Greetings,
It has been such a joy to see the sacrificial giving of our fellowship. Last week we asked for some help in getting new children’s ministry toys, and within one hour a huge portion of the list was purchased and people were asking how they could help in other ways. This last Sunday, I let you all know of a need within our fellowship and you all came to help in great ways. What a blessing it is to follow the Lord together! When we have a proper perspective of who God is and what is His, it becomes a real blessing to give.
Tangible gifts are great and demonstrate our heart and love for God and people. Although God gives tangible gifts, often in ways we never saw coming, He also seems to love giving intangible gifts. In John 14:25-27 (ESV) Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
What are some ways that Christ’s giving is different? He knew that He wasn't going to be physically present with the disciples much longer and He wanted them to have confidence that they could trust in His promise that He would always be with them. Jesus isn’t leaving them with a letter, pictures or a video reminding them of what they should do. He was leaving the Spirit of God to dwell within His followers and lead us to do amazing things for His kingdom.
His gift is the relational, long term, gift of the Holy Spirit and all that this entails. He was leaving peace, an intangible promise of peace in the midst of trouble. He left us with the reminder that He conquered death and that there is nothing to fear. In His gift, He solved the largest of all issues in our sinfulness and separation from God. His gift was unmerited, unimaginable and overwhelming. When He promised the Holy Spirit, He was faithful in following through. He didn’t ask for us to do anything in return as an act to earn our gift. By the very definition of the word “gift” there is nothing expected from the one receiving except to receive it. God gave us His one and only son so that we could be united with Him. What a glorious example of giving!
I long to be a person that gives without expectation. I want to instill in my children an example of what it looks like to be trustworthy by keeping my promises and liberal in my love for people so much so that giving, time, treasures and talents becomes a natural response. May we leave those that we interact with, with a deep and lasting peace. The peace of the gospel of Jesus.
Love ya,
Chris
Greetings,
This week I want to bring your focus to our children’s ministry. So, here is a message to all of us from Katie, one of our children’s ministry supervisors.
This past Sunday, we learned that our focus and priority as a church is to cultivate a culture of community. When I think about community, I think about family – A large group of people sitting down to eat together, laughing together, and even playing together. Community, to me, feels inviting. It feels warm and welcoming. I see people hugging and sharing things. It’s a safe and loving environment where we can learn from each other and grow together. In fact, this definition of community is exactly what I hope our Children’s Ministry space looks and feels like every Sunday.
I have had the pleasure of serving on the Children’s Ministry Leadership Team for about two years. I love the time I spend with the kids when I’m serving on Sunday mornings, and the behind the scenes work that takes place to make it happen. I especially love seeing my daughter grow up in our church and making friends that know her by name and run over to greet her. It is very special and I get quite sentimental about it. Children’s Ministry has buried its way into my heart and become a part of my life that I genuinely cherish.
I care a lot about our kids, which is why I want to make you aware of a need in this ministry. The past few years, the toys that our children play with on Sundays have reached the end of their life. Many have been thrown away because they were broken or were unsuitable for infants. Today, our collection is sparse and many of the toys that remain are parts of incomplete sets, or no longer turn on. In fact, only a handful of toys are played with regularly and are in good working condition. A complete toy replenishment is needed and would be such a blessing to our kids and those that visit our church. My hope is that in return, this will ignite a spark and be the start of a culture of community in the Children’s Ministry space that is cherished by those who gather.
Here’s the best part – You can help by shopping on Amazon! I put together an Amazon wish list of items I thought would help cultivate a culture of community and provide us with opportunities to teach our kids about that culture (i.e.: inviting someone into your home, having meals together, sharing, etc.). There are also items that I know the kids love playing with (the walking puppy, push cars, blocks, etc.) and some music makers to engage kids with the worship CD.
Creating the culture of community we are all striving for doesn’t start and stop at shiny new toys – We’ve got some work to do. But, this is a small step forward in coming together as a church and as a family to help a ministry in need and cultivate community. Please join me in contributing.
Children’s Ministry Amazon Wish List: http://a.co/hpRPJzS
With love and gratitude,
Katie Aguirre
You can ship the items to Katie (address will automatically be provided at checkout if you choose that option) or you can ship something to yourself and bring it with you to church. Let’s aim to purchase every item on this wish list before this next Sunday! I think we can do it.
Love ya,
Chris
Greetings,
Having measurable goals and vision for the future is great. It is good to set out to better ourselves, use our time more efficiently, and do a lot more good in the world. This time of year people are thinking about new beginnings and they are motivated to do life better this year than they did last year. We all want to grow in self control, time management and healthy living.
You most likely know someone that lives a seemingly great life. They inspire you to be more responsible, take better care of yourself, even live your live to the fullest. Ever wonder what it is that makes them so successful? It could be that they had better parents, enjoyed a more privileged upbringing, received better education or maybe they had a mentor that led them down a path of success. If we were to approach that person and ask them about someone they admire, I guarantee that they would have a lot to say. Even the most successful people see their own shortcomings and notice where others succeed more then they do. It is a wise person that looks at admirable people and tries to live in a similar fashion.
However, if we are looking at being like folks that are successful in the world's eyes, you can bet that they are not examples of what God values as successful. The measurements of success in this world we live in are drastically out of calibration with what God defines success to be.
We celebrate the celebrity for acting well, singing well, looking pretty or handsome, having money and making more money. The world claps for those that achieve notable achievements that the public deems successful. But God values the person who lives humbly and walks faithfully. The person to pattern your life after is the person that spends more time praying than playing. The person that delights themselves in the Lord rather than delighting themselves in the praise of people will receive far louder praise from God when we see Him face to face. So if you are going to resolve to be more successful this year, resolve to delight yourself more fully and completely in the Lord.
Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
May you be incredibly successful in that this year!
If you haven't been to a Sunday morning gathering for a bit and you are looking to reconnect or looking to catch the excitement and vision of Way of Life, don't miss out this Sunday. It is our annual state of our fellowship sermon. We will be getting back on track with our sermon series on 2nd Corinthians. Join us as we grow together and move forward!
Love ya,
Chris