at GBC)

As 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” We trust that God will bless our collective generosity to make this project a success.

Thank you for your continued faithfulness and generosity. Together, we’re not only maintaining our facilities; we’re creating spaces where people can experience the love and presence of Jesus.

Pray first. Listen for the Lord. Do what he says. Let’s ask the Lord to do more than we can IMAGINE!
Eph. 3:20-21

Alan Stoddard
Lead Pastor
Imagine Church

Exciting Update: Preaching from the NASB 2020

I’m excited to share an update with our Imagine Church family about something close to my heart -> God’s Word. Last Sunday, I started using the New American Standard Bible (NASB) 2020 edition as my primary preaching translation. I have used the ESV for 20 years. I’m making a change.

Why the NASB 2020?

The NASB has long been known as one of the most accurate, literal translations of the Bible in English, carefully following the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The 2020 update continues that literal tradition but makes it more readable without sacrificing accuracy.

This means:

• Literal Translation: The NASB keeps a word-for-word approach so we can study closely what the original languages say.

• Readability: The 2020 update smooths out awkward phrasings and clarifies meaning, making it more accessible for both lifelong believers and those new to Scripture.

• Faithfulness: It retains theological precision while bringing clearer expression in modern English.

Personally, I’ve found that the NASB 2020 lets me enjoy a literal translation that happened within the last five years. The 1995 version was so literal that it was wooden when read. It’s an excellent bridge between study and proclamation.

No Expectation to Change Your Bible

While I am making this change for preaching, I want to be very clear -> I am not expecting anyone else to switch their translation. Many of you have Bibles you love and have been using for years, and I encourage you to keep reading the translation that helps you engage with God’s Word most deeply. Whether you read the ESV, NIV, KJV, CSB, or another, my prayer is that each of us continues to love the Scriptures and let them shape our lives.

Loving God’s Word Together at Imagine

Our highest priority is not the name on the cover of our Bible, but the truth inside its pages. All faithful translations point us to the same living God, the same gospel, and the same hope in Jesus Christ.

Soon, I will have some NASB 2020 paper options for you at the building.

Psalm 119:105 reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

My desire is that no matter what translation you use, you will treasure the light of God’s Word and let it shine in your everyday life. You can use the NASB 2020 for free in the YouVersion App.

Love you all,

Pastor Alan

The vision at Imagine Church: Our passion is glorify God by making disciples of all nations.

“Glorify God” = “we honor God with all of our lives; we live a lifestyle of worship.”

“making disciples” = “we participate in small group community (Life Groups, Men’s Bible Study, Women’s Bible Study) for the purpose of growing together in the Lord.”

“of all nations” = “no matter of color, social status, nationality, hurts, habits, hang-ups, etc.”

I want to encourage every one of you to find a group to be a part of for an 8 week period of time starting the week of September 14. Here are links to 5 groups for you to choose from. I’m am so excited about the possibilities of discipleship through small groups. I know your time is precious. I encourage you make time, once a week, to get in a group.

If you have kids, Greg and Meredith’s group is a group where you can bring your kids. We are thinking about what we will do with kids on Wednesday nights in the days ahead. Until we figure it out, and hear from the Lord, I encourage those with kids to check out the Granbury Central Life Group.

Joe and Carla

MY Your Story -> MANUSCRIPT 

————-Let me tell you my story. Before I met the Lord, three things described my life.

I grew up in Florida. I was born in Southern California and moved to Virginia Beach with my mom. She remarried, and we moved to Jacksonville, Florida. I grew up in a beach culture. I was from a middle-class home. I wanted for nothing.

I chose binge partying at around 15. It was a gradual thing. I started drinking some. Then I started smoking weed. Then I tried LSD. Before long, there was not much I had not tried. I would drink and drive. How I never received a DWI is beyond me. God was looking out for me. Drugs led to sexual immorality. I was a liar. I was very self-centered. I was out of control. I had no purpose. My life was meaningless. I moved to Texas after graduating high school. I play in a country band with my Dad. That ran dry. A year later, I moved back to Florida. I moved to Fort Pierce. I worked for the Parks Department for a year. I was still partying hard. Very hard. All of this culminated in me being homeless for a few weeks. It was then that I realized how lonely and purposeless I was in life.

I moved back to Jacksonville on January 1, 1984. I joined the Army on January 24, 1985. 

I found some immediate purpose in the Army. I was still partying, but it was limited now because of the discipline required in the Army. 

This is how I came to know Jesus Christ. 

In 1987, I met my wife Jeana on a blind date in Germany. I was way from God, but she was a believer in Jesus Christ. So I was confronted by an 8-year history of partying and rebelling against God, with the love of God itself. I did not know what to do. I realized I needed to change. The realization of the need for change in my life came from the godly example of Jeana. She never judged me. She just loved me. She became my friend, and it was then that I realized I loved her. So I proposed to her. 

Jeana and I got married in 1988 in Arizona. We lived in El Paso. After a few months of going to church and being exposed to Jesus’ love. I was in church in Arizona where we were visiting Jeana’s mom and dad. I was sitting in church one morning and the lid came off of the word, the love of God. I sat in a church service with 150 people in it and realized God loved me. I did not think I could be forgiven for the things I had done. It is as if God was saying, “Stop making excuses; I will forgive you if you will believe right now.” I remember praying, “Lord I believe (Eph. 2:8-9) You died for my sins, were buried, and rose again three days later” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). I repented of my sins and believed the gospel (Mark 1:15).  

I moved from the natural person to the spiritual person in a moment. 

My story after is simple. Jesus changed my life.

Jesus set me free from my past. I not longer live with guilt or enslaved to the wrong things. Great purpose came to my life. I now live for God. Peace came in my soul. I do not worry about eternity. 

Now that is what the good news that moves me from the natural to the spiritual person. 

Do you have a story like that?

Made for More
August Prayer Guide

4

Your Story

Praise God for how He has blessed you. For who you are in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17

5

God’s Story

Review the gospel today. Say it out loud and praise God for it.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4

6

Three Open Prayer

Pray the 3 open prayer: open door, open mouth, open heart.
Colossians 4:2-4

7

Outline Your Story

Ask the Lord to show you the outline for “your story.” Write it out.
Acts 9, 22, 26

8

Local Harvest

Pray, “Lord, fill us with love for those who don’t know You.”
Galatians 5:14

What about Saturday and Sunday?
You will know what to do on the week as you pray through the week.

11

Your Design

Ask the Lord to reveal your spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:7

12

Provision

“Remind us that You are the Provider of all things.”
Philippians 4:6-7

13

Gifts & Testimonies

“Make us known for loving one another. Help us use our spiritual gifts to love others.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3;
John 13:34-35

14

Write Down Your Gifts

Where would you like to serve? Ask the Lord.
Ephesians 4:12

15

Great Commission

“Reveal the Judeas and Samarias to which we are to invest.”
Acts 1:8

How should you pray in the weekend? What’s the Lord saying to you?

18

Wisdom for Leaders

“Liberally grant Your wisdom to Imagine and our leaders.”
James 1:5

19

Relationships

“Help us to relate like You Lord.” Authentic relationships.
Luke 15:1-2
Mark 3:13-15

20

Thirst for the Word

“Remind us constantly that Your Word satisfies completely.”
John 4:13-14

21

Passion for Cresson

“Give us a heart for Cresson, Godly, and Granbury.”
Acts 1:8

22

Global Missions

“Strengthen our global impact.”
Matthew 28:19-20

Imagine Fam,

I want to give you another heads up and further insight in to a brief series we will engage during the Month of August. No, we are not changing course on the Gospel of John.  We will pick our series in John on August 31.

We will offer a series called “MADE FOR MORE.” This 4 week series is an equipping series to help you ignite the purpose of the gospel and Great Commission in your life. The themes each week are below. Will you pray for this series? Ask the Lord to give you an open heart as to what He wants to do in you, in us, and then through us, to Cresson and the world.

August 2025 plan

3 – “ your story” – in this week I will teach you how to share your story so you can share His story. Why don’t we share the gospel like we desire? What are the barriers? How do we overcome those barriers? There’s something about hearing someones “story” that values the person. Have you noticed the interviews we have done in worship since we planted Imagine on April 20? Those are not by accident.

10 – “designed to serve” – This will be a teaching on spiritual gifts, calling, and where to plug-in in ministry. The big idea for this message is, “You are created on purpose and designed to fulfill that purpose.”

17- “authentic relationship” – Pastor Chris Hunt will teach this Sunday. And he’s going to teach on the value of being able to be real. The priority of relationships with the Lord and with other people is why Imagine Church exists. We have a saying in the Calvary Chapel world: “grace changes everything” (Chuck Smith). We must learn to live with grace without compromising the truth.

24 – “Discover Imagine” – In In this message I will teach on who we are as a Calvary Chapel fellowship. What is the uniqueness of Imagine as a Calvary Chapel? Discover Imagine will be the front door event we offer to those desiring to make Imagine their home church.

One might ask, “Why not do classes on those topics?” That’s a good question. The answer is “because I want to equip as many people as possible.” Sunday morning is the best place to start. In the future, these will be classes.

Our most important ministry is “prayer.” It’s also the hardest ministry. It’s a ministry that every member joins when we become followers of Jesus. I want to encourage you to ramp up your activity in prayer.

We need a closet. Jesus said, “Go into your closet.” It’s “room” (Matt. 6:6). We need a place of prayer.

I recently started a new prayer list. I have a few throughout my years. There are names of people who have come the Christ, returned to Christ, and flourished in Christ. It had been a long time since I used a prayer list. I’m keeping it in the front of my Bible right now, but I will transfer that list to a small journal soon. I’ll add names to it. It’s my closet. My place of prayer. I can pull it out at any time and intercede to God on behalf of people on that list.

We not only need a closet, but we also need to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). We usually default to this one. It’s easier to pray on the go. We usually don’t pray as much as we say we do. I want to encourage you to use a prayer list to ask the Lord to do more (Eph. 3:20-21) than you can imagine. If you use that list, you will then remember it on the go. It will create a prayer pattern from the closet to the world you live in each day.

Can I give you a few suggestions for prayer?

1. Watch the movie “War Room” if you have not yet watched it. Even if you have watched it, watch it again. Do what the Spirit prompts you to do to pray more.

2. Make a list of names whom you can pray for the come to know Christ.

3. Ask the Lord about your time with Him. What’s it looking like? In a culture of scrolling, we need to stop and spend time with God.

4. Pray during our worship gathering. As you worship, that’s prayer in song. As you listen to the word taught and the gospel preached, pray with expectancy that God will move.

We need God to move in our area. We need to know when and where to reach out. We need revival and awakening “before He comes.”