You Are Perfect As You Are
What if you lived a life where you weren’t up at night worrying about how you are going to make everything perfect for your kids? Do you worry about money, or stress about the number of things on your to-do list? Do you have a spouse that you feel like doesn’t recognize your worth? Doesn’t get what it feels like to be a stay-at- home mom or a working mom? Are you going through some scary health news or see your family struggling? There is some really good news…you can stop worrying because you are loved so greatly by our Lord. You are perfect. I used to be there. Sometimes I still catch myself worrying about pleasing people or over-worrying about things that are out of my control. Here are a few words to describe what I used to be…depressed, suicidal, anxious, lonely, fearful. I lived through trauma I thought I’d never escape. Here is a short snippet into my high school days: Hiding in my closet with my dog to protect myself from my drunken brother who was out to hurt himself or my family. Crying at night when another brother would be standing on the balcony threatening to jump with his cut arms. I constantly felt like I was never good enough because that’s what I was constantly told. It’s All About A Relationship We all have our own unique stories, but I’ve realized the more of a relationship I continue to have with the Lord, that is farther and farther that is from the truth. We are wrapped in His grace and love. And the more you learn about our Lord, the more it is impossible to describe the love that He has for you, the more for filled your life will become, and the more meaning your life will have. You are perfect. God made you for a very specific purpose, a perfect purpose. YOU were chosen to be a mother by our creator, a wife, a daughter, and I’d say that’s pretty darn special. Embrace the woman that He has designed it to be. Remember not to compare yourself because every story and journey is different. Once you accept your story and who God made you to be, you can extend that love so greatly to others; and that’s the greatest award. “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:10-12 NIV
Joy Even On The Worst Days
Africa-where the Lord called me to serve. Without even thinking about it or analyzing it, I said yes. There is an unspeakable joy I’ve had in my life, even on my worst days that I’ve never had before that can only be filled by God’s plan and purpose for my life. This was my second trip to eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). It was just as life-changing as the first time, if not more. The first time was taking it all in and seeing the large impact Heart for Africa has on the community, but this time my trip felt most impacted by where the Lord has called me – to the Khutsala artisans. I walked into the room, and here’s what I saw – smiles and excitement on the 100 artisans faces. Then Ncobile, Heart for Africa’s Hospitality Manager, introduced me. This was my first time being on a trip and being a Heart for Africa employee. They definitely made me feel more than welcome. They gave me a special sign, and despite the language barrier, the smiles and warmth on their faces communicated everything. I wish I could have bottled up that moment. My heart breaks for the stories I hear; for the woman that fears for her life another unable to care for her unborn baby a gentleman caring for a household of 13 children with an old gogo (grandma) since the mom passed away Healing happens as burdens are released when these artisans perform work at Khutsala. The Lord continues to work in their lives. He’s providing an opportunity for joy in the midst of tough circumstances. I am blown away by their skills, stories, love, and unshakable faith. We all immediately think about those beautiful 226 children at Project Canaan, but the truth is that it’s so much more. Heart for Africa is changing the country; providing hope and job opportunities, rescuing babies and children, teaching lifelong skills, providing opportunities, feeding children and adults in the community, educating children and adults on Project Canaan and the community and performing some unspeakable miracles all upon the foundation of Jesus Christ as the center of it all. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” – Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV)
When Life Doesn’t Go According To Plan
This past Sunday, I did what I always do. We finished our worship planning meeting at 8 am, and I headed to the prayer room to pray before services. Every week I do this, it’s part of the plan. Lilye, our Prayer Pastor, and our Prayer Team get together and pray over the day. Today was different. As I walked in, Lilye and her husband Sonny were on their knees praying to God. We had never been on knees praying before. Frankly, I needed to get on my knees and humble myself before the Lord because I had taken the first part of my day to tell God how stupid it was for Him to send snow on one of our biggest outreach days (the Easter Egg Hunt) of the year! ? I was making it all about my plans. Get On Your Knees When Your Plan Isn’t Working So I kneeled along with Lilye and Sonny and began to pray. One by one our Prayer Team came into the room and by the end of our time, every single one of them were on their knees. We were crying out to God and asking for His will to be done! I was so humbled and realized I was so wrong when I told God what I thought about how sending the snow was stupid. At that moment, I was so thankful for our leaders who led me to the right action. Despite the horrible weather outside, it was one of our best days as a church. People worshipped with passion, visitors came and were welcomed, friends encouraged and supported friends, an amazing message was delivered that would inspire many, and we had an incredible baptism. Have you ever thought things weren’t going to work out…and they did…according to God’s plan? Have you ever thought, “If God would just do things the way I have them planned out, this would work a lot better?”…but then realized that you’re not God and you need to stop acting that way. Can you relate? If the answer is yes, be reminded of the scripture below… “IF my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Let Your Light Shine
I saw this stat yesterday that said we just experienced the cloudiest February in 57 years! Then the comment was, “Now I know why everyone is so grouchy” ? OR maybe better said by my wife…“Now I know why you are so grouchy!” It’s easy to feel grouchy when the weather is cold and cloudy. Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather, but we can control our actions. It might be cloudy outside, but each day we have an opportunity to represent and shine His Light in a very dark world. Check out this simple challenge that Jesus gives to each of us every day: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) Key Questions To Ask Yourself How can I… Provide encouragement to my spouse today? Encourage my kids today? Help my co-workers today? Be an encouragement to someone I don’t know? Ask God to bring someone into your path today who needs encouragement and that you can be a light for. You will be surprised who He brings and what a difference you can make! My best friend from college always concludes his emails and messages with these two simple words: Keep Shining! Keep on being a light, every day, in every opportunity that presents itself. Do this so others may see your good deeds and GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.
Is The Bible Reliable?
Bible Stories Even if you weren’t raised in the church, you still know more bible stories than you think: Noah and the ______. Jonah and the ______. Joseph and the Amazing ________. Moses and the _______________. Jesus was born in a _____________. He raised from dead on the _____ day. In our culture, many people were raised with these stories and took them as truth. You either grew to understand the context of the stories, or you grew to doubt. Science, logic and history may have contradicted the Sunday School version of the Bible that you knew. In fact, you may have come to doubt if you can trust the words in the Bible. How Did The Bible Become The Bible? Before we can determine if the Bible is reliable, we have to ask, how did the Bible become the Bible? I mean, who wrote it? And why? God didn’t write it. Jesus didn’t write it. So, where did it come from? Historical documents and secular scholars agree that Jesus existed and was executed on a cross, but the story of “The Bible” does not begin in Genesis and it doesn’t starts with His birth. The story of the BIBLE starts when the women show up at an empty tomb. When hundreds of people see Jesus ALIVE in Jerusalem after he was killed publicly on a cross and buried. The resurrection was THE NEWS STORY of the first century. The Bible actually begins BECAUSE of a doctor named Luke. He was not Jewish, but Greek. He was asked to write a document for Theophilus, a wealthy man that had heard many stories of Jesus, from many different disciples. Luke had heard enough stories and met enough of the eye witnesses that he had put his faith in Jesus. So, He asked Luke to give him “the full story”. This is how his document begins: Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled (or have happened) among us, Just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. – Luke 1:1 It’s unusual that more than one account occurred of same event. In ancient times there are virtually no multiple accounts of the same event. The life of Jesus actually stands out in history simply for the fact of multiple written accounts of his life. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. – Luke 1:3 Luke tells us about Mary. Have you ever wondered how we know what the angel said to Mary? It’s because Luke interviewed her. He tells us about all kinds of details, that’s how doctors are. He tells us the name of the person that paid for Jesus’ burial, and many more details that seem insignificant, but are important to the actual proof of life. Why So Many Accounts? It was expensive and unusual to write back then. Most people were illiterate. There are so many accounts because SOMETHING HAPPENED. We know that 4 of the disciples accounts ended up in this. Mark was short, to the point, and full of action. Matthew, a Jew, was saying trust me – Jesus is the Messiah we have been looking for. Luke admits that he is not the only one. John was old, why write it? Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. – John 20:30 But these are written, that you may believe. -John 20:31 That Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life bu the power in his name. -John 20:31 John’s account is all you need. If this is all you ever read, you ever know, this is enough. In addition to all of the accounts of Jesus’ life from his closest disciples, there are also a lot of writings that end up in the Bible. In addition to his account of Jesus’ life, Luke also wrote an account of the first 30 years in the life of the Church, which we call the book of Acts. Luke knew Peter, John and Matthew, he also knew James, brother of Jesus, and he really knew Paul. He traveled and planted churches with Paul. Secular historians agree that the writings of Paul shaped the culture of western civilization. Paul was more than just a Jesus follower and church planter. He explains how Christians should use the Old Testament, for inspiration and motivation, not application. Paul is important to THE BIBLE because: 1. He wrote some of it. 2. He explains the relationship between the parts. 3. He authenticates the resurrection. Some secular scholars dispute the Gospels, their timeline and authorship. They say that Christians made up the story of the resurrection after everyone that could deny it was dead, and then wrote these Gospels to give credence to their made up religion. There are so many historical reasons this doesn’t make sense. Paul’s letter to Corinth is INDISPUTABLE evidence that Jesus’ resurrection was accepted as fact IMMEDIATELY. Nobody disputes that Paul wrote the document we call 1 Corinthians. Nobody disputes that he wrote it about 55 AD, 3 years after he planted the church in Corinth. The Timeline Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. – 1 Corinthians 15:1 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, – 1 Corinthians 15:3 and that he appeared to
Praise God And Give Thanks
Since my husband and I became parents, we have been fortunate enough to take a trip every winter. We head to the Wisconsin Dells to splash around the indoor water-parks with our children. It was a trip my husband took often with his parents, and one he wanted to recreate with his own children. After our first trip, our daughter would continuously watch the videos of her zipping down water slides. She fervently anticipate our next trip. After our second trip, she was two and able to verbalize and remember the trip better. For this most recent trip, she pretty much mentioned the water parks once a week the entire year. She would ask when we would return and tell us they were her favorite vacations ever. Through her excitement, my husband and I found ourselves just as excited. We couldn’t wait to throw on our suits, grab a tube, and have three days of water logged fun. When we arrived, our daughter ran from room to room with her sister close on her heels. She claimed her bed, got her suitcase, and told us how great she thought the room was. We unpacked, and I loaded the girls onto the luggage cart. Then they took a fun ride back to the front desk. On our elevator ride down to the lobby, our daughter crossed her hands and started to pray. She said, “Dear God, thank you for my hotel, thank you for water parks, thank you for my sister, thank you for my mom and dad, and thank you for family time.” Whoa! My eyes began to well, and I smiled down on our faithful little girl. In her mind, this vacation with these massive water slides and these luxurious rooms were all thanks to God. And, she needed Him to know immediately that she was thankful for it. She wanted to praise God. Had I done that? Had it even crossed my mind to thank the Lord? To thank Him for the wonderful things in our life that allow us to have wonderful times such as these? The obvious answer is no, I didn’t. For the rest of the week, my husband and I did model our behavior after our child. We thanked God for the little things every night at dinner, and even throughout the day. We took the time that our children were napping to read our Bibles and discuss how blessed our lives are. The Lord was doing so much in them right now. Be Childlike During one of those naps, my husband stumbled upon Luke 18, and thought of our daughter in the elevator. Reading over Luke 18, we were reminded that we are called to BE childlike in our faith. In Luke, there is the story of people bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus. His disciples rebuked these people. They may have been thinking that Jesus had more important things to do with his time than be surrounded by a bunch of children. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”Luke 18: 16-17 (NIV) Be Excited We are called to model our faith and our excitement for the kingdom of God off of children. This lesson came to my husband and I from the mouth of our own little babe. She was ready to shout her praises to God because of the blessings we have in our life. In Psalms, David proclaims, “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2 (NIV) Praise God Over the years, from other translations of the Bible, the saying “from the mouth of babes” has evolved from this Psalm into a common saying among our culture. It’s used to describe an instance where a child has said something with much more wisdom and insight than us adults can sometimes grasp. God provided us with these little vessels of wisdom, stating multiple times throughout Scripture the importance of allowing them to speak, shout praise, and voice their thoughts on our world. In Matthew, Jesus refers back to this Psalm again to explain the wisdom of a child. Jesus had just finished cleaning the Temple grounds of men who were buying and selling within the walls, telling them that the Temple was intended to be a house of prayer. Children began shouting their praises to Jesus in the Temple, knowing He was the Messiah, and to the dismay of some adults who couldn’t grasp this knowledge, they said to Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying? they asked him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants, you, Lord, have called forth your praise?’” Matthew 21:16 (NIV) The children were wise enough to know who Jesus was. They were wise enough to praise Him, yet the adults had doubts and reservations when it came to this man. Sometimes, we need to put our adult thoughts to rest and remember how to praise in a childlike way, and with childlike wisdom. In addition, we need to listen to what comes out of the mouths of babes, so that we can more fully comprehend the amazing blessings that God has poured upon us. Remember Who Is Responsible On our drive home, we had more conversation about our daughter’s amazing insight into who was responsible for our vacation. We talked about how different our lives would be if we tried to praise like a child. For example, we would be thanking God all of the time for the things we have. Things that we take for granted or even start to believe are from our own doing. We would be sitting in anticipation of amazing things that are
You Will Do Even Greater Things
I’m a visual learner. Always have been. Draw something on a piece of paper and I’ll understand it much better than you telling me with words. So one of my mentors drew this picture on a piece of paper a few months ago. The first picture represents the church trying to get people to attend. This is great! I love this, but the second picture totally blew my mind. What if we looked at the church differently? What if we decided that instead of trying to get people to attend, we instead sent ourselves out to engage with our community? Releasing ordinary people into their communities to multiply the gospel wherever they go! I love this language! What if instead of people coming to hear 1 person speak, we had thousands of people going out and speaking to thousands of people in their sphere of influence? In John 14:12 Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death. In the first part of chapter 14, he says (my interpretation): Don’t worry. I’m going to die and be raised again. Then I’m going to heaven and will prepare a place for you and come back to take you there. In other words…your eternity is set. But until that occurs, here’s what I want you to do… Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. – John 14:12 (NIV) This is mind-blowing. Jesus is saying…you will do even GREATER THINGS than me. This is the same guy who raised people from the dead, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk again and fed thousands with just a few pieces of bread and a few fish. How is this possible? Because the goal for the disciples and the goal for us (as disciples) is to engage our world, our neighborhood, our friends, our neighbors with our love for Jesus. When His love breaks through, miracles occur. Marriages are healed, people find salvation and their eternity is changed, kids grow up to be leaders, adults serve others less fortunate, the world gets better day after day as more and more ordinary people are released to do even GREATER THINGS for Christ. Guess what…that means you have an opportunity today, right now..to make a difference for Christ. Take this day and be on the lookout for opportunities to represent Christ well. I guarantee you will have opportunity after opportunity. Step forward with courage and allow God to use you today!
Communion Is All About The Heart
The Last Supper Go out, order in, buy a few pizzas, cook a big meal? It only took 3 rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors to make the decision, but a fancy meal at home it was. An Easter dinner in our home complete with ham, sweet potato casserole, spoon-bread, and all the fixings, was just what I craved. What is it that makes these meals so special? I don’t think it’s the food. I think it’s the heart. How often do we set out to make what we know is supposed to be a special meal? The mundane every-night dinner is more of a chore than a gift, and that’s what this Easter meal was for me, a gift to my family. When you really think on it, that’s what the Last Supper was, a gift from Jesus to His family. A special moment that came from the heart. It was more about the heart of Jesus than it was about what they consumed. Even today, the heart of that meal means more than the bread and juice. The community that was shared at that table and today in our church home. The closeness of the bond that they shared, and that we now share. The Communion Moment There are times when I crave more from this moment in church; I think that’s my Roman Catholic upbringing. There are times when I want the formal phrases, the transformation of the host and the wine, the familiarity of the ritual. But those words aren’t what Jesus gave us. Those rituals weren’t the purpose of that meal. The only thing Jesus asked was that we would share the bread and wine in remembrance of Him. Luke 22:19 says, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” There is no ritual, no fancy wording, just a simple statement of love and a request. I think back on how shocking it was to be in a church where there was no ceremony, ritual, or buildup to communion. No hoops to jump through. No sacrament you have to take to be able to accept communion. It was odd, and then it became normal. Why should there be anything that delays us from fulfilling Jesus’ request? When you come to communion with the right heart and a desire to remember all that Jesus has done for us, what more weight could or should be placed on this moment? Then I had children…and all of a sudden I felt a need for rules. Guidelines. A set of directions for how to bring them to this moment of sharing in the community of Christ. My Southern Baptist husband was no help. At all. His upbringing makes him say crazy things like they’ll come to it in their own time. Or it has to be their choice. Wait, what?! And all over again, like Baptism (that’s a whole ‘nother story), I am rethinking what communion means, what our part in it is. I realized that I really counted on having a planned set of steps for the kids to climb. Instead, I have to follow the path of faith alone. I can prepare myself and I can prepare our children to understand what communion is. Why it is. What it means. It has all been given to us, it’s all in the Bible: While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat, this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26: 26-28 When Are You Ready? So then, how can we know when we, or our children, are ready to take part in communion? It’s about the heart. It always has been. When we understand the gift of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection. When we can absolutely do what Jesus has asked, to remember Him, we are ready. Whether we are young, old, or in between, all we need is a heart prepared to remember and give thanks for the gift that Jesus is to us.
Does God Answer Prayer?
A common question I hear is, “Does God answer prayer?” Here are the facts: God wants to hear from you, and He wants to know your concerns. God is not a magician. A magician makes things appear as though they are not, a deceiver. You have a God that is a God of truth! God is real, straightforward, and there is no instability in Him. The fear of the Lord, which refers to respect, not submission, is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10 (NIV) The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. – Proverbs 4:7 (NIV) God Always Keeps His Promises God answers prayers in his timing. That answer may be a Yes!, No! or Wait! It might not be when you want him to answer, and the answers might not be what you want to hear, but He is ALWAYS on time! God knows what’s best for you and always answers your prayers. There are a couple of things that can keep Him from giving you what you ask for: #1. Sin, which is acting outside of the will of God. #2. When you’re asking for something that goes against the will of God. Remember God knows what’s best for you, but because sin separates you from Him you must turn to his Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the price…the ultimate price for your sins. When you do, then the roadblock is removed and God hears all of your prayers! Isn’t that great? Are you ready for a real relationship with Jesus? This relationship with Jesus is the direct prayer line and will bring you to great joy and immeasurable peace. When all else has failed, don’t you think it’s time to give Jesus a try? A real try! God loves you and has a plan for success FOR YOU! The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. – John 10:10 (NIV) But understand this, man is sinful and separated from God. We have all done, said, or thought bad things, which the Bible calls sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23 (NIV) There Is Good News God sent his son to die for your sins! God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 (NIV) Christ died for you, but it did not end there. He was buried and raised on the third day. Now, take thought to this next key scripture giving understanding as to why you pray in the name of Jesus. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. – John 14:6 Salvation can’t be bought, earned or bargained for. We are saved only by God’s grace when we have faith in his Son Jesus Christ. All you have to do is believe you are a sinner, believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, and ask for forgiveness. Then, turn away from your sins, which is called repentance. Jesus Christ loves you and knows you. What matters to him is the attitude of your heart, your honesty. God answers your prayer through you receiving the gift of salvation. An Important Prayer Try praying this most important prayer and see what happens: I pray in the name of Jesus as I confess I am a sinner. I ask for forgiveness. I believe with my whole heart, mind , and everything within me, that Jesus is your only son. I believe that he died for my sins. I believe you, Oh God, raised him to life again! I want to trust you Jesus as my savior and follow you as Lord of my Life from this moment foward. Lord in the name of Jesus, be shepherd of my life and help me as I learn of you and do your will. It is in your son Jesus’ name I pray…Amen Read What Is Prayer? Part 1… Read What Is Prayer? Part 2…
GivingTuesday – Give in Gratitude
Have you heard of #givingtuesday? Here’s a challenge for you, and it starts like this… Yesterday was a fun day a church. A friend told me that he was able to sell his house and move into another. He was so grateful that he decided to give a special gift. In gratitude to God, he gave a special gift of $2000 to Destiny Rescue, a mission that rescues girls from human trafficking in Cambodia and Thailand. On #GivingTuesday I can’t think of a better cause to give towards. In 2016, Destiny Rescue rescued 485 girls out of human trafficking. In 2017, they are well past this number of rescues and anticipate being close to 600 girls rescued! Take a moment to think about that. 600 young girls being rescued from human trafficking! Incredible! The key part to the rescue is the after care. After care includes a home to live in, food for each day, emotional and physical counseling, an opportunity to learn a new trade, and then a transition back into society. The goal is to get the girls to a point where they will not return to trafficking. While the increasing number of rescues is outstanding, the funds for after care are not enough to handle the amount of rescues. So…will you consider making a $20 gift to The Village that will go directly to Destiny Rescue? Here’s the challenge: If we can get 100 people to donate $20 each, that will be $2000 going to provide after care for these young girls rescued from human trafficking! We add that to my friend’s generous $2000 gift and we have a total of $4000 to donate to this life changing mission! This is a challenge for #GivingTuesday only so act now! You can give at The Village Christian Church. All gifts are 100% tax deductible. Share this with your friends so we can hit our goal! Give Now
A Divine Appointment Part 2
I listened intently as she spoke about her past. So much pain, layer upon layer of it. I kept thinking about how incredible God is and how he sees each one of us, exactly where we are at any given moment. With this thought in mind I dialed into the conversation, “Lord, what do you want me to say to her? She just ran into my car, we are both stuck on the side of the road. This is an opportunity to share who You are.” I considered different ways to approach delivering the Good News. The longer I considered it, the more nervous I became. “She is going to think I am nuts,” I thought to myself. She had been through so much and as I listened, there was so much that I could relate to and remember from personal experience. I remember everything from my former life, I am just no longer a slave to it. I was set free by the Blood of Jesus and she needed to be set free too. That had to be more important than her “possibly” thinking I was crazy. I looked at her and asked her if she knew that Jesus loved her. “Do you know that Jesus loves you right where you are? Right here in the mess, but he loves you too much to leave you here. He wants you to give all this pain to Him. If you do, he will turn it into something beautiful. If you will hand over the ashes of brokenness, he will give you beauty. Tomorrow doesn’t have to look like today. You have a choice to make. Choose Jesus, He already chose you.” I handed her an invite card to our church. I told her that I wasn’t just inviting her to church but more importantly, into a relationship with her Lord and Savior. Then I exhaled……… At this point the officer walked up with our paperwork from the accident. We stepped away and he went over everything with me, then he did the same with her. Before I got into my car, I walked back over and hugged her, this woman that had become my Divine Appointment. What a blessing this encounter had been, but as I pulled away from the side of the road, I knew that I should have prayed with her before I left. I prayed this prayer instead, “Lord, forgive me for not praying with her before I got back into my car. That was a missed opportunity. If you give me another chance, I will do it right.” He did give me that chance and it happened soon after! God hears our prayers and He loves to answer them. Keep an eye out for your next Divine Appointment! Read A Divine Appointment Part 1
A Divine Appointment Part 1
I had an appointment that morning. I don’t like to be late, so I was being very careful to finish up what I was working on so I could leave on time. However, I needed to take some time to pray so I went to the prayer room for some privacy. I lifted up many people and many things and then, right before I was finished, I prayed, “God, I know you don’t need me to do anything for you today, but I want to do whatever you would like me to do. If there is someone I encounter today that needs to experience your love, please bring them to my attention. Lord, I know I get busy and distracted. Will you please make sure that I am aware of the person that needs to see you?” Prayer is powerful my friends. God is powerful and there is nothing he cannot do, and He was getting ready to answer my prayer in a surprising and abrupt way! I left the church on time. I had driven about half a mile when a car came flying up behind me and hit me. My appointment was my first thought, “I am going to be late. I hate to be late.” My second thought as I was pulling off to the side of the road was, “I hope they pull over with me and don’t take off. I better check their plate and remember it.” The third thought, as I got out of my car and saw the person that hit me was, “It’s her!” She was talking about a mile a minute, and while she was talking to me I was talking to Jesus. “This is her! Wow, that was fast! Thank you for hearing me, thank you for introducing us, what do you want me to say to her?” The police took about half an hour to get there and half an hour to do paperwork. I had an hour to invest in this soul who was desperately in need of a relationship with Jesus. She was sharing her story with me as we waited on the side of the road with cars driving by. During that hour, she described a life of incredible pain, unimaginably difficult life circumstances. I could see that she was stuck at the point of her pain. For someone stuck fast in quicksand, this accident could have added more weight and pushed her under, but that morning, Jesus had other plans. Jesus saw me and he saw her and changed both our plans into a divine appointment. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) Read A Divine Appointment Part 2
Celebrate Easter At The Village
Easter is a great time for family, friends, traditions, and celebration. Our hope is that you would stop by, connect, celebrate and have a great experience with your family and friends! We invite you to The Village Easter Egg Hunts! We like to have fun here at The Village. Watch this to see 2 of our Pastors… https://vimeo.com/208663740 2 Egg Hunts To Choose From! Come to service Saturday, 4/8 @ 5 pm, or Sunday, 4/9 @ 11 am, then immediately following will be the egg hunts. Both egg hunts will be exactly the same – airplane flyover (weather permitting), the Easter Bunny, Minooka police and fire departments will be there with a police car and fire truck, an inflatable obstacle course, $1 hot dog meals, and loads of candy! All Kid Village rooms will be open Saturday and Sunday for the 9:30 and 11 am services. Infants – preschool only will be open for the 8:30 am service. Note: There will also be Sunday services at 8:30 and 9:30 am on Sunday, April 9th. We invite you to Easter Services at The Village! You have four service choices: Saturday, April 15 @ 5pm Sunday, April 16 @ 8:30, 9:30, 11am Nate will be teaching about “How Good Is Good Enough?” We’ll look at the Bible to answer the questions, How do we know who is good enough? How do you become good enough? Kid Village will be closed Saturday, but will be open Sunday during all services for infants – 4th grade. Our services are open to all. If you don’t have a church home, please come and visit. If you’ve never been to church, please come and visit. You’ll find that The Village is a little different type of church! If you’re new, click here to find out a few things about us. We usually dress casual, but feel free to dress in your Easter best on this special day! We’re excited to see you, your family, and your friends! Come early to get your seat!