PastorGr@m

Have you had friends from the community comment on the construction project underway on 27th? I find it affords an opportunity to speak, not so much about facilities, but about trusting Him for the future. People naturally tend to focus on the external and the physical, since we're made of flesh; the challenge is to be rejoicing in what God wants to do through or by means of the physical to touch and impact lives for eternity. I want to be on the same page as God, flowing and rejoicing in what He is up to. How about you?

I've mentioned before that you're invited to Sunday afternoon's Christianity 201: Moving on to Maturity. It takes place 2:00-6:00 pm (at the latest). In it I'll be sharing nuts and bolts stuff I've found helpful for cultivating a walk with God, especially with regard to use of Bible and prayer. There's also Youth and Family Advent stuff going on Sunday afternoon. Check your Binary for details

It's been refreshing to have a bit of moisture in the air; the paper says we're behind our normal amount of precipitation for this far along in the year..."showers of blessing" is the way I like to think of it.

An observation: Life is made up of a perplexing mixture of ups and downs. What a privilege to walk together with people, sharing the joy of those "up" times and sharing together in "down" times of disappointment and loss. We are the body of Christ. We are to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep". (See Rom. 12:15.) I've pretty much given up on being an "answer man" -- there's just too much about God's inscrutable workings and ways that is hidden from us. He is, after all, God, and so much of life is, finally, His business. But I want to rejoice in all that God has revealed about Himself. He is good and good all the time. We just don't see evidence of that all the time. We walk by faith, not by sight.

Here's something to think about from The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson:

"Steve Sjogren's Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati sees hundreds of people come to Christ every year. Every Saturday morning the people of the church set aside a couple of hours to do simple acts of service to the community...things that anyone can do. They give free car washes in the summer, wrap Christmas presents at the mall, and do scores of other service projects in between. ...Frequently, between Sunday morning services, one of the pastors will grab a bag of groceries and a new Christian and deliver the groceries to a family in the community. Service is a way of life at Vineyard. When people are served and loved and they see good deeds, they are more apt to want to hear the good news behind it. Good works create enormous curiosity that begs to be satisfied with deeper understanding and conversations about spiritual matters. For many peoeple, being on the receiving end of good deeds is often their introduction to the church." (p. 119)