Just a Thought

Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” Genesis 15: 5


As I was driving home the other night there was a beautiful moon lighting my way. I thought about driving home as a teenager in my small town, and how I was so happy then because, well, I was a teenager - what was there to worry about?

It was still the same bright, beautiful moon up there last night that I loved back then.

You know, sometimes we think everything is changing – that everything has changed, but the same moon is up there again tonight, along with very the same stars that Abraham saw. They're all up there. And the same God that put them there and made them shine, He's still there, too.

I don't know what life has for you. I don't know what life has for me. But I know this; I know that God is good. I know that God does not lie. And I know that God has given us the gift of our lives. I can’t tell you the best way for you to honor that gift, but I can encourage you to Love one another. Forgive one another. Work as unto God. Let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts. Make it your ambition to Give. Obey. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

I think your Father will be pleased.

Prayer Requests received March 22nd

Hi guys and gals. Hope you all are having a wonderful week. Work has been busy so far. Something to ponder this week: 'God is a verb'. I read that in the book "The Shack". I am really enjoying the book. It is a little different but I have received a lot from it. Check it out if you have not yet.

Prayer Requests from March 22nd (Please lift them up):
Debbie Lancaster - Brain Surgery (4/15)
Melissa Kennedy's father-in-law had a car accident
18 yr old death in car accident - not sure of name
Vicky - Health issues
Family of Carl Owen - died unexpectedly last Tuesday
Jim and Teresa Demaio - Lung Cancer
Steve Hill - Needs a job, restoration of relationship with daughters
Scott Key - for his son Nick which is considering marriage.
Troy Gill - for broken life - that God will move him to a higher level.
Shawn - needs a job, her daughter to come to church for Easter
Vicky - Brother Robert and friend Bob
Renee Dempsey - safe travel to West Virginia this week.

Thank you for all you do and have a wonderful week. Don't forget to sign up for Easter Services in Volunteer Central. We are expecting a huge crowd. Let's let the visitors see God in us.

Love, Crystal

Prayer Requests from 3-15-09

Several prayer requests from Sunday. Please take the time to say a little prayer for them.

Michael - unspoken
Cathy - daughter sick
Abbey - Debbie Lancaster (neighbor) Has a brain tumor. Surgery scheduled for 4-15.
Darlene - Nephew (medical issues)
Richard - Jim and Theresa Danaio
John Knorr - Praise Business Is Good
Ethan Kennedy - medical
Vicky - Health issues

Something Eddie said Sunday that I loved how he worded it. Jesus didn't die for a religion, but a relationship.

Have a wonderful week and don't forget to let me know which Easter services you will be serving in.

The question is 'Why'?

The question is ‘Why’?

Pastor Eddie’s message yesterday was right on the money. I was sitting there nodding yes to him. I know people around me thought something probably was wrong with my neck. I wanted to yell ‘You go Eddie!’

My question is ‘Why’? Why do we do what we do? The answer is God. Why do we run a camera on Sunday? God! Why do we get up early on Sunday morning? God! Why do we change baby diapers of someone else’s child? God! Why do say hello to people? God! Why do we take the time out to be in Life groups? God! Why do we participate in Bible Studies? God! Why do attend church? God! Why do we volunteer? God! From the beginning to end and everything in between should be about God. Reaching people, growing in our own relationship with Christ, being an example for nonbelievers and believers are a few of the in between. The list goes on and on. If you doubt an action, then don’t do it. If you feel God would not approve, don’t do it.

We as Christians are the light for others. We are the fire. If you feel someone may put your fire out, get away from them. Gather your candles and I will be glad to share my flame. We need to be on FIRE for GOD! Let people see it. Let people feel it. You may be their only hope. Invite people to church, invite people to serve, invite people to learn! Be the person God wants us each to be.

If you have a chance to serve, do it. If you have a chance to go to a life group, go. If you a chance to ask some one to help. Ask them. God places things in front of you for a reason. Don’t close that door or window.

If you have one of the ‘Jesus Is’ shirts, look into the mirror with it on. Jesus is YOU! Jesus is ME! Jesus is in us and needs to be seen!

Easter is coming. I need volunteers on fire to serve that weekend. Are you one of them? Get out of your box. Try something new. If you usually greet, try to usher. If you usually work the kiosk, help the café. Let’s show the fire at Easter. Let’s show the people how much we love God and love our church. Please sign up at volunteer central if you can serve that weekend. I need you to show the fire, God needs you to show his fire! If you want to do all five then do that.

Crystal Riggins

The Way We Were

Inspired by Eddie's singing of the Barbara Streisand hit this morning, I offer a few thoughts on "The Way We Were".

Before we had stifled the cross into a symbol, before we had softened Grace into a sentiment, before we had systematized the power and mystery of God's written revelation of Himself into a set of dogmas, we were the children that we must become again.

When we were those wee kids (you remember, don't you?) every stable was sacred because it was in a stable that Christ was born, and every star was an angel of God's presence because He had told Abraham to see in them the number of blessings to come. Every tree had hands to clap and mountains had voices, pebbles could penetrate the helmets on the heads of giants, sins were shameful and Love was irrepressible.

And we prayed powerful, profound prayers - prayers so direct and wonderfully indiscreet that we blush now when we remember them - the prayers and the faith that lifted them up to God in those heights where we used to meet Him - heights that we now view drearily, dizzily, and doubtfully.

We used to pray: "Into my hear, into my heart, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus..." and we can't grasp it much more now than we could then, only it didn't stop us from praying. When we were little, we gave ourselves over to faith. Now we are big, and too heavy to rise above our own understanding.

When we were kids we sang for the joy of singing, we colored and cut and pasted for the fun of doing it. We ran for the love of running and laughed and got scared and saw the world as a real place full of real dangers and real beauty and real rights and wrongs.

And if the cross is more than a symbol (and it is), and if Grace is more than a sentiment (and, thank God, it is), if Jesus Christ is really God's revelation of Himself and not the product of human imagination (and He is), then we will become the children we once were and must become again.

Stables will be temples, stars will be guarantees, "the trees of the fields will clap their hands and the mountains and the hills will break forth in singing..." We will pray and run and work and give ourselves over to faith. And God will be our Father and His Kingdom will be our home, for we will again be those children that we once were, and "of such is the Kingdom of Heaven..."

Be God's Kids,
Robert

Sunday 3-8-09

Awesome job yesterday!!!! We had a secret visitor to see how everything was going and got great news on how friendly and on their game the volunteers were! GREAT JOB! Sammy did a wonderful job during his message.


Prayer Requests from Sunday 3/8/09:

Please remember Barry and Nancy White's family. They had a terrible motorcycle wreck on Saturday. Nancy died on impact, and Barry was air-lifted to the hospital in Augusta, and is in critical condition. He has broken ribs, internal injuries, and swelling on his brain. He is in a drug induced coma. Please be praying for him, and their family. Barry's brother, Alan and his wife Miranda, are also in our system. Miranda's mom is Nesha Debose, a Marathon member who passed away a few weeks ago.

Marcie Belcher had a prayer request for her friend Sommer Langer and her baby that was born on Friday with an undeveloped heart. They are taking the baby today (Monday) to MUSC (Charleston) for surgery.

Praise report that Ken King is back from his eye surgery.

Please remember all the people without work right now. We received a huge stack of cards from Sunday service of people looking for jobs. We prayed over them this morning. Please also remember to lift up the business owners of our church.

I have heard often that it will get worse before it gets better. I have to remember to place everything in God's hands and I pray you do too.

Have a wonderful week and thank you for all you do.

Love,
Crystal

Leading Together

Something I read yesterday that I wanted to share:

Leading Together
Larry Shallenberger

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity...From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:11-13a, 16).

Consider the different spiritual gifts that God places under the hood of the leaders of the church. God doesn't honor one "silver bullet" style of leadership. God didn't intend these leaders to go off into their own corner of the church and do their own thing. Verse 16 paints a picture of the unity that a diverse team of leaders can enjoy. Some leaders provide muscle. Some provide bone. Some supply the ligaments and tendons. All weave themselves together and grow in love until only one things is visible—Jesus.

I can't accomplish that type of beauty all by myself. In all my years of serving, I will never be able to transform my department into the Body of Christ—not by myself. Neither can you.

We desperately need to operate in teams if we ever want the product of our energy to be Jesus. The good people that God has surrounded you with weren't placed there to be extensions of you. And for that they are thankful.

You might very well be the point person. But you aren't the only leader in your ministry. God gives leadership to churches and ministries in sets of two or more. Do you remember when Elijah had his emotional meltdown on Mount Horeb and told God that he was the only one doing the Lord's work. Somehow he'd forgotten his conversation with Obadiah where 100 of God's prophets had been protected. That's 101 leaders (counting Obadiah) with whom Elijah could do ministry. When God ended Elijah's retreat at Camp Prozac, he instructed Elijah to create a mentoring team with Elisha.

God is not so cruel to make you do ministry alone.