God is Faithful + Sunday Morning Resources
God is so faithful – our ever-present help in times of trouble. I had an opportunity to see this truth personally during a pressing time this week. Have you ever been in a place or moment when the pressure was high, and you didn’t know what to do or how things were going to work out? This season of waiting that I find myself in is sure creating moments for me to grow in my trust in God’s provision and providence. A couple of days ago, Kimberly and I were feeling the pressure of life. After we had lamented together, I said, “I need prayer.”
I picked up the book I’ve been leaning on during this cancer season. It’s called A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. I turned to the page for that day, September 21, and this is what I read:
“Almighty and most personal Father, Your power and love eternally work together for the protection of Your children. Give me the grace today to put my trust in You. O Father, I pray – for faith to believe that You rule the world in truth, justice, and love; for faith to believe that if I seek first Your Kingdom and righteousness, You will provide for my needs; for faith not to be anxious about tomorrow, but to believe that the love You have given me in the past will continue into the future; for faith to believe in ultimate victory of Your Holy Spirit over disease and death and all the powers of darkness.”
There was more, but by the time I got to the first line, I was already crying tears, knowing that our God was so personal. He had John Baillie write these words in 1936 and preserved them in a book that made its way into my hands so I could pick them up on September 21, 2021, and be encouraged by his prayers. You may be in a hard spot where you feel like God is absent or not working on your behalf. I want to remind you – as He reminded me – that even in dark storms of life, He is with you. Let me encourage you to look for Him through His Word or through the thoughts of those who talk about their personal experiences with Him. He’s present and powerful!
Last Sunday was a day we set aside to draw more people into the thrilling fulfillment of engaging together to serve God through the opportunities in our church. It was exciting to read the responses as people made themselves available to be part of what God is doing through our church. Serving is a great way to discover more profound purpose, develop new skills as we branch out and engage in new opportunities for more significant impact, and deepen our joy. It’s not too late to jump in and join a team as we engage together to fulfill God’s purposes here in Western Nevada County and beyond. Look here for ways you can belong.
GOSPEL ILLUSION SHOW. Children’s Ministry is inviting everyone, children and adults, to join the fun and illusions on Sunday, September 26 in the Student Room. Bernard Bradshaw’s Gospel Illusion Show has been bringing the message of God’s love for the past 21 years. He grabs people’s attention through the gift of illusions helping them to better understand and remember the stories of Jesus. Bring a picnic to eat right after church at 12:15pm. Children’s Ministry will be providing free Taco Bell soft tacos. The Gospel Illusion Show will begin at 1:00pm.
SISTER’S CLOSET. One of my favorite community events we offer is Sister’s Closet, and it’s coming up October 9 from 9:00am-12:00pm. This is a time where women and teenagers can come and shop for free to augment their wardrobe for the Fall and Winter seasons. My heart is so moved each time we offer this event as I watch many women and girls shop with joy on their faces as they peruse the wonderful clothing items, shoes, and accessories donated by the generous women of our church. What an opportunity to bless others out of the blessings we’ve been given. It’s a joyful and even tear-filled frenzy. If you would like to help with set-up or tear-down or during the shopping, please get in touch with Mare. She will help you find a way to serve the women of our community and church who need our support.
FALL FAMILY FESTIVAL. One of our largest community service projects each year is FFF. This year’s theme is Animal Adventures. We’re going to spread out and utilize as much of our facility – indoors and outdoors – as possible to create a fun and irresistible environment where families can come and enjoy the inspiring opportunity we provide as they relax and play together. FFF is such a FUN event, and we’re beginning signups for a whole army of volunteers to help make sure that every family who attends will feel welcomed, have fun, and leave with all the candy they could ever have imagined. You can sign up to serve on our website or by contacting Mare or John. Many families in our community get their first real contact with our church through this event. That makes FFF a high-impact investment as we get to have a personal touch with the families of our community.
LIFE GROUPS FALL LAUNCH. We’re entering a new season with a time of clarification as we launch our small groups. 2021 was a time for us to sharpen our focus as a church to be more intentional in our approach to discipleship and be clearer in our vision to engage together to lead as many people as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We have four pillars to build on – Share Life, Strengthen Faith, Serve Others, and Spread Hope. The Share Life pillar includes our relationship with Jesus and how He calls us to Share Life with Him and each other. The natural outflow of that is that we want our small groups to be intentional in sharing life with each other, therefore we are going to call our small groups – LIFE GROUPS. If you're going to become part of a LIFE GROUP or want more information on what it means, please email Laura or Mark, and they will help you get connected. Our goal is that we will all find a place where we can know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served, and celebrate and be celebrated as we grow to become more like Jesus.
This SUNDAY we will continue our RADIATE LOVE series based upon the New Testament book of 1 John. John writes to correct error that had seeped into some of the second-generation church teachers in the region of Ephesus. He writes to encourage the Followers of Jesus in that region to exemplify the words of Jesus when He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.” This week’s message is about Growing Deeper Love. I hope you’ll read 1 John 2:3-17 and let God speak to you before Sunday. I believe that will make your church experience even richer!
Here are the links you’ll need to be fully prepared for Sunday’s Service:
Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,
CANCER SURGERY UPDATE. I was supposed to have an appointment with one of my surgeons this week, but he had to cancel because of an emergency surgery. I still find myself in a place where I cannot predict or plan the date for my surgery. I am at a new moment of trust as I WAIT for an extensive hospital system to guide me to the surgery schedule. Would you please pray that I can wait with faith? As I wait, I am recovering from the grueling chemo/radiation treatments. I grow stronger each day. Please continue to pray for God’s favor because ultimately, He is responsible for schedules and plans. I want to be in the center of His will. As I’ve shared with you, Psalm 27:13-14 are the verses God gave me for this phase of my journey. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. WAIT FOR THE LORD; Be strong and take heart and WAIT FOR THE LORD.”
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