February 1, 2013
Dear Fam,
- Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" This is the theme verse for our MORE vision campaign. The campaign kicks off with vision gatherings over the next two weeks. I'm speaking in every small group (yes, via video as there are about 50 small groups) and telling the story of where God is leading us as a church. There are just certain times in the life of a church where you sense God is up to something. Not only is attendance up on weekends, but so is the joy and passion in worship. The Pastor's Class is going great -- it's a sweet group. There are over 100 people in Ecclesiastes class, Celebrate Recovery is thriving, MOPS and Teen MOPS are fruitful, student ministry is experiencing a new beginning and SRCS test scores are amazing. It's a delight to be a pastor at this place!
- Dana James gave the "State of the School" address Tuesday night to a great crowd of school parents. I had been at meetings in Orlando all day and was exhausted so didn't plan to stay long, but it was riveting and I couldn't leave. Here's a link if you want to listen. I would beg every parent of school age children to glean from the wisdom Dana shared.
- Last weekend's funeral for Julie Sineus was moving. Her oldest son (of six children), Markindy, sang, "Be Still My Soul." I was sobbing halfway through the first stanza. The life of a church family is filled with powerful moments and this was certainly one of them.
- Civil discourse is growing more scarce in our culture. Here's an example of a Christian forging a loving relationship with an atheist opponent, a very noted one at that, Christopher Hitchens. A great story of what Jesus told us to do in the Sermon on the Mount--love those who oppose us.
- Here's an excerpt from a recent post I read that contains great counsel. "In the fall of 2000, doctors diagnosed Pastor Ed Dobson with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), an incurable and fatal disease. The doctors gave him two to five years to live and predicted that he would spend most of that time in a disabled condition. Shortly after he was diagnosed, Ed wanted someone to anoint him with oil and pray for healing. And he wanted someone to pray who really believed in healing. So Ed invited a pastor to come over and pray for him. Here's how Ed described what happened: It was one of the most moving evenings of my entire life. He began by telling stories of people he had prayed for who were miraculously healed. He also told stories about people he had prayed for who were not healed and had passed away, receiving that ultimate and final healing. Before he prayed for me he gave me some advice. "Don't become obsessed with getting healed, Ed," he said. "If you get obsessed [with getting healed], you will lose your focus. Get lost in the wonder of God, and who knows what he will do for you."
This weekend in worship, we'll get lost in the wonder of God. We'll study together Matthew 5:27-30, what Jesus had to say on lust. It's funny -- nobody falls asleep when the sermon is on sex. I'll see you in worship this weekend - wide awake!
Love,
Ray
