e-news for week of 5/29/11

Thanks for all the great feedback connected to the past 9 months and the focus we’ve had as a ministry. God deserves our “Personal Best.” This should occur in our lives around the clock as we give our best to God in our homes, in our work, in our speech, in our finances, in our constant interactions with people. Our God is awesome and holy and we must give to Him our very best.

Here’s an excerpted message someone sent this week connected to our focus:

I have a friend that lives far away and I've kinda lost contact with (can you believe she's not on facebook???....gasp) and she's been on my mind so much lately....even dreaming about her constantly. I finally broke down and sent her an email, not even sure if it was her current/valid email. Anyway, I did just what you said....told her that I wasn't sure why, but she'd been on my heart a lot lately and I felt like I needed to be praying for her. She responded within 10 minutes and said that it'd brought tears to her eyes and that we "needed to talk". So, I'm praying that God will give me the right words when I talk to her about whatever it is.

Let me encourage you to start inviting families and friends to Vacation Bible School the week of June 12-16. As ever, it’s thrilling to be a part of a congregation that loves the Lord.

I also want to thank those who gave over and above toward the efforts in Joplin. Thanks to those who went way above and beyond in terms of taking supplies and helping. That community is in need of so much help. This will not be a quick fix. Currently you can go to the Heart of Missouri United way page and get information connected to service options. One person said this about what Dan Mitchell and the ministry, “The Bridge” is doing: “Joplin is blessed to have such a great person in place to help sort things out.” This is one of the ministries we will work with/through.

This Sunday we start “The Journey.” This sermon series will help all of us to dial in to God at work. Every one of us is part of the meta-narrative of redemption. From the moment humanity fell, God has actively pursued His creation in a redemptive way. We’ll focus in on Exodus 1 and 2 this Sunday if you want to read ahead. – Scott