Our Blog

Worship Ministry - July 2023

The Love of God 

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity of having my father as a great ministry mentor.  He has served the local church for thirty-five plus years, most of which was in music ministry. I am thankful that I can call him at any moment and have the ear of someone who has “been there and done that.” He is a great father, a great friend, and a great mentor. 

One phrase that my father says when wrapping up choir or band practice that has stuck with me through my ministry was, “love you and mean it.” This is a simple phrase and there is nothing new or profound about it; however, by just adding two little words to a phrase we all use every day, “mean it,” deepens it.

Loving people is messy. Loving people takes work. Saying “I love you” is easy, meaning it is hard. It isn’t necessarily in our nature to give ourselves away, to sacrifice, or to put
others before ourselves. It is much easier for us to say “I love you” than it is to live it out in a tangible way. 

Blackaby writes this in “Experiencing God”

Love assumes the best about others. If someone inadvertently offends you, you choose to believe the offense was unintentional. If someone seeks to harm you, you “bear all things,” forgiving unconditionally. If a positive light can be shed on a difficult encounter, you grasp it. If someone continually provokes you, you “endure all things.” You never lose hope in the ones you love. You practice the same unconditional love toward others that Christ gives to you. God loves us and He means it! 

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

God, due to His abundant love for us, sent His son to earth to take on the punishment we deserved. If that isn’t “meaning it,” I don’t know what is! God forgives “unconditionally” when we surrender to Jesus' authority. God is immensely patient with us and “endures” when we fail Him. God is our hope in our greatest times of need, our hope every day. It is through God’s love that we find life! 

So, as children of God, what are we to do? How can we not only tell God and tell people that we love them but also mean it? We endlessly strive to love people like Christ first loved us! We sacrifice for others, for the glory of God. “You practice the same unconditional love toward others that Christ gives to you.” 

Mark 12:30-31 - 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

Lyric of the Month
For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever

Psalm 119:11
⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never ends.

Worship Ministry - June 2023

Tech Team

I am so thankful for the team of people that make every Sunday happen! They show up early to make sure everything is set up, turned on, and ready to go. They help run sound so we can hear our pastor preach the word of God. They run our screens with words of praise to our King. They help run our live stream each Sunday so those that aren’t able to attend in person can still be a part of our church family. They do all of this and more behind the scenes, for the glory of God and I am so thankful for all the work they put in to make Sunday worship go smoothly. Make sure to take time the next time you see one of these volunteers and thank them for what they do.

Also, if you would like to join this awesome group of volunteers, we would love to get you trained and plugged in. Whether you have lots of experience or none at all, we would love to talk to you about serving our church in the tech ministry. You can either talk to me or one of the volunteers to get more information.

He is our Shepherd
¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. Psalm 23:1-2

What great peace we can have when we rely on the Great Shepherd and not ourselves! The Lord knows everything about us, to a great detail than even we know ourselves. He reigns over all things, and nothing is beyond His knowing or control. His strength and power is greater than anything we could ever imagine. The Lord knows what is best for us, how much we need, and how much we can endure. Henry T. Blackaby writes this about the Lord being our Shepherd.

“Do you have absolute trust in your Good Shepherd? Do you value the nourishment that comes from Him more than any you might obtain from the world? Do you ever worry that God might be withholding from you something that you need? The psalmist was convinced that he would “want” for nothing. By his very nature, the Good Shepherd cares for His sheep and would lay down His life for them (John 10:11).

This is the peace we can find when we have “absolute trust” in God our King. Not that worry will no long be a part of our earthly lives, but it will not rule over our lives. Our lives won’t be perfect or sinless, nor without heartache, but trusting in the Lord will bring peace throughout all of that because our Good Shepherd will leave the ninety-nine (Matt. 18:12) to come and guide us through when we have gone astray. Seek the Lord, that He may guide you to “lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”

I love you, and I love serving this church!

Lyric of the Month
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Psalm 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.