Unwrapping Spiritual Gifts

I was not in Church yesterday and have not had a chance to listen to the message yet.

Please if you have an insight or comment, write!

Arlene has made a couple comments that are found on the previous posting.

Shaped to Make a Difference/ I am Formed by God for a Purpose

God loves our uniqueness! He created it!

Psalm 139:
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

As Pastor Dennis launches into this new series we have the opportunity to contemplate what is keeping us from accepting the S.H.A.P.E. God gave us. This week I am going to pray and think about what I need to let go of -so-I can take on what God will give me to fulfill the purpose He has for me.

The DVD shown had such a good visual for this...the closed hands with pretty and dirty labels. I am going to spend time this week opening my hands!

Psalm 139:
17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

A Voice in the Town Square

I have been thinking about what to do in light of Sunday's message. In one regard it's so sad that the Church's voice has lost it's effectiveness in the town square...but meditating on that thought takes me/us nowhere! so...let's do what we can to make a difference....three things Pastor Dennis referred to in the message especially peaked my thinking about what our role should be in the world.

1. The Church has the message of forgiveness....do you think that is something the world needs right now? So in my life...How do I live with God's forgiveness message? Do I believe that God has forgiven me...Do I live like I believe it? Have I forgiven those that I need to forgive? Do I live like I have forgiven them? There are victories and places to work on....The victories are a part of my story and the places that need work will become part of my story. The stories are part of the conversations in our community. God forgives and helps us to forgive...EVERYBODY.
2. Each part of the town square wants the power....even the Church has been guilty of this... but Jesus said"... whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many(Matthew 20:26-28)." What Jesus teaches is so contrary to how we behave...I want to become other's focused...I think I heard a message about that recently, hmmmm.
3. We have the responsibility to pray for the upcoming Leadership Conference in Haiti. Let us be faithful in prayer!
   

Happy Easter!

HE IS RISEN!
He is Risen Indeed!

Love -The Road to Easter

What a service! So much was going on! Did you all notice how many children we have?

How exciting about the doors God has opened in Haiti! (if you have not yet been to one of the Leadership Summits, this is the year, go! August 9-11)

And then Sean's message just capped the morning...Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem Luke 19:41)...He weeps for Haiti; He weeps for the U.S.; He weeps for us...why? Because He loves us! All He wants from us is...that we love Him (realizing what He did for us with His life, death and resurrection) and that we love others.

What does He want us to know about love. Sean gave us a lot to think about-

Love is...

• giving, not getting (others focused)
  
• a choice
• an action

and Love NEVER gives up!

This week, let God work into our hearts how to love those He's put in our lives... now including Haiti.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16