God’s Part
“Each of us is a small part of God’s plan. I’m a small part. I create paintings that are used by God.” Thomas Kinkade We don’t all possess the same gifts. We are all blessed with a wide variety of talents and abilities. No one person can do it all, nor does one person need to take on the full weight of what must be done in God’s plans. If we bring all our God-given gifts together—all those gifts, big and small, —amazing things will take place.
Our Focus
To be successful one has to be devoted and focused on the desired results. Achievement is never gained haphazardly. True potential can only be realized with whole-hearted devotion, which requires passionate focus put into action. Devotion to God should drive our efforts. God is the only One who does not change with our feelings, circumstances or challenges. Plenty of people have a desire to do great things but they aren’t willing to pay the price to make it happen. Devotion requires a consistency of action that keeps one moving in the right direction. Action is proof of our devotion.
Our Relationships
The church is all about relationships. Life groups are just one way we can connect with a small group of believers and together with them, develop deep relationships with each other and grow closer to Jesus. It is easy, especially in a larger church, to get lost in the crowd. Being in a life group or getting involved in another ministry of the church allows us to develop these relationships and better equip us to share the love of Jesus with our world.
Our Service
God didn’t put us here alone. We have others to lean on, to depend on and to work with. One person’s strengths might be another’s weakness. That’s the way God made us. In His church, each person has special gifts so that every person can serve Him. The work of the church is better done together. God has created relationships between different Christians, so they show love towards each other. Their lives may be very different, but now, God has brought them together in their relationship with Christ. Together they belong to Christ.
Our Investment
As a child, do you remember saving your allowance to buy something incredibly important? As an adult, have you been saving for something–a new appliance or smart phone? Since this item is incredibly important to you, you may be giving up some “extras” in your life– like that Starbucks cup of coffee, a new outfit or new piece of sporting equipment. God may be nudging you to sacrifice so you can offer your best to Him on Celebration Sunday, November 18. Isn’t what He wants you to give far more important than what you might be saving for?
Our Story
Veteran’s Day focuses attention on our country’s history and the people who shaped it. We look back with humility, realizing our freedoms and opportunities are the result of soldiers and their families who made tremendous sacrifices. There is also great value in looking at our church history. While the story of the church goes back 2,000 years, our story began in 1877 in a home on W. Poplar Street. More recently, in 2013, another defining moment took place when we moved to our current campus. Looking back is humbling. Looking forward is exciting. Let’s Go!
Our Moment
The dictionary tells us that “celebration” means the action of marking one’s pleasure at an important event or occasion by engaging in enjoyable, typically social activity. Today is Celebration Sunday and as the definition explains–this is a time of joy, a time to be thankful and for our Let’s Go campaign, a time of coming together, to participate and share. We gather today to rejoice for the gifts we have been given and the wonderful work we will accomplish. On this day we gather to celebrate our big dreams and to witness the results of our prayers. Let’s Go!!
Pause
In a day and time when many people in our nation are most concerned with what they can attain and what they are “rightfully owed,” it is imperative we remember that EVERYTHING we have comes from God. All our resources are things God has given us to manage. We simply are to invest them in various ways to bring a return for God through love and compassion. During this period of Thanksgiving, let’s remember–we came into this world with nothing and will leave with nothing. Let’s be thankful for what we have and what we can share.