Orange Sunday

WOW!!!! What a day!! Our third Orange Sunday may have been the best one yet. If you missed it, I'm not sure how else to explain what happened except to say God blessed us with His presence and families were inspired to pass along the stories of God's provisions, especially that of a Saviour, to the next generation. We witnessed 24 families come forward to dedicate their child/children to the Lord and commit to raising them up in the faith....making the home the place where spiritual growth and biblical grounding takes place. Congratulations to all who made that commitment. Know that as a church, we stand committed to help you as you take your role as spiritual leader in your family to fulfill what Moses instructed:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. Write them down, and tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Easter Sunday this week. It is going to be the best Sunday ever!! Invite a friend, neighbor or family member to join you as we will worship and celebrate the Risen King!!

RUT OR RELEVANCE

This week, Pastor Tom's message speaks to vocation and attitude in our day to day jobs or responsibilities. To often we lose sight of the fact that God has us uniquely positioned to accomplish His will in His Kingdom. Thursday evening, our small group watched a talk by Andy Stanley entitled 'He STILL has the whole world in His Hand". Do we live each day in that assurance? And is that belief supported in our words and actions on Monday through Friday?

Many times we fall into "the rut"...the day to day things that turn our jobs and responsibilities into nothing more than routine. A means to a paycheck.

What if we believed that every interaction with someone else was God-appointed? That God Himself was who we were working for and our responsibilities were a direct reflection of Him? Would it change our attitude or how we went about our business?

God's purpose for our lives is always one of relevance. He hasn't given you today just to make it through it. He doesn't have you at Wal Mart just to get that bar of soap or gallon of milk. You're not working along side a fellow employee just to earn a living. It is a God appointment and how you treat your assignment will determine your understanding of The Blessed Life for which He has created you. See you Sunday! It is going to be the BEST one yet!!

Our Bodies are God's Temples

Chris and I got to sit in the hospital for a couple of days this week. Bradley had some scary symptoms and was really sick so at 1 AM Thursday morning we were off to the Emergency Room. He is home now and recuperating. (BTW-We appreciate all the prayers, texts, visits and calls that we received. We love our church family and you displayed your love for us. Thx!!)

But after multiple tests and 36 hours of observation, there really are no definite reasons he experienced the pain and symptoms he did. The doctor's parting words were "we may never know what caused this but he looks to be getting over it".

As I reflect on those words, it is clear that God's design for our bodies is so amazing. Brad no doubt was sick and somewhere in his body was a severe infection. His white blood cell count on the first check was 23000. Normal, we were told, is between 700 and 1100. Recalling from my high school and college educational years (yes, back in the day...) the body uses white blood cells (wbc) to fight infection and produces them on a need basis. The body was treating itself.

One of Tom's points in his message this week is taking care of the body through rest and down time. The time Brad spent in a hospital bed allowed his body the healing time it needed to take care of itself. God's amazing design worked and it took about 36 hours or so of down time and rest to let it do what it does.

This week as we look at the physical side of the BLESSED LIFE, know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and if we take care of it and treat it as God desires of us, it will last us for as long as is needed... until He calls us home.

What do you need to pay attention to starting this week to care for your body? It's speaking to you. Are you listening?

RENDER TO CAESAR...

Have you finished your taxes yet? I decided to "get a jump" on mine this year and today would be the day. It isn't one of my most favorite things to do but it has to be done, so.....

As is my habit, I started the day with some bible reading, first some Old Testament and then some New, occasionally throwing in a Psalm or Proverb. Well as luck (sure!) would have it, I am starting Deuteronomy and it begins where Moses is recapping for the people where they have been. As I read, it was clear that God "gave" them everything... every victory and every provision, every piece of land, EVERYTHING. And yet they still did not trust God.

Next was the New Testament where I am in Mark. Today's reading was chapter 12. Jesus was questioned about paying a "poll-tax" to Caesar. To answer, He asked for a denarius (a coin) and inquired as to whose inscription they saw. Of course, it was Caesar's. And the response grabbed me. "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's".

Now Moses was quite clear to the Israelites that all they had came from God and every good Pharisee in Jesus' time would have known that story from Moses. So when Jesus directs them to give to Caesar all that is his, what exactly was he going to get?

I'll get my taxes finished and "pay up" what I am asked. But today, I am reminded that nothing I possess is mine and Jesus says, "render....to God the things that are God's." I'm still learning how to live "the Blessed life". What about you?