Relinquish your right for justice

At our last life group meeting we were discussing the questions in Pastor’s Sunday blog. As we considered the question, “What do you think will be the result of making God’s grace visible in the context of the relationships of your life?”, we concluded that our lives would be much more peaceful if we strived to show grace to others. If we relinquish our right for justice in advance and embrace an attitude of grace we can live in true freedom and peace because we won’t enter into a relationship with any expectations of perfection from others. If they do something to offend us, and they will, we are choosing to preempt our natural response for justice and revenge with grace. Just as Christ demonstrated grace for us by suffering and enduring pain and death for our sins we are also choosing to show grace by accepting and absorbing pain from other’s offenses so that the cycle of revenge will stop. This isn’t easy and can only happen as the Spirit of God enables us to love others as He loves them. But it is worth it because we get an opportunity to be a part of the redemptive work of God in this world. Relinquish your right for justice, show grace, live in peace - What better way is there to show others the love and nature of Christ?

Chad Quarles - Outreach Coordinator

Messy Friendships

Five -year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was turning out very bad. He didn’t know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn’t know how the stove worked. Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky. And suddenly he saw his Daddy standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon’s eyes. All he’d wanted to do was something good, but he’d made a terrible mess. He was sure big time punishment was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just looked at him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process. That’s how true friends respond. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our relationships get all sticky and we just stand there in tears because when we can’t think of anything else to do. That’s when a true friend shows grace and will pick us up, love on us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over them. But just because we might mess up, we can’t stop trying to "make pancakes" for God or for others. Sooner or later with God’s help we will get it right.

Tyra Whitehurst
Media Director

God's Grace Is Enough

I love the song “Your Grace is Enough” by Chris Tomlin.  If God’s grace is enough for me I should be able to have enough grace for others as well.  I am reminded of a passage found in Luke 6: 35-38  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  If we are receiving God’s full measure of grace we should extend that same grace to others and that includes our spouse, family, co-workers and friends.  Why does it seem easier to show grace to a total stranger than to our own family?  We need to make grace visible to the most important people in our lives no matter how they’ve offended, overlooked or criticized us.  If we truly think of others as better than ourselves I think it will be easier to show God’s grace in any circumstance because we don’t have to “win” or demand justice. I challenge you to be a part of what God is doing in this world everyday and show grace to your children, spouse, parents, closest friends, co-workers and complete strangers. Remember, “For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

 

Staci Quarles

Outreach Director 

SACRED SPACES: Relationships

One of the greatest ways we can experience God in our relationships is to find ways to make God's grace visible in the lives of others. In Mark 2 we find the stories of 4 men who did this for one of their friends who was paralyzed. They physically carried there friend to the house was Jesus was at and then they dug a hole in someones roof to get their friend in the presence of Jesus. The result of the actions of these friends was that their friend got saved and healed. In other words they "Experienced God" in the Sacred Space of this relationship.

Here are a couple of questions for you to consider as we enter into a new week:
- In what ways can you make God's grace visible this week?
- What do you think will be the result of making God's grace visible in the context of the
relationships of your life?

Jason Whitehurst
Lead Pastor

Blessed be Your name

I just wanted to remind you again of the song we sang on Sunday.

Blessed be Your name, in the land that is plentiful,

Where Your streams of abundance flow, blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name, when I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name, when the sun's shining down on me,

When the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name, on the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name.

Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise

But when the darkness closes in, still I will say

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME

You give and take away, You give and take away

But my heart will CHOOSE to say,

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME.

If you are are living in need, Praise the Lord

If you are walking in the wilderness, Praise the Lord

If you are suffering in pain, Praise the Lord

If you are questioning everything, Praise the Lord

His worthiness of our praise is not dependent upon our current situation in life.

HE IS WORTHY OF PRAISE!!!

Your praise might be the very thing that will pull you out of the pit you are in.

Michelle Swift

Worship Leader

Life on Hold

Recently, the Tennessean did a story on two very amazing people in our church. In this story, they talk very openly about the "wilderness" they're going through right now in terms of their finances. Check it out!

http://data.tennessean.com/projects/lifeonhold/

Hannah Fratt
Children's Ministries Director

The Wilderness

Where are you at today? For some of you, you're in a season of plenty. Things seem to be going right for you and the world is your dessert buffet. For some you're in a season of want. Nothing seems to be going right for you and the world is your root canal and you're the bad tooth. The point is everyone of us is somewhere on this road of life. And guess what? So is God. He is your God when you're on the mountain and the world is bright and the skies are blue. He is your God when the land is dry and your world is barren. In what ever season of your life whatever you're going through he is God. Keep in mind, we are traveling THROUGH life. So where ever you are at on this journey know that you are just passing through and He is there right beside you.

Craig Swift

Music/Youth pastor

Our Wilderness Story

This is a long blog but any story worth telling is worth the time it takes to share it.

Our (my wife and I) first true wilderness experience began in December of 2002 only a few days before Christmas. My wife and I were overwhelmed with the expectancy and joy of life as we went to get an ultrasound of our first baby. We couldn’t wait to find out if the child was going to be a boy of girl. It was a girl, our little Madelynn Grace. Our life changed that afternoon. The OB called us in to tell us that it looked like Madelynn had too much fluid in her brain. She sent us to a perinatologist who told us the next day that he thought Madelynn had a cyst in her cerebellum. He then literally told us to, “Go look up on the internet what was going to be wrong with our daughter.” This was Day 1 of our wilderness experience. All our plans about what we thought our life would look like evaporated.

As a male my first thought was to “fix the problem” and since medicine had no answers I immediately began memorizing and proclaiming every “healing” scripture in Bible. I was convinced that our only path out of this wilderness was through a miraculous physical healing. The path I envisioned involved us getting back to the plans we had made for our life before we received this diagnosis. This mindset lasted for about a month or two and it was definitely the worst time of my life because with each subsequent ultrasound the cyst remained and declared (in my mind) that the problem must have something to do with my faith.

Then everything changed. I can still remember the night when Staci and I lay in bed discussing the story of “the man born blind” found in John 9. The disciples were asking Jesus if his blindness was the fault of his sin or his parents’ sin. Jesus response was liberating and challenging, “this happened that the work (or glory) of God might be displayed in his life.” That night was the first night we allowed ourselves to consider what our lives might look like if Madelynn was born with disabilities. Prior to this, at least in my mind, I wouldn’t allow myself to even have this thought. There was only one way out of this wilderness.

Following this discussion we prayed the most difficult prayer we have ever had to utter. It went something like this, “God, we know you can heal our daughter and you know that is our heart’s desire, but if you choose not to heal her we will still praise you and trust that your glory will be displayed in her life (and ours).”

This was the day we acknowledged that God might have a different path out of our wilderness. This is a lesson we have had to learn over and over again since that night.

Madelynn was born healthy and happy and MRIs showed that she had been healed. Before she was born a neurosurgeon told us, after looking at her last ultrasound, that we must have been praying to the right God. But when she was 9 months old she stopped meeting milestones. By 18 months she had lost around 25% of her body weight and was receiving occupational, physical and speech therapy. The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with her. Before she was 5 we noticed she was having mild seizures. We later learned she was having multiple global seizures every second. She is 6 now and the seizures continue. Despite the physical challenges she is a beautiful and extremely happy girl and we are so blessed to be a part of her life. She brings us so much joy. As Pastor Jason said on Sunday, there are good days and there are better days. I like that.

This is definitely not the path out of the wilderness I envisioned back in Dec 2002. But with every smile and hug my daughter gives me I sense the glory of God. She has taught me more about the nature and love of God than all the sermons in the world. With every opportunity we have to share the love of Christ with others in their own wilderness times we see the works of God being displayed in our lives. God has used Madelynn for His purposes and He is telling a beautiful story in her life.

We journey still but our prayer is the same. Allow God to open your mind to the possibility that He might have a different path out of your wilderness. It may not be the easiest path but it will be the one that enables you to best be a part of the redemptive work God is doing on this Earth.

Chad Quarles

Outreach Coordinator

Sacred Spaces: The Wilderness

Sacred Spaces: Finding God in the Wilderness We have all been there haven't we? That place where life or our circumstances see either unfair or to heavy of a weight to carry. There is a great temptation these seasons of life to get mad at God or question Him. I love how Moses in the middle of his wilderness experience had a "tent of meeting" where he met with God. It was in that "tent of meeting" that God told Moses "I will give you my presence and my rest".

If you are in a wilderness experience right now consider these

questions:

- Do you look at your current challenges as a burden you carry or a Sacred Space in which you can encounter God?

- What does it mean to you that God has promised you His presence in the midst of your wilderness?

- What do you need to do right now to receive the rest of God in the midst of your wilderness?

Be blessed as you experience God in the Sacred Place of your wilderness!

Jason Whitehurst

Lead Pastor

IN HIS IMAGE

God’s creation is so wonderful.  On each day of creation, He would stop and look at what he created and the Bible records that “He saw that it was good.”  All of God’s creation is good.  Consider the intricate details God put into every drop of rain, the sunset, or the formation of a tree from a tiny seed.  That doesn’t just happen. God’s creative hand still moves over the earth. I love thinking about the creation of mankind.  Consider the wonder of how your heart beats over the course of your life, or how He gave us eyes to behold all the wonders on the Earth. Yes, God used a similar biological blueprint in many of His creations, but it is mesmerizing to consider that we are created in “His image.” In each of us, God implanted a part of Himself and that is indeed good! We see the love of the Heavenly Father because he made each of us unique, regardless of what quarks we may find in our flesh, and even more amazing He linked our identity to Himself. I just love the verse Pastor said “Psalm 139:14, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  Be encouraged today that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Each day, God looks upon you and sees that His creation is good.

Staci Quarles

Outreach Coordinator

How big is YOUR God?

Tyra Whitehurst
Media Director

LOOK UP!!!

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Since hearing Pastor's message on Sunday, I have been making a mental effort to look up more often. To slow down and smell the roses, if you will. I think God loves to impress us. Think about it: shooting stars, sunsets, rainbows, the smell of rain, these are just a few of the "extras" He created. He didn't have to make a sunset so colorful, or a star shoot across the sky like fireworks. He didn't have to let rain smell so good or flowers smell at all. I think He did it just to impress us. To put smiles on our faces. To delight us. This world He has created is truly amazing. It is impossible to look up and not praise God for His mighty hand. It is impossible to see, really see, His creation and not stand amazed at His handiwork. So make a it a habit to look up a little more often.

Michelle Swift

Worship Leader

About two years ago, my husband and I decided to start recycling. We had just moved into our house, and were so excited we finally had the space to set up an area for recycling. We had the whole system worked out - we had different paper bags set up in our pantry for all the different types of materials (glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium), then every Wednesday we were going to take those bags to the recycling center at the Neighborhood Walmart on Edmondson and Old Hickory on our way to church. Simple! We were feeling pretty good about ourselves for being "green" and taking care of the environment.

A few months later, my enthusiasm was fading fast. It ended up being a lot of extra work to rinse out all the containers and sort through the trash. But even worse, our "every Wednesday trip to the recycling center" was just not happening. So my new, super-spacious walk in pantry was now overflowing with bags and bags of recycling. It got to the point that when they closed the recycling center at the neighborhood walmart a couple months ago, I almost wanted to quit altogether. What was really the point? Just recycling my trash wouldn't make a difference at all in the whole scheme of things. Why was I putting myself through all this work and inconvenience?

And then I remembered why: because it reminds me to be grateful. When I give someone a gift, one of the best ways they can show me their appreciation is to take care of what I've given them. When I go through the small inconveniences of recycling, I'm reminded that the reason I do this is because I want to show God I appreciate His creation. What a loving God - to create this amazing world for us. He gave us so much more than just what we needed to survive - he made it beautiful for us to enjoy. I think when we take the time to absorb the amazing-ness of creation, it's impossible not to sense God's love through all of it. Why did he make trees and flowers so beautiful? Why did he make fruits and vegetables taste so good? Why did he make beaches and mountains and lakes and rivers? For us to enjoy. What kind of love is that - that he would create, down to the last detail, such a wonderful world just for our enjoyment. And when I take time out of my day to do something to take care of his creation, I not only show God I appreciate what he's given me, I also have a consistent reminder of how truly wonderful His gift of creation is.

So maybe recycling isn't your thing - that's ok. But I encourage you to find something that consistently reminds you of God's wonderful creation. Because interwoven throughout all of his creation is the message of His love for us. Sometimes we just need a reminder so that we can feel it.

Hannah Fratt
Children's Ministries Director

SACRED SPACES: Creation

David said in Psalm 139:14, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
How does it make you feel to know that you are the prize of all God's creation? There is something to be said for that when you realize the magnitude of all that He has created. Take a moment and reflect of the most beautiful landscape, flower, sunset, or stary night that you have ever seen. Now take a moment to absorb the fact that David also said in Psalm 33:18, "That the eyes of the Lord are upon us his children." That means that He gazes past the stars and sky to look at us. That is pretty amazing!
Saint Augustine said it like this:
Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea,at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.
This week take some time to look at the splendor of God's creation and then ponder the fact that you are the crown jewel of His creation!

Jason Whitehurst
Lead Pastor

Their Watching.....

This whole week, we have been focusing on a verse found in Collosians: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

For me this verse has a lot to say about how we represent Christ in our workplaces. As Christians we know we need to share the message of Jesus with others. Many times, however, we limit this to the act of personally talking with someone about Christ. In the workplace environment I wonder if a more effective way to share the good news with others is to work as if we are working for the King -- doing it all in the name of the Lord Jesus as the verse says. What if others saw Christians as people who worked the hardest, complained and gossiped the least, did everything with honesty and integrity, always demonstrated a positive attitude, were the first to lend a helping hand and put others before themselves?

Our co-workers are listening but more importantly they are watching. They want to know if the good news of Jesus actually impacts the way we live, the way we work and who we are. If you desire to fulfill the Great Commission work for the King today!

Chad Quarles

Outreach Coordinator

Why we do what we do

Colossians 3:17 & 23 show in her every action, "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

Whenever I hear this scripture I immediately think of my brother-in-law Dave. Dave installs floors for a living in Portland, Oregon. Dave is one of the best in the city at what he does. In an economy where the self-employed tradesman struggles, Dave and his father, Dave Sr. are always working and adding new jobs to their calendar. Why is this so when the circumstances say they should be out of work? Here's the answer right here: Dave works as if he is laying floors in Jesus' house. No matter what the job, who will see it, who the client is Dave literally works as unto the Lord, never cutting corners and always going the extra mile. What if we all worked like this? What if everything we did we did as if Jesus was signing our pay check? What if we worked as if Jesus was sitting beside us. I wonder how much better witnesses we would be if we just worked like we were working for the Lord. It seems to work for Dave. Maybe we all should give it a try as well.

Craig Swift

Music Pastor/Youth Pastor

Having a DTR with the JOB

DTR - high school lingo for Define The Relationship.

This usually occurs when a guy (or girl) sits down with the romantically interested "other party" to clarify what sort of relationship exists. Are we dating? Friends? Friends that are dating? Usually drama ensues and tears are involved but in the end of a successful DTR communication has taken place and expectations are clarified.

Have you had a DTR with your job?

Not in the romantic sense, but have you sat down and clearly articulated for yourself what that "relationship" between you and your job will look like? For some, it may be hard to show up the 40 hours required a week but for others showing up for ONLY 40 hours is the hard part.

Doing a job excellently doesn't necessarily mean doing more work - for some of us a job well done means breaking out our inner Oprah and having a heart-to-heart about what our job/life relationship should look like. So pull up your couch, break out the Kleenexes - it might be time to break the news to your job: "we need to have a DTR..."

Justin Fratt
Adult Ministries Director

WORKING FOR THE LORD

I loved the verse:  Colossians 3:23  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  I remember studying this verse when I was a teacher (before I had my girls).  We needed to apply it not only in our actual job (teaching the children), but also in our interactions with co-workers and the parents of the children we taught.  We were doing this for a higher purpose --- we were “kingdom” teachers.  We were not in it just to get a paycheck as Pastor said on Sunday. Now that I am a stay at home mom this verse still applies to me.  I “work for the Lord” when I serve my girls, my husband and take care of my home.  These are things that He has blessed me with and so I honor Him by taking care of them with excellence.  For all of us some work days are definitely harder than others, but I know that if we put our whole heart into it God will bless our labors.  There are times when we all feel too tired, sick or have simply had enough of our job, co-workers or boss, but we must remember that we are “too blessed to be stressed”. This statement is only true if we believe that we are working for our King because it is a blessing to serve the King.  Another verse I just love is Romans 8:28 which says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”   Remember that regardless of where you are working right now God can work His purposes through you in that place.  Don’t lose sight of your King and his kingdom purposes and I pray you have a blessed week as He shows up in mighty ways in your place of work! 

Staci Quarles

Outreach Coordinator

No Gratitude is a Bad Attitude

"No Gratitude is a Bad Attitude," I can still hear my father saying those words after all of these years of being married and living in my own house. As a preacher, My father had many sayings that he would try out on the family prior to preaching them from the pulpit. But this one, has always stayed with me. Even to the point that it has come out of my own mouth to my daughter a time or two.

As we go about our day at work, we have a choice to be grateful or to be ungrateful. When we begin to let words of complaint and ungratefulness come out of our mouth, our attitude starts to change. Instead of having an attitude of joy, patience, and love, our attitude changes to one of bitterness, jealousy, and hate. It is amazing how much power a grateful or ungrateful spirit has upon our attitude and can cause the climate of your workday to change suddenly.

So, when the toast burns, be grateful that you have food. When everyone wants to drive 30 mph on the interstate, be grateful that you have a car. When the copier gets jammed, your boss wants a project to him by the end of the day, your proposal that took you 5 hours to complete has to be redone, or you seem to not be able to get anything accomplished at work, be grateful that God has blessed you with a job!

Tyra Whitehurst
Media Director

IT'S A TOUGH JOB

A man by the name of Bill Gold said it like this: “I’ve met a few people in my time who were enthusiastic about hard work. And it was just my luck that all of them happened to be men I was working for at the time.”

Abraham Lincoln said, “My father taught me to work. He did not teach me to love it.”

Dr. Charles Mayo of the famous Mayo Clinic once said, “There is no fun like work."

Inventor Thomas Edison said, “I never did a day’s work in my life. IT WAS ALL FUN.”

Sir Theodore Martin said, “Work is the true elixir of life. The busiest man is the happiest man.”

Do you enjoy your job? One of the hardest things in all the world is to do what Paul said in Colossians and work a job "with all your heart as unto the Lord and not unto man" even when you are not particularly passionate about what you do or the people you work for or with. If you struggle with this I want to challenge you to change your perspective. Stop working for a paycheck and start working to make a difference. Even if you are dissatisfied with where you are at in terms of vocation if you will honor God by exhibiting a good attitude and a solid work ethic, I firmly believe that God will honor you by bringing fulfillment on your current job or blessing you with another job that you can be passionate about.

Have a great Labor Day!

Jason Whitehurst
Lead Pastor

PREOCCUPIED WITH GOD

I have been reading a bible study lately that is for the “frazzled female” and I just love it.  One of the examples used in the book is the story of Mary and Martha inviting Jesus into their home. Most of you know this story.  Mary decides to sit at Jesus’s feet while Martha does all the chores and wonders why Mary isn’t helping. This is definitely not a story we would turn to when we think of traditional worship.  I know that I worship God by singing and praising Him in church and that in those times I am preoccupied with (or totally focused on) God.  But you know this is what Mary was doing when she was sitting at his feet.  Worship can be sitting alone quietly with Him or just simply thinking about Him throughout your day.  Martha could have been preoccupied with Jesus instead she choose to be preoccupied with why Mary would not help.  Some of you may think it is unrealistic to be a Mary and spend your day preoccupied with Jesus.  For many of us, our lives are consumed by our jobs, kids, meetings, friends or other activities.  Perhaps we can be like Mary and worship God by daily welcoming Him into our homes and deliberately thinking about Him as we go about our lives.  Lets not get so caught up in the busyness of this world that we forgot to acknowledge God at all times! Let God be a part of every detail in your life, from getting up in the morning, getting ready for work and even cleaning your house.  I invite you to worship God by being preoccupied with Him throughout your day.  He longs for you to worship Him in the quiet and in the loudness of your day.

Staci Quarles

Outreach Coordinator

1 minute of praise

I heard Tyra's mom speak on "1 minute of praise" Even though this was several years ago I still remember it today. This first thing she does in the morning is to give God 1 minute of praise.

If we did this, it would set the tone our whole day. It would set our focus on the one we live for. It would place Christ at the very center in our life.

I think if you were to start making this a habit in your life, you would find yourself doing it more often throughout your day. I believe our friendships with God would grow, our love relationship with Him deepen. Then we could truly be walking more victorious and fulfilled lives.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

If I were asked what I consider an act of worship, I would probably say something like - singing and raising my hands. I would define worship by what occurs during the "praise and worship time" of our Sunday service, and would consider the people who passionately engage during that time "true worshipers".

And my definition would be wrong. Strangely enough, Paul didn't write, "Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to clap on beat, close your eyes, and lift up your hands - this is your spiritual act of worship." Instead, he gave us a much bigger challenge - to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Our "spiritual act of worship" is surrendering ourselves completely to what he's called us to do - it's our obedience.

Being a living sacrifice - being obedient - is not a passive activity. It is more than just the absence of disobedience. It's intentional - it's seeking what God would have you do and taking the initiative to do it. It's discovering ways to show kindness to others who need it. It's making yourself available to serve in ways that you are needed within the church body. It's sacrificing your own wants and needs and living for what God has called you to do - that is your spiritual act of worship.

Hannah Fratt
Children's Ministries Director

Authentic Worship

Why We Worship

Why do we worship and why do we serve? What's the why behind the what? Is it because life is a bed of roses? Is it because we never have problems? Is it because if we worship him we'll suddenly get everything we want? Is this why we worship Him? In fact I think it's quite the opposite. Yes we do worship him when things are good, but I see people in our church who have lost their job and people who are struggling with questions. There are those who have doubts of his existence. There are some that are struggling in their marriage. There are some that wonder if they're good parents. The point is is that for most of us life is not a walk in the park. So why do we worship?

We worship because he is still God. This is your reason to sing. Because he is still God. In every season of life he never changes. In every circumstance he is the same. We worship because he is our father and as father he knows what's best for us. My daughters don't always like my decisions, in fact sometimes I think they hate my decisions. However, I still deserve their honor and respect because I am their father and I know what's best for them. We can worship in the fact that we don't have to understand we don't have to know because our father knows. The hardest thing for a believer is to be like an obedient child and say "I don't understand, but I choose to trust you."

We serve because Christ served. As Christ followers our goal is to live to the best of our ability the life that Christ lived. "Jesus said that the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a random for many". While most assuredly none of us will ever be crucified on a cross, we can follow the paradigm of Jesus which simply was this: "I will live to serve others". We serve because it's an act of the committed. People that really believe what they believe are always willing to serve their belief system.

If you are a Christ follower then worship. Worship in your own way. Worship because he is God. Worship because he is your father and he knows what's best for you. Worship because he will take care if you even of you can't see it. Worship even of you can't feel it because it's not about hype and emotion it's about honoring your king

And serve. Serve because he served. Serve because it's an act of the committed. Serve because you are a disciple of Christ. Serve because there is no other way to LIVE the gospel of Jesus Christ than through serving one another. We have been treated generously so let's live generously.

Craig Swift

Worship/Youth Pastor