ARE YOU A SAVER OR A THROWER??? Depending what it is - when we’re cleaning and sorting and organizing, my husband and I are more opposites than not. In recent days, we have FINALLY gotten to the HUGE pile of papers and receipts and forms that needed desperately to be filed (from all year long, basically)! You know. You finally get to the point where everything else has to stop and that long-awaited project just HAS to be next on the agenda! It was actually quite interesting ~ like taking a journey through time, getting an overall look at what you’ve spent your money on – and where you’ve given it (the receipts), enjoying cards and notes just as much (or more!) the second time around, seeing the beginning/planning stages of projects for the new church (brochure, logo, community and mission outreach, and so much more!). Part of the organizing included my personal lists where many things were crossed off: accomplished, done, finished. But there were other things, also important: not crossed off, still waiting to be done. One thread ran through all those papers and receipts and notes and lists. For me, that made it more difficult to throw certain things away. The thread indicated God’s faithfulness. His divine favor. His miracles. His gifts. His leading. At times, I smiled at what I saw as I sorted. Other times my eyes glistened with tears as I reviewed hard places we’d been in and I recalled how God had brought us through. All I can say is that there is no god like our God! During our cleaning process, as I saw the discarded pile grow into a small mountain that to some degree recorded several years of our past – a part of me wanted to save it, to hang on to what it all “said”. But a bigger part of me knew that it was time to let go, to purge the old and make room for the new. I decided I would hold the meaningful pieces of the past close to my heart, and continue to learn from all God had taught me in those times of our lives. Learn, so that for today and tomorrow and every day after that, we can move into the places God wants to take us. Remembering what we’ve learned, we’ll be better equipped for each new mission God sends us on. That mission could be in our home. It could be in our workplace. It might even be in our church. Or it might send us next door to our neighbors – or to the hurting out on the streets. And often it might connect us to others who are serving the Lord here in our nation – or halfway around the world. Thinking of all God has planned for our todays and tomorrows made it much easier to set aside the “sentimental” feelings and get even more excited about what God has next on His agenda! Just what will that be? Well, we don’t know. But that’s the signature mark of our God. He doesn’t reveal all His plans at one time … He waits until the perfect time to let us in on what He has planned. He may show us just enough for the next hour. Sometimes He lets us in on plans for the day to come. Of course, we can never see the future, but He puts visions before our eyes, dreams in our hearts, and wisdom and knowledge to make it all happen! We were never meant to live in the dark. It’s like as parents, when we want to guide our children around the pitfalls that we see (and they don’t) … we’d love to have them understand what we know and see. But often it’s difficult to convince them, until they experience the challenges for themselves, and suddenly – they understand and see. That’s kind of a picture of God and us. He’d love to spare us from hurts and trials and obstacles because He knows how we can avoid them. But often we have to do it our way and only when we cannot avoid the tough stuff, then we finally “get it” – and wonder why we didn’t listen to God in the first place! Anyhow, after a bit of “saving” some of our records and keepsakes … and after tons of “throwing” old things away, we can better identify with the clear message in the first few verses of Hebrews, chapter 12. It says in part … “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith … “. In other words, God doesn’t want us “stuck in our yesterdays” of sin and failure … He wants us to move to the present and into the future He has written in our hearts. He has THE BEST planned for us; we’re His kids, after all. So, He’s just doing what’s best for us! That’s exactly what the scriptures say a few verses later. Go on, open your Bible to Hebrews 12, and read it for yourselves! Oh, and by the way … I am more “the saver” – and my hubby is more “the thrower”. So together ~ we make a great team! Just like Jesus and us: He saves us eternally, and we throw off the earthly things! What a great team we make in this life!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
- EACH SUNDAY, God blesses us with the newness and freshness of His Holy Spirit, and this Sunday was no exception! He proves Himself to us over and over in so many ways; how we praise His Name!
- A WARM WELCOME to Rogelio, who worshipped with our church family for the first time; it was great having you – we hope you were blessed!
- BIRTHDAY WISHES go out to: Trinitee and Laura! Have a fantastic year filled with God’s best!
- LOOKING AHEAD . . .
- THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH:
- 10:00 a.m. – WORSHIP & PRAISE – we hope you will come with great anticipation of blessing our Lord!
- 11:15 a.m. – SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES – great learning and sharing opportunities with others!
- 12:00 noon – ALL JR/SR HI YOUTH will be meeting for lunch right after church (bring your own money) and then will be finishing the last part of the deliveries for the Evangelism blitz. Thanks to all who participated on Tuesday evening; what a great response – and what beautiful weather God gave us! NOTE: this will take the place of youth on Tuesday evening for this week only; next week we’ll resume our regular schedule. Why not invite some friends to come along … we’re sowing seeds and praying for a great harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God! And YOU get to be a part of it!!!
- PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES . . .
- As always, the list of needs seems to be great – but we love it that we have even more to praise God for, so be sure to tell God “thank-you” for all He does!! On bended knee, lift these church friends before the Lord, that healing and answers might be claimed and received: Mary, Noah, Julia and her brother, Kathy, Guy, Sean, James, Jimmy, and the Bucholz family; our faithful supporters, and each one in the community who receives a packet sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ! May revival start in us and spread to others around us!
- THIS WEEK . . . Remember, “God makes a promise – faith believes it, hope anticipates it, patience quietly awaits it.” (Unknown) “Let all blessed old things stay, but let the clutter of our heads and hearts be removed, that new inspirations and new affections may come in to gladden our lives.” ~ (Chester Burge Emerson)
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
