Dear Family,
- The New Year is off and running. This past Wednesday night the Ecclesiastes class and Pastor’s Class started with over 160 between the two classes! It is not too late to jump into either of the classes. We always have room!
- The JUMPIN’ JANUARY PARTY is this weekend as we start three services (Saturday 6 pm, Sunday 9 am and 10:50 am). We will eat, eat and eat. Frito Chili Pie on Saturday night and after the 10:50 a.m. service then donuts after the early service Sunday morning. Some are going for a triple play.
- Are you in a small group? Small groups are the way we grow, encourage, serve, care for, and seek God’s wisdom for life. I met with a woman yesterday who has no family, no relatives, and has suffered abuse, hardship, financial struggles, health issues and sorrow upon sorrow. Yet, when I asked if she was in a small group she beamed like a small child walking through the gates of Disney. Her joy, her rest, her healing has come through her small group. It is not like a family for her—it is her family. January is the time to jump in! Come on in the water is fine! Sign up this weekend or right now.
- What happened after Jesus ascended to his throne? The Romans ruled Palestine, the Temple was destroyed, the Apostles were killed, Constantine was converted, the Edict of Milan, the Council of Nicea, Christians faced persecution, early doctrines were formed, and the gospel spread. Church history happened! Church history is full of heroes, adventure, courage, failure, martyrs, theological debate, architecture, great hymns, servants, fools, and the triumph of God’s grace. Church History Class begins Wednesday, February 20 at 6:30 p. m. Florida Room.
- The sermon I preached last weekend was born out of my failure to make progress in the gospel. My New Year’s resolutions are usually frustrating, confusing and discouraging, because I always seem to set them from a “my kingdom come” perspective. I am asking God this year, to help me live by faith and not live by my determination to control my world. Here is a quote I did not use in the sermon. I hope you don’t mind leftovers. It speaks to “why” I struggle to pray “Thy Kingdom Come.”---“The really unbearable thing for us is grace…. It is exactly the opposite of everything our religious sentiments are looking for…. We do not want grace…. It does not satisfy religious needs…. We are possessed by an obsessional desire to justify ourselves, to declare that we are righteous, to be righteous in our own eyes, to seem to be righteous in the eyes of others…. Saying that God loves us grants us no reassurance. We would prefer it if he gave us fifty things to do, so that when we had done them, we could be at peace. We do not want an ongoing relationship with God. We prefer a rule. We prefer being our own ruler.” Jacques Ellul
- We lost a dear member of our church this week. A memorial service for Gwen Mason will be held this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in our sanctuary.
- This weekend Ray begins preaching on one of the most talked about, written about and challenging portions of Scripture: The Sermon on the Mount. Come hungry!
See you this weekend,
Adam
