Dear Worshippers,
Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week? I begin making preparations for Christmas productions in August or September, but every year it seems to come at me faster and faster. Does anyone else ever experience anything like that?
The fact that it’s beginning to sound and look like Christmas fills our hearts with a flood of emotions: excitement over the celebration of the birth of our Lord, mingled in with expectations, obligations, and over commitments. Underneath or behind all that is the real meaning of Christmas. The meaning that causes us to rejoice. It’s a lovely time, but also a hectic time.
The reality is that 3 weeks from Sunday our Christmas production will occur. Only a little over 3 weeks remain for you to invite someone to attend. They will hear the story of Christ’s birth woven together with a contemporary parallel that will bring the mystery of the Incarnation down to an accessible level. It’s a ready made “slow pitch.”
We have even written and provided the invitations for you. The only thing left for you to do is invite. But many people will not even do that. Why? Fear or rejection. Fear of the unknown. Fear.
Don’t be afraid! There is likely someone in your life that is desperate to hear that Jesus is not just the name of that baby in the manger, but also the name that holds the answers to the deepest longings in their souls. Don’t keep that powerful truth to yourself.
Take an invitation and write a simple note inside. For example, “This is an annual event in our church when we remember what all the fuss is really about this time of year. Will you take an hour out of your schedule to come with me [us] and enjoy some while thinking about that? I would be honored if you would join us for this. I’ll even pick you up! Let me know.”
Obviously, you should personalize your note, but you get the idea. Make it a personal invitation. Reach out with the love of Christ to those people maybe only you can reach. You will not be sorry.
Jesus, we know You are the reason for the this upcoming celebration, but many do not. Give us the courage to reach out to them with Your love so they too will realize there is no name like Yours.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Fear Not
Dear Worshippers,
This has always been one of my favorite commands in Scripture. What Pastor Myron preached on Sunday solidified its place for me even more so! Did you catch how many times that command appears? I think God wanted us to hear it!
Countless times over my years of ministry I have said something like, “If we could simply grasp and live out one truth it would revolutionize our impact on the world around us.” That is certainly true of this simple statement.
The AdventureTruth was stated like this: His courage is mine. What an encouragement! Maybe you need to be reminded of that today. Maybe you need to remind someone else.
The song I sang at the end of the service captured this encouragement very well. [Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns, video follows short commercial, “Wait for it”] Particularly powerful to me was that little line, “I barely hear you whisper through the rain, ‘I’m with you”’. Jesus is saying to each of us He is with us. Let us take courage from that for whatever we face. Let us find His certainty in the midst of our uncertainty.
That’s what I did as we prepared for the launch of this new format. Believing that Jesus was asking us to step out of the boat and come to him, we resolved to follow him, no matter the sacrifice. The services Sunday were a blessing to me and I hope to you as well. I found myself thinking about Jesus, rather than music. I want to keep going there. Will you go with me?
In this adventure that is the life of faith in Jesus, we should learn very early on that we must keep our eyes on Jesus, looking to the place where He is calling us to go. When we get our eyes off Him, when we become distracted by anything else, we begin to sink. Like my 8 year old son Isaac wrote as Pastor Myron preached, “We sink in our fear.”
Jesus, help us fix our eyes on You and draw from You the courage we need to face the storms of this life. There is no uncertainty we can not endure when we feel your fingernails clasped around our forearm. We reach out to You in the certainty that you will grab a hold of us and never let go. Thank you Lord.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
This has always been one of my favorite commands in Scripture. What Pastor Myron preached on Sunday solidified its place for me even more so! Did you catch how many times that command appears? I think God wanted us to hear it!
Countless times over my years of ministry I have said something like, “If we could simply grasp and live out one truth it would revolutionize our impact on the world around us.” That is certainly true of this simple statement.
The AdventureTruth was stated like this: His courage is mine. What an encouragement! Maybe you need to be reminded of that today. Maybe you need to remind someone else.
The song I sang at the end of the service captured this encouragement very well. [Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns, video follows short commercial, “Wait for it”] Particularly powerful to me was that little line, “I barely hear you whisper through the rain, ‘I’m with you”’. Jesus is saying to each of us He is with us. Let us take courage from that for whatever we face. Let us find His certainty in the midst of our uncertainty.
That’s what I did as we prepared for the launch of this new format. Believing that Jesus was asking us to step out of the boat and come to him, we resolved to follow him, no matter the sacrifice. The services Sunday were a blessing to me and I hope to you as well. I found myself thinking about Jesus, rather than music. I want to keep going there. Will you go with me?
In this adventure that is the life of faith in Jesus, we should learn very early on that we must keep our eyes on Jesus, looking to the place where He is calling us to go. When we get our eyes off Him, when we become distracted by anything else, we begin to sink. Like my 8 year old son Isaac wrote as Pastor Myron preached, “We sink in our fear.”
Jesus, help us fix our eyes on You and draw from You the courage we need to face the storms of this life. There is no uncertainty we can not endure when we feel your fingernails clasped around our forearm. We reach out to You in the certainty that you will grab a hold of us and never let go. Thank you Lord.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Love Increasing and Overflowing
Dear Worshippers,
I am really excited about this Sunday and I hope you are too. It truly marks the beginning of a significant chapter in the history of our church. The willingness of the folks in our worship ministry to love and serve the church through our increase of labor is a huge part of this being a transition that will be beneficial to the church.
And there will be an increase in our labors, a song or two more each week and extra material for the choir will not be easy. I hope you are ready for this and are preparing yourself to take on the work. Your attitude will be critical as you approach your part of that work. I want to encourage you to be praying about your attitude that your continued involvement in this ministry would flow out of a heart of love for the Lord and His Bride.
I want to encourage you to pray for the church through this transition as well. The enemy would like nothing more than to continue to make our services a source of frustration and confusion for as many worshippers as possible. We must pray that he will not have his way in that…
I was so encouraged by the Scripture that Pastor Myron shared on Sunday. I Thessalonians 3:12, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” There are three directions that love is flowing in this verse and I think it is important to catch this as we move forward together.
First is the last one mentioned, “as ours [love] does for you”. We must have a love for the Bride. As leaders, those called to stand before God’s church and lead them, we must first example that love to the church. How are you doing in that? Is your first thought, when you stop to think about North-Mar, loving?
Next is the “for each other”. We must love each other. That’s how the world will know we belong to Christ. We are getting better at this all the time as we allow the Spirit to influence our every word, thought and deed. When you think of your brothers and sisters in the Lord, are your first thoughts loving?
Finally comes the “everyone else”. And this is the part that got me most excited Sunday. Sure, we are supposed to love the Lord and His Bride that is what is motivating this transition. Sure, we are supposed to love each other, that is what has spurred us to take on this additional labor, love for our brothers and sisters. But how does the “everyone else” factor in to Sunday morning?
Our Sunday morning experience should be a great, collective example of what we are doing all week long individually. Loving God, His people, and “everyone else”. The everyone else is a huge part of the Great Commission and if we will embrace it we will have a greater impact on the world around us.
Please pray with me that our love would increase and overflow, a demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit in us.
Jesus, make our love increase and overflow to each other and to everyone else. Make North-Mar a place marked by Your love, for Your glory and the good of everyone who comes into contact with Your church.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
I am really excited about this Sunday and I hope you are too. It truly marks the beginning of a significant chapter in the history of our church. The willingness of the folks in our worship ministry to love and serve the church through our increase of labor is a huge part of this being a transition that will be beneficial to the church.
And there will be an increase in our labors, a song or two more each week and extra material for the choir will not be easy. I hope you are ready for this and are preparing yourself to take on the work. Your attitude will be critical as you approach your part of that work. I want to encourage you to be praying about your attitude that your continued involvement in this ministry would flow out of a heart of love for the Lord and His Bride.
I want to encourage you to pray for the church through this transition as well. The enemy would like nothing more than to continue to make our services a source of frustration and confusion for as many worshippers as possible. We must pray that he will not have his way in that…
I was so encouraged by the Scripture that Pastor Myron shared on Sunday. I Thessalonians 3:12, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” There are three directions that love is flowing in this verse and I think it is important to catch this as we move forward together.
First is the last one mentioned, “as ours [love] does for you”. We must have a love for the Bride. As leaders, those called to stand before God’s church and lead them, we must first example that love to the church. How are you doing in that? Is your first thought, when you stop to think about North-Mar, loving?
Next is the “for each other”. We must love each other. That’s how the world will know we belong to Christ. We are getting better at this all the time as we allow the Spirit to influence our every word, thought and deed. When you think of your brothers and sisters in the Lord, are your first thoughts loving?
Finally comes the “everyone else”. And this is the part that got me most excited Sunday. Sure, we are supposed to love the Lord and His Bride that is what is motivating this transition. Sure, we are supposed to love each other, that is what has spurred us to take on this additional labor, love for our brothers and sisters. But how does the “everyone else” factor in to Sunday morning?
Our Sunday morning experience should be a great, collective example of what we are doing all week long individually. Loving God, His people, and “everyone else”. The everyone else is a huge part of the Great Commission and if we will embrace it we will have a greater impact on the world around us.
Please pray with me that our love would increase and overflow, a demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit in us.
Jesus, make our love increase and overflow to each other and to everyone else. Make North-Mar a place marked by Your love, for Your glory and the good of everyone who comes into contact with Your church.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)