LAVISH! I absolutely LOVE that word! Especially since I (Debbie) have personally experienced it this past week while on vacation to be with our family and friends in Nebraska, North Dakota, and Minnesota! Of course, the time always goes by WAY too fast!!! I know you know what I’m talking about! Cancelled were the deadlines, the shifts of work, the projects, the long hours … and in their place, I was lavished with treasures of looking around and seeing the precious faces of grandchildren, children, my Mom, siblings, and friends: those I love so much! I was gifted with smiles and hugs and all kinds of tender moments from their hearts to mine! God first lavished His love on me with the miracle provision for the trip from our young son and his wife – so that I could come for our youngest grandchild’s first birthday (that was the longing of my heart!). Then, my husband’s mom was cleared by the doctor following recent surgery to make the trip with me – yet another miracle! Fun moments, playing with our little grandsons indoors and outdoors, relaxing moments, capturing special memories in photos, celebrating, laughing, crying during long talks into the middle of the night about Jesus and how wondrous He is as He works in us and on us and through us, generous ministry support being sent home with me towards our work with Elevation North, being blessed with glorious sunshine (when none was forecast for several days!), enjoying time on the road with my mom-in-love, hearing my 85 year old mom touch Heaven with her prayers on my behalf, seeing the look of pure surprise on our youngest granddaughter’s face when she turned and saw me standing right next to her ~ (priceless, indeed!), seeing how teenage grandsons are being transformed into young men, and daily calls back and forth with my sweet, incredible husband who stayed home to hold down the fort and work all those jobs! And there was SO much more, I couldn’t begin to fit it all in this limited space! But amazingly, my heart expands large enough to hold it all … and still has room to hold more! Deuteronomy 28:2 says, “All these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee.” The Message Bible describes it this way: “All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you.” But the verse does go on to say, “because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God.” The entire first part of the chapter is devoted to telling us what God expects of us, (listening and obeying) and then the blessings that will be lavished on us are included in a long list! I heartily recommend that you turn to that chapter and read it to see how and where God wants to bless you! And not just bless you ~ but LAVISHLY bless you!!! So, I have literally been overtaken this week with precious blessings far beyond measure! And just know that while I was gone, I was praying for God’s best for YOU, too!
WHILE I DID NOT get to sit in the worship service with all of you at Elevation North on Sunday, I was so blessed to be able to worship with our youngest son and his family at their church in Scottsbluff, NE ~ and loved seeing how God is using Dustin as he plays guitar with the worship team there! Back home, Pastor D was continuing to preach from the Word in John chapter 1 ~ challenging and encouraging our church family to experience the power of the Word of God … cultivating a deeper hunger and desire for time in the Word … loving that “one-on-one” time with God! Updating the church blog long-distance this week, I do not have all the details for this upcoming Sunday’s message ~ but we encourage you to come and meet with God and His people in the House of the Lord … you won’t be disappointed!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
- WITH THE ARRIVAL OF SUMMER - be watching for changes in the youth schedules! We will still plan events and time together each month for the purpose of experiencing great times with God and with each other – but we also want you to have more free time and more family time this summer!
UPCOMING MINISTRIES FOR JUNE . . .
-COUPLES EVENT hosted by Pastor Doug and Debbie
-EVANGELISM OUTREACH BLITZ with our new church brochures and Invitation CD’s
-NEW OPPORTUNITIES to bless others
-CHURCH LEADERSHIP planning session/prayer focus
- WHILE ON THE CHURCH BLOG, be sure to take advantage of clicking on the ministry links for extra resources of hope and encouragement and learning!
- NEXT WEEK we will be listing our church graduates … be sure to congratulate them and uphold them in prayer as they begin their future!
- DAILY PRAY for our nation, our leaders, our pastors, our military … that God will hear our prayers and bring us back to the place He longs for us to be! Let’s be activated in our personal desire to see God working in our midst – and of course, it begins with US!
- UNSPOKEN PRAYER REQUESTS that are urgent should draw us to our knees, seeking God for the needed miracles and victories that are so desperately needed! Pray with us: God’s Word tells us that where two or three are gathered in His Name, He is there in the midst of us!
- PLAN TO JOIN US IN GOD’S HOUSE ON SUNDAY . . . let’s make our time of worship – a worship service that God wants to come to! Even more important than inviting others to church – is inviting God’s presence to be with us … that we might honor Him and include Him in every part of our worship! Our desire is that you will FEEL Him here and KNOW that He is here with us, and that HE will be the center of our focus and praise! Come thirsty so you can drink in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ … and come hungry so you can feast on the Word! Come ready to have God’s love lavished on YOU! See you on Sunday!!!
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
