gOOD mORNING Very Loved, Perfected by Love, Created with Purpose and Filled with Peace, Followers of Jesus! Yes the salutation comes right from our devotionals for today and is filled with truth about you that you should pronounce out loud and release in powerful prayer over you and our fellowship. Check out the devos below and sit at Jesus' feet and maybe with some friends to process what God's saying and what His plans and purposes are for you today that will flow from living and loving more like Jesus. Amen!
What a day in the presence of God yesterday in our fellowship hall! PTL! God sure is on the move and using us! He's speaking to our hearts and to others through us as we meet needs, pray, share a meal, encourage, answer questions, teach, and even make plans. We served 60-70 with bread and gave all bread away yesterday. We shared donuts, conversations, encouragements, and prayer with many. The next donut day at the Bread Ministry will be Wed June 12th, 10-12. Mark your calendars and plan to join us.
Last evening we had another amazing night of fellowship, food and ministry as our adult and Family Ministry huddles gathered for dinner for the last time. I am very saddened that we cannot see the value of air conditioning the Fellowship Hall to continue this ministry through the summer! BUT GOD! He must have a plan but apparently has not revealed it to any of those who attend or they are not sharing their ideas because they don't feel qualified, capable or courageous enough to lead. We had 4 families (2 new ones) join us and Family Ministry and they are really connecting and wanting more. We had about 12-15 adults participate in the adult part with only 4 of us being members and 3 not yet members that attend Sunday regularly. So that is 8 outsiders that have been joining us. PTL! We are reaching our neighbors and having amazing ministry where they are getting to know us and God and being drawn to Him and our fellowship. PTL! Keep praying into this and for us to sustain a summer away and to reconnect in mid Sept. again.
I will be proposing at tonight's Support Team meeting the motion again to air condition the Fellowship Hall before the pricing goes up 25% after the new year. Pray for wisdom and direction for us. We already have over $19,000. in our building fund with no foreseeable building expenses in the near future and the proposal to AC the downstairs was around $15,000. We already have the funds to sow into this future ministry and growth of our church. Pray for wisdom and God's will to be done.
The Vision team (which is all of our leadership teams) was tasked to pray about the air conditioning earlier in the year. Apparently God said no to them or not at this time. However maybe now is the time? Because of the heat that is coming we cannot/will not have ministry in the Fellowship Hall again until the fall. That means God has another plan for us. One to get together out of the building. However, He is apparently not leading anyone to host or plan any gatherings. So at this time the adult huddle will take a break for the summer until someone gets the nudge to host something for us. Some say they liked things we've done in the past like gather at a park to cookout and fellowship but are not sensing a call to plan or host anything at this time. The Vision team had all kinds of great ideas for things to try but no one felt called to lead any. I feel like God has called us out of the building to connect to neighbors and friends this summer but that I am supposed to step back from leading and doing it all to allow some of you to step into your purposes. I will be doing something once a month to try to reconnect to Family Ministries. This fall FM and adults will meet on separate evenings again as I am unable to minister well to both groups at the same time. My thinking is that if God is not raising up leaders for activities out of the building this summer, maybe He IS leading us to air condition the downstairs. maybe we were voting out of our preferences and not His? I can't say for sure, but where He guides, He provides. Where is he providing? let's do that as we follow Him and His peace to his best for us and others. he is working all things together for the good of those who believe or will believe. he has called us to go, make disciples. Where is provision for that? What will we do about it? And maybe he's saying just take the summer off? I highly doubt that but we need to be sure of His plans before we make ours!
Yes God has been on the move and using us and even bucking the worldwide trend and growing our fellowship. PTL! He has great plans and purposes for you and us to discover, plan and do. Seek Him and offer yourself to Him and join with some others to pray, discern and plan some fun outreaches this summer. Or pray for us to find a way to make the fellowship hall usable and comfortable for guests and visitors year round. I sure hate to stop this valuable and growing ministry for the summer unless that is God's plan. God does have a plan and purposes and we are not to lean on our own understanding but trust Him as we sow lavishly and He will direct our steps. What's He saying to you? What will you do about it? Who are you partnering with to plan and do some things? Seek first the kingdom of God! Then share what you are hearing with Sarah or me or some close friends and let us go and live and love more like Jesus this summer! Amen! Really meditate and pray through and receive from God as you spend some time with Him through our devos and then ask Him to lead you and us with His heart and mind to His provision and plans as we follow peace to His purposes for us. Thanks! I'm praying for you! God is waiting on us to discover and begin to step out in faith! Amen! Day light's burning!
CS:
UR: An Important Purpose
From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will. - Ephesians 1:1 (CEB)
In many of the apostle Paul’s greetings to the early churches, he stated that he was an apostle of Christ by the will of God. While Paul recognized his life’s purpose, often as believers we feel less assured of our purpose and wonder if God is using us in our present circumstances. Sure, God called great theologians like Paul to serve God. But we who work in factories, drive trucks, care for children, do clerical work, teach, farm, and live in all kinds of circumstances can also be used by God.
God has a purpose for each of us just as God had a purpose for the young servant girl we read about in 2 Kings 5. She served the wife of Naaman, army commander for the king of Aram. Her faith changed the course of Naaman’s life and helped alter his hostile view of Israel.
Many of us can’t fathom how God could use us, but God is continually working in and through our lives. We don’t have to be great theologians to be used mightily by God. We just need to trust that we have been called to follow God, whatever our circumstances. We can trust that God has a purpose for our lives.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Faithful God, thank you for the ways you work in and through our lives. Help us to focus on how you might use us this very day. Amen.TWFYT:
