Anonymous Laments

These were recently sent in from some people in our church. Please continue to send in your laments and praises as it is clear that God has been doing a great work in the lives of many people within our church.

Creator God, Lord of the Universe,

My God, My God,

Hear me when I cry.

Where are you? Do not hide your presence from me. Come quickly!

The winter storms have come in all their fury,

The bone chilling cold and biting winds,

The arctic how silences all other noise,

Snows deep, wet and heavy continue to fall around me.

All that is familiar lies buried beneath them.

Not a sign of where to go or where I am or where you are.

Do no leave me alone. Hasten to my side.

Come quickly!

Assist me.

Show me the way.

Comfort me in my loneliness and fear.

Silence the dark voices that say, “Spring will never come again. The days of warmth and sun are long gone. Buds, birds, flowers and fields. Images of only the past. You are forgotten. You will die.”

There is silence.

A long silence.

But this my soul will recall. You are a God of mercy.

Your faithfulness is from long ago. You cannot forget Your children.

More silence.

Darkness.

My body shivers.

Though winds still blow and snow still falls.

My heart will rejoice in you, my God.

Yes, my heart will sing a song to my God, my Shield and my Deliverer.

O Lord, please do not forget me.

I cry out day and night but I cannot find you.

I am overwhelmed by my thoughts and my place of rest is bare and desolate.

My enemies surround me and consume me on every side.

How long O Lord, how long will your favor be hidden from me.

My sins are many and not one of them are hidden from you O Lord.

I cry out to you in the morning but at night I feel distant and alone.

In my own strength I can reach out to you but you are not there.

All that I have known is overtaken by the sins of this world.

Sorrow fills my heart and my enemy is exalted over me.

Without you O Lord, I am hopeless.

Without you I cannot climb the mountain that is before me and feel the warmth of the sun.

Raise me up O Lord.

Set me on the rock that cannot fail.

Fill me with your joy and peace, day and night and I will praise your Holy name.

Without you Lord, I will descend into the deepest pit, never to be restored.

But I will continue to put my trust in you o Lord.

From the depths of my depravity and depression I know I will be raised up by your promise of deliverance.
You are the rock of my salvation.

You are the Great One.

It is you who created the night sky with the stars and planets.

You tell the moon and the sun when to rise and fall.

It is you who send the clouds and the rain.

It is you who paint the leaves in the fall with colors of red, yellow and orange.

It is you who sent your son so that I may know the fullness of your mercy and grace.

Abba Father, you have dealt greatly with me.

All praise and glory and honor and blessing be yours O Lord, now and forevermore.

Where's the Line to See Jesus?

By Verlyn Mahaffey

On Monday I was going through a myriad of emails and came to one that was sent to me from a friend. I did not have time to really listen to it as I had a million things to catch up on ….but I clicked and opened it. And I am glad that I did. As I listened to the song and watched the video I was so encouraged and my soul was restored with the real meaning and focus of Christmas. I hope you will take the time to listen and enjoy the message and then get in line!!!!!

What Are You Seeking?

By Eric Miller

What is it that you're seeking?

I find myself constantly fighting this battle where I'm so easily distracted by all of these "things" in life. Whether it's entertainment or relationships or even just rest ... I'm seeking them even when I don't realize that I am. I find myself trying to control my life based on and around the things that I want. So I asked myself a simple question ... "why?"

Why do I do this?

The only conclusion that I could come up with is that I'm not seeking God and allowing Him to satisfy me. I'm seeking other things or people to try to meet my needs. And I'm quickly realizing how very backwards that is.

Maybe you're like me and you can relate all of this. If so, then I encourage you to watch this challenging video below and allow God to speak to you through it. I pray that by the end of this 3 minute video, you'll know exactly what it is that you've been seeking instead of Him. And I will pray that before you leave this blog that you'll come up with a plan of action to start seeking God rather than the thing you've identified.

Thanksgiving Rest

By Lisa Catania

I want to encourage all the mothers out there who are like me and are starting to get frantic about the Thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time to rest with our family, be thankful, and sing praises to our Heavenly Father, who loves us so much! However, many times I find I am busy fussing over the meal and missing an opportunity to love, laugh and fellowship with the family. So, join me as I am determined this year to leave my stress at the cross and fully enjoy Thanksgiving. So start with me by kicking back, read one of my favorite little stories below and laugh…..(yes….I can totally relate to this story…….)

"Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving – Author Unknown

I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:

Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect. Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.

We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like.

Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to beam your sister in the head with warm, tasty bread. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance.

Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice, though: take it or leave it. Thought you might all enjoy.

Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won't come next year either.

I am thankful."

Date Added: 10/01/08
Thanksgiving Christian Stories and Poems
http://www.christianstories.com

Staff Devotional - Our Psalms Part Three

Here's another look into our Staff Devotionals led by Erin O'Hara.

Last week at staff devotions, we read and studied Psalm 34. We learned it was an “acrostic psalm” – each line starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Together we worked on our own acrostic psalm:

Above all things, we exalt You, oh God

Behold Your majesty and sovereignty in our lives

Continue to guide and direct us with Your wisdom and love

Deliver me from the deceit of the flesh

End well my heart and life with your wisdom

Find in me a true heart of worship and praise for Your amazing love and grace

God is in charge and all-powerful

He hears our laments and delivers us from our enemies

I will praise Him forever

Just as you are Lord, help me to be the same

Knowing my weaknesses, God gives me opportunity to be strengthened and grow

Leading me and standing beside me, He is my strength when I have none.

My soul is heavy with other’s burdens, may I trust in You, O Lord

Now when I lay down to sleep, may I never doubt you’ll watch these other’s souls

Only when I seek your peace and rest in You will I know that You care for these others.

I will Pray to my God to give us wisdom as we serve the Lord our God together.

Our Quest is to honor you in all we do and say for You alone are our refuge and strength.

We will Rest in your unfailing love and share this with those who come.

Stillness is the result of resting in God’s sovereignty

Tithing is the result of obeying God’s command

Unbelief is what keeps us from taking new ground

Very important; do not try to please the complainers

We cannot get away from You God, we need your Spirit to guide us.

EXamine our motives, our thoughts and actions – may they be pleasing to you

You alone are our Redeemer and Savior, we surrender our lives to You.

Zeal for your Name is on our lips. May the Lord God, Jehovah be praised forever.

Some good truths in a silly way!

By Eric Miller

If you're like me, it's easy to get lost, frustrated and discouraged about the truth in the midst of elections. It makes me so glad that God is unchanging and no matter what happens in life He's always good. Sometimes the circumstances in life can change our view of God and His character and who He really is ... so here's a video by a Christian band called "Gungor" that gives us some simple truths on who God is.

The Favor of God ... During Elections!

By Emerson Work

With heated campaigns fueled by billions of dollars and election results fresh in our minds, I am reminded that the real answers to what we truly need are found elsewhere:

Psalm 85

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

1 Lord, you poured out blessings on your land!
You restored the fortunes of Israel.
2 You forgave the guilt of your people—
yes, you covered all their sins.
3 You held back your fury.
You kept back your blazing anger.

4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation.
Put aside your anger against us once more.
5 Will you be angry with us always?
Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?
6 Won’t you revive us again,
so your people can rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.

8 I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
But let them not return to their foolish ways.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
so our land will be filled with his glory.

“The favour of God is the fountain of happiness to nations, as well as to particular persons. When God forgives sin, he covers it; and when he covers the sin of his people, he covers it all. When we are reconciled to God, then, and not till then, we may expect the comfort of his being reconciled to us.” (IVP New Testament Commentaries)

Two more laments!

These were submitted anonymously and the second is written from the perspective of one of the Chilean miners. Great laments! Please keep them coming! Don't forget that you can send them to Eric Miller at eric@gccfred.org to be posted. Thanks!

"I am hurting.

I am weak.

I am not useful.

I don’t act like Your child.

Lord Almighty, only You can help me.

Only You have the power to change my heart, my mind, my tongue, my trust.

You alone know how I struggle with money, relationships, words, my tone of voice, & my sincere trust in You.

Dearest Father, I sit at your feet asking You to change me, even more than You already have. May others see You in my life & give me a servant attitude. Let me die to self.

But, Abba, Father, You have never failed me. I look for Your hand to touch me.

I praise Your holy name! You are my everything!"

From the perspective of the Chilean miners ...

"God, I’m in a real pit this time.

No one knows where I am. I am so alone.

Will I starve to death?

Will I kill myself?

Will I lose my mind?

What am I to do?

I am not only entrapped in my body but also in my mind, my soul, & my spirit.

Who can I turn to but you?

Where can I go but to you, my Salvation?

My eyes burn, my heart throbs, my chest is heavy from lack of air, my stomach moans.

You alone can save me.

You alone will tell them where I am, how to find me & how to save me.

I wait for you, O Lord.

But, I know You love me with an everlasting love Father.

I look for Your saving hand.

I will worship You forever.

I will remember Your kindness to me.

I will tell others of Your miracle when You save me from this forlorn place & many will come to know you."

Laments of Grace

This past Sunday, Pastor Eric challenged us to start writing our laments to God and encouraged us to share them with others. Don't forget that if you missed out on this sermon or any other, you can listen to them on the church website or download them to your iPod through iTunes.

Here is the first lament that was sent in by Gary Madonna.

Help me, O God! I don’t turn to others; I turn to you.

I am weary by not practicing and playing my sax in church. I have pulled away from your presence and blessing.

Let “Your Passion for Music” be expressed in and through me. I want You to enter into the resolution of this request.

I know I can’t do this on my own; You know the passion (song) is not there.

I will praise You as I lament knowing that only in You will the song return.

You are the Song.

You can email your laments to Pastor Eric to post (eric@gccfred.org) and if you would like your lament to be anonymous please feel free to let him know that as well. So who's next?

GOD'S HANDIWORK

By David O'Hara - Care Deacon

I love to work with my hands. I love to see something, create a vision, plan and follow through to a finished project. This usually leads me to woodworking, small engines or home improvement projects as they feed that desire to create.

My latest project is a small toy box for our family room. To match with our décor, I started plans for a rough, older-looking toy box with weathered wood. As I searched through my collection of scraps from prior projects, I found 6 mixed pieces of wood. I remembered back to when I picked up that lumber at the estate auction of Erin’s late Aunt Helen some seven or eight years ago. They had some paint on them, weren’t planed, sanded, square, or even the same length or width. In fact, I got them because they were left behind by their buyer. Someone had gauged his “find” in a pile of treasures and cast off this mixture of oak, poplar and cedar wood as trash. Here, some eight years later that wood was exactly what I was looking for.

That wood was about to be planed square, arranged and assembled with a purpose. It would be cut, glued, screwed, sanded and accessorized. This process got me thinking about how we are just like that wood. We are rough. We have paint on us and blemishes from our sins and poor decisions. We have knots and dents, holes and scars. In fact, many of us feel the rejection of those scars and hurts, being cast off as by the auction buyer: unwanted, broken, useless. But our Creator is the master woodworker. We are His handiwork. He takes us as we are and gives strength to the meek, blessings to the humble. He re-purposes us from a pile of trash for a real, true purpose. His design is far more elaborate than a toy box. He is building a kingdom that stretches to every tribe, tongue and nation. And in the midst of His master plan are each of us. Broken, but useful in spreading the good news of our Lord and Savior.

God, thank you for making me with a purpose. Thank you for making me as Your handiwork.

Staff Devotional - Our Psalms Part Two

These are some of the staff's writings from our devotional time together. Lisa Catania challenged us to reflect on an attribute of God and to write down some key ways that we see Him at work in our lives through that attribute. Here are our thoughts:

The LORD [Jehovah God] is gracious and merciful …

*when I deserve judgment – He saved me.

*when I deserve His wrath – He died for me.

*when I am disobedient – He is not less gracious & merciful to me.

*when I have opportunity I will tell about Him & His grace & mercy … to family, neighbors, strangers and friends.

The LORD is merciful at all times. He withholds His hand of judgment and His compassion flows freely. He does not repay our failures with anger but extends great mercy & loving kindness and my heart returns to Him in response.

God is good. The LORD cannot be anything but good. His creation was perfectly made, in the perfect time and for the good of his creation/us! His plans are for our good. His motives behind His plans are good. Humans, even the good ones, cannot be good without God. Even when life is hard, God is good.

The LORD is my provider … He has given me life. Each and every breath is a gift from Him. He has given me everything I need. I will trust Him in the coming days, weeks, months and years to provide for me a car [praise Him – He has TODAY!] a wife and a family and everything He knows I need … all in His perfect timing!

The LORD’s faithfulness endures. His faithfulness is clearly evident. You do not leave me hanging even when I turn from You. Your presence does not forsake me. I find You in my contentment and my in my pain. Your hand upholds me and gives me what I need when I need it. I praise You for Your faithfulness. My soul is overwhelmed O my God.

The LORD is faithful and keeps His promises. He knows my need before I do and meets those needs in His perfect timing. I will thank Him and praise Him all the days of my life. I will speak this truth to the generations that follow me.

The LORD is sovereign.
*He knit me in my mother’s womb.
*He hears & knows my every cry.
*He is the beginning and the end; the alpha and omega.
*He is the LORD over all.

Thank you from the Catania Family

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your support of our mission’s trip to South Africa from Sept. 1-13!! You blessed us with finances, material donations, and prayer support! We were a part of a 16 member team from Grace Community Church, Maryland and partnered with a 6 member team from Georgia to work with Build the Nations ministries in a village called Shayandima. We encourage you to go to http://www.buildthenations.org/ to see the work that is going on in that region of South Africa.

 

With your help we were able to fill over 30 suitcases at 50 pounds each of clothing, school supplies, medicines, shoes, bed sheets, hats, towels and other necessities. These supplies will be used for the children who attend the Shayandima School of Tomorrow on the base where we stayed, the 5 orphans who live on base, and the surrounding village.

We spent most of our time at the walled base which contained the Shayandima School of Tomorrow, cottages and dorms for the teachers and compound workers, large playing fields, and the foundation for the future orphanage. Our time there was filled with building, repairing, and painting the facilities on the base. We also conducted 10 Vacation Bible to over 450 students at the school and afterschool programs in the village outside of the base. The children were thrilled to be with us and were so open to hearing God’s Word. We provided food for the children at the afterschool program which for many of them that was their only meal of the day. We also funded, organized, and then provided large baskets of food for 20 widows who come to the base on a regular basis for food for their families. We did enjoy 2 days at the end of our time on a safari in Kruger National Park. It was amazing!

We felt God’s presence the entire time on the trip. We believe God really worked in our lives and the lives we touched. We will forever be changed by this amazing experience. Glory to God! Thank you again for your support!! Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Tom, Lisa, Ashley and Austin Catania

Staff Devotional - Our Psalms

By Eric Miller

Every Tuesday morning we have a church staff meeting and at the conclusion of that meeting we spend time together doing a devotional. Recently we've been reading through the Psalms. We spent many weeks studying Psalm 139 and allowing God to give us a hunger for His Word. Since then and in connection to our Spiritual Journey - "From Lament to Praise: Encountering God in the Psalms" - we've been studying different psalms and truly taking time to slow down and savor the richness of God's truth.

This past week, we studied Psalm 1 and I (Eric) challenged us to use the wording and concepts from Psalm 1 to either write our own prayer, lament psalm or something to make the Psalm personal to us. And we loved the experience so much that we wanted to share a few of these with you! We certainly aren't trying to add anything to God's Word, nor do we support that. But we do want to slow down enough when studying God's Word to be able to apply it to our lives in various ways, and we'd encourage you to do the same. In October, you'll have the chance on a Sunday morning to start writing your own lament Psalm, so why not start now and start thinking of how Psalm 1 applies to your life!

Psalm 1 - NIV

1 Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, 


and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 


which yields its fruit in season 


and whose leaf does not wither. 


Whatever he does prospers.

4 Not so the wicked! 


They are like chaff 


that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, 


nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, 


but the way of the wicked will perish.

"So if I don't follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners or join in with mockers; then I will have joy (NLT). The NIV says I will be blessed. And if I meditate day and night on the law of the Lord, then I will be delighted and I will be like a tree planted along the river, bearing much fruit, my leaves will not wither and I will be prosperous in everything I do. The final piece is that in all this the Lord will watch over me, He will guide me on the path of Godliness and righteousness. God, would you allow this to be said of me!" ~Eric

"Lord, I consider myself blessed when I don't follow the ways of people who walk in darkness ... even though I see temporary fulfillment come in their ways. Lord, I revel in your Word, but I realize any experience doesn't always match my knowledge of reveling in your Word. Lord, I need to remember the flourishing and strong results of the growing tree. Lord, you remember my way (the righteous one) and the temporary, fulfilling path of people in darkness is a perishing way." ~Pastor Mike

"Blessed am I when I seek the counsel of God's Word and His people. Blessed am I when I delight in His Word and meditate on it day and night. Like a fruited tree planted by streams of water I am blessed and I prosper. Blessed am I not to blow away like chaff or stand in judgement. For God watches over me and I am blessed!" ~Lisa Catania

"I don't meditate on the counsel of the wicked. I do meditate on God's counsel. I don't watch TV day and night. I'm listening to God 24/7. In learning to be faithful, God is making me fruitful with ripe juicy fruit. The wicked aren't rooted, they are blown away. God will deal with the wicked. God knows my path. The wicked path lead to destruction." ~Pastor R

Where do you find God?

By Erin O'Hara

Psalm 42:1,2, 7-8

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?...
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

My family and I have been enjoying a restful vacation at the beach. Over the last week I have so enjoyed watching the ocean – the waves especially soothe my soul and minister so many aspects of my God to me. As we have been dwelling on the beautiful attributes of God I have been so reminded of Him in His magnificent creation.

I see His all-powerful creativeness as I look out over the beach. The sparkles glistening on the water are unlike any manmade creation. The sun reflects on the moving sea and captures millions of diamonds that God put there for me to enjoy. Even at night the moon’s reflection sparkles in the deep and shows me a Father who has given all things for my enjoyment. No jewel can compare to the natural brilliance of His creation.

I feel His omnipotence and omnipresence as I wade out into the ocean - I love to jump the waves! Last week the waves were serene, like a lake – bobbing into shore, relaxing and calm. This week with the swirling hurricane out in the gulf, the waves are potent, threatening and rough. The Spirit has ministered His power to me. I see the ocean as a reflection of Him - multi-faceted, powerful yet in control, beautiful but not safe, at times soothing and calm and at times stripping and all-consuming. I was meditating on the verse above – Psalm 42:7 – “all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” In the threat of the waves breaking, I have had to dive headfirst into many and allow that power to sweep over my body. It is invigorating, cleansing and sometimes very rough. Sea water invades my eyes, ears and mouth and at times I tumble, searching for sure footing. My heart has filled with fear looking at a particular large wave breaking just inches before me, but I am reminded that there is nowhere my God is not. He is beside me, before me and within in. His power is unlike any other – He has shown many times in Scripture and in my life that He controls the literal waves and that He controls the waves in our lives.

My soul thirsts for Him…in His waves is where I have met Him today.

Where do you find God? Seek Him out today and meet Him – He is not hiding!

Ordinary

By Verlyn Mahaffey

Webster defines it this way: “usually commonplace.” Ever feel this way about yourself? Leaves you feeling a little let down, not so special, asking a million questions …what is this life all about? Does anyone care?

God defines it this way: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. “ I am not ordinary (no comments please) ….God knit me together, just right, just the way He wanted, with an eternal purpose. Now that is not commonplace. But it gets better!

God did not just stop there! He knows me! He wants to spend time with ME! His words are powerful: “You have searched me and you KNOW ME! You KNOW when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down, you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you KNOW it completely.” God knows me completely, and He loves me.

Now this is not commonplace!

These verses from Psalm 139 say that God is involved in my life. He cares about every aspect of my life and He is present. I don’t have to wait, I don’t have to send an email and hope He answers and I don’t have to wait in line. This reminds me of this past weekend as we took our grandson to Hershey Park (I know what were we thinking…it was Labor Day Weekend!) As we walked the park and saw the lines it became somewhat discouraging especially with a three year old. At one point we were waiting in line and he just cuts loose in his booming voice and in his way said something like, “Hey, people get out of this line”. Well, I am so glad that I don’t have to do this with God, He is ever present and available, desiring my presence, ready to greet me!

Ordinary? I don’t think so! I just love God’s definition! One that wiIl not change. I only pray that I can live there!

A New School Year ...

By Susan Greeves

So here it is school time. Kids going back to private school, public school, charter school, and home school (or for some of us home schoolers it's just getting into a structured routine). I've been impressed upon that people tend to stereotype every avenue of choice there is. I've heard several times that people will say, 'oh your children are so well behaved, they must be home schooled' It boils down to this; it isn't the choice of education that makes the children the way they are; it's being raised in a Christ centered home that makes the difference. I'm going to use this as a springboard for some thing that has been on my mind lately. It's not the actions of the choices you make but what's in your heart of why you made those choices. No matter what area in life you are talking about; nursing-bottle feeding; eating organic-eating the best food your finances can buy; 'regular' birthing opposed to planned c-sections; homeschooling, private schooling, public schooling; EVERYthing has at least two sides to it, and it's only the heart that God is concerned with in the choices that aren't sinful either way(is this glorifying to Him and His kingdom--is Christ's reputation at the center of this thing we are choosing and He is allowing?). He is grieved if we "don't care" and just live life like we don't read the bible and don't measure our choices by what He says. It says in James 1:22" 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says". And He is grieved when we don't show our faith by our actions in matters of choice concerning sin.James 2: 24 "24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." But a lot of things we do in this life, are choices He allows us to do different from one another, and are not sin issues. Choice and His allowance of the follow through or outcome of that choice will glorify and honor God on His terms, not ours. Romans 8:28"28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" and Ephesians 1:11b "according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will".

This brings me to being a good steward of what He gave us, children, earth, resources, schools of all types, etc etc. Wikipedia defines the biblical world view of stewardship as: "'Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation.' The central essence of biblical world view stewardship is managing everything God brings into the believers life in a manner that Honors God and impacts eternity." We need to use this definition as something to measure our choices up against, even the ones that have so many sides to choose from, and none of which are sins. And we aren't all going to choose or be able to choose the same things. We may want to, or not want to, but if God wants us to or doesn't want us to, then it will or won't work out-His outcome, after a heart that wants to glorify Him. We need to be edifying each other, building each other up, encouraging each other to keep Christ at the center, not whatever the choice is (as if it's a better choice than someone else's).

History repeating itself!

By Steve Ranney

Genesis 47:13-26 "Joseph and the Famine"

In olden times when Egypt had a serious famine, everyone ran out of food, so Pharaoh bought up all of the grain and sold it back to the people. When everyone ran out of money, Pharaoh took over their livestock for grain. And when they ran out of livestock, Pharaoh took over their land for food. Eventually the people were fully beholden to Pharaoh.

2010. We are broke. Homes have been forth closed. Health plan has been taken over by the government. Banks, real estate typhoons, the auto industry and others have been taken over by the government. Almost half of the entire population in the USA are being supported by the government by either subsidies of some sort or paying no taxes. Who can retire without the government and social security? Everyone is in bondage to the government, just like Pharaoh.

We only have one God, and that is not the government. Moses lead the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt. Our country was built out of tyranny in England and with Christian values. We cannot allow our county to return to the bad ways of the past.

A Response to a Call to Disciple

By Susan Greeves

Wow, Pastor Dan's sermon was excellent and hit the nail on the head in every way that God has been speaking to me! Challenging me to continue with discipling, not only discipling my children, but having a humble-a teachable spirit to BE discipled continually too.

Wikipedia defines the word disciple as this: "The word disciple is used today as a way of self-identification for those who seek to learn from the teachings of Jesus, such as the Sermon on the Mount." Wikipedia also says that while Jesus had a large number of followers, it was not clear if they were actually disciples (my own paraphrasing). I would agree, just because someone knows about Jesus, doesn't not mean they are actively seeking to learn His ways--the difference in "head" knowledge and "heart" knowledge.

I find that I say that I want my life to be submitted to God to allow Him to transform me, but I find myself taking back that submission over and over again (not necessarily in all areas of my life at once, but different ones at different times). I need to continually become humble-to allow my spirit to be teachable. Praise God that it's my heart that he looks and not my outward actions--it's my continual renewing of seeking His knowledge that He is able to glorify Himself through His transforming power in my life. What a wonderful power His transformation is, without me changing myself on my own power, I look back and see how He has changed me in so few years since accepting His son as my Savior and Lord of my life.

Let me switch gears here for a minute to what I've discovered discipling is not: I've realized that discipling is not telling someone else HOW God should be working in their life or that He will "come through" for them the same way as He did in my life. He works completely different in one life to another. When we disciple another we help them seek Him and His way for their responses to their circumstances in life (allowing Him to glorify Himself through us). We may use our similar experiences to prove God's faithful, but not to say that's how He will work in their life. We have to becareful not to tell someone else how God will work, but to encourage that He IS faithful and will work, if we seek Him wholly. Praise God!

A week in Haiti

By Eric Miller

(to see more pictures check out his blog - www.ericmillerblog.com)

I had the awesome opportunity to spend a week in Haiti from July 29 to August 5th and I can honestly say that it was one of the best weeks I’ve had in a long time. I’m also convinced that for the past 6-8 months, God had been preparing me BIG time for this opportunity. I’d like to tell you a little bit about the story of how I got to Haiti and let the video and the pictures tell the story of the week. I know that’s not usually how these things go, but if you’d like to hear more specifics about the week ... then you’ll have to take me out for coffee :) because I’m convinced that the coolest part of the story is what God did leading up to this week!

(I know this is long, but trust me ... you won’t regret reading it!)

In December of 2009, I had some hard decisions to make. The short version of the story is that I was about to take a significant pay cut at the church due to the economy and I was questioning whether God wanted me in Frederick as the Youth Pastor still. I spent several weeks praying about it and seeking the Lord’s Will the best that I could and by the beginning of the new year I was sure that this is where God wanted me to be ... right here in Frederick. The funny part is that I knew this would be the place where I would have to depend on Him the most and depend on myself the least. Little did I know what he had in store.

In January of 2010, with the pay cut now in effect I knew that I would need to start looking for a part-time job. And I found one working at a local middle school with an after school program. Truth be told, I really wasn’t all that excited about having to do this job just to supplement some of my lost income and was bummed that I was losing hours that I felt I needed to fulfill my role as Youth Pastor at the church. At the beginning my attitude probably wasn’t where it needed to be and I was pretty much just focused on myself. But I knew that this job had some potential because not only would it help me make the money I had lost in my pay cut, but I knew that it could open some doors and give me an opportunity to get to know some more students in the community. So I tried to make the most of it and gave it my best. What I quickly found out was that God was truly at work here. I ended up making $5 a month more than I had before my pay cut (see God does have a sense of humor - now I was “making money.”) But more importantly it was in the relationships that I built where I saw Him working the most. The director of our program was also in full-time ministry as her husband is also a Youth Pastor and I got to work along side Adam Forsberg as well, who was a part of my Youth Staff at the church and would later become my summer intern. Also on our staff at the school was another area Youth Pastor and a guy who lead a college aged Bible Study! If it hadn’t been for this part-time job, I might not have ever met these wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ and partners in the ministry.

In February, God started breaking my heart for some of the students at the school. Adam & I decided that we were going to start praying for them specifically by name and that we would were going to look for opportunities to encourage them if we could in any way. One of the students came on our Winter Retreat with our youth group and one other has since come to our Youth Group and many of the students from the program have started going to the Youth Group of the other Youth Pastor! It was amazing to see God use us as we built relationships with these students. But more than that, it was a wonderful partnership with those who I worked with. SO much so that my director’s husband got in contact with me and presented me with another opportunity. His name is Justin and he told me that he had recently co-authored a book with a good friend of his, Jeremy, and that he was in a band and they would be going on a book tour soon to promote their book. Well they asked if I’d be interested in having them come to our Youth Group to close out their tour. After learning that the band was WILLET and realizing that I had met them a year or so before at a Youth For Christ event that I spoke at (and they lead worship for) I was very excited to have them come. It was awesome getting to know Justin & Jeremy better as we prepared for that night and I learned that they are as passionate as it gets for the Lord and that God was doing amazing things in their lives.

The night that they came to our Youth Group, they presented our students with an opportunity to sponsor orphans in Haiti. We quickly learned that Jeremy’s wife, who is a full-time missionary in Haiti, works directly with many of these orphans and that she was in Haiti when the earthquake hit. I felt strongly that night that God was calling me to do more than just sponsor a child, but at the time I wasn’t quite sure what that meant. Our students ended up sponsoring 25-30 orphans for a year and we invited WILLET to come back to our church again a few weeks later to lead worship on a Sunday morning. That Sunday, they gave the same invitation for our church to sponsor some children and another 45-50 were sponsored. It thrilled me to see this partnership with WILLET and our church and to see how God was moving in these two times that they were leading us in worship. So I talked to my former roommate (Matt Johnson) who had heard about WILLET’s matching grant for their book and we decided that we needed to do something else to help them raise some money for Haiti relief efforts. And thus our Dodgeball for Haiti Tournament was born. We were able to raise over $12,000 for disaster relief funds through WILLET and Food for the Hungry and this matching grant. This also gave us another opportunity to present the gospel to students in the community that we wouldn’t normally be able to reach.

Finally, this past spring, my college roommate sends me an email and says that he recently signed up for this one week trip to Haiti and that there’s only a few spots left and I should sign up to go. I truly wanted to go, but my mind quickly went to all the reasons why I wouldn’t be able to ... I had already been gone a lot from work over the summer, where would I come up with the money on such short notice, my passport had expired the summer before and on and on! Well I decided I’d at least ask our Senior Pastor to see what he’d say and he was really excited for me to have the opportunity and said I should go. So in less than 2 months time, I was then able to renew my passport, raise all the money that I needed, got my airfare booked 3 days before I left town and had a summer intern to cover for me at the church!

And while I was in Haiti, God truly renewed my heart for his Word, for His people and for the work that He’s doing in Haiti on a whole new level. It truly was a wonderful week and I cannot wait to help lead a team from Grace Community Church with Matt Johnson back to Haiti sometime in the next year or so (assuming God allows it!)

WOW! And seriously ALL of that happened because I made a hard decision to put my faith and trust in God when humanly speaking it made no sense at all. Praise God for my pay cut and for having to get a part-time job!

Serving for Him

By Angie Fogle

When I heard the questions asked last Sunday, “What can you do to serve God?” I immediately started to ask myself these questions. When would I fit “serving” into my already hectic schedule? What if I don’t know exactly what to say or do? What if I am not as effective as someone who might have more experience or be more knowledgeable in God’s word? Satan was truly working to make me believe that I am not good enough to serve.

I turned my thoughts to a time when others blessed me by serving my family and I. We had just brought a newborn home from the hospital and our small group and family organized meals to be served to us. The last thing on my mind after coming home from the hospital was what I would be making for dinner. I just wanted a little sleep! What a blessing it was to eat a hot meal that I did not have to prepare.

In last Sunday’s message, Pastor Mike reminded me that God will equip us to serve. “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 in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” ~Ephesians 4:11-13. God never intended for us to serve out of perfection. I don’t need to be perfect; I just need to be willing and available. My prayer is simply this, “Lord, show me where I can use my gifts, talents and even brokenness to serve others and bring glory to you”.

A Life Submissive

By Susan Greeves

There is a difference between someone who just simply chooses to do things for Christ and one who submits their life to Christ - dies to self - so that He can live through them --doing what He would have them do --and that "doing" comes naturally. Corrie Ten Boom says "If you want to be used, we needn't rely on ourselves, because it is the Holy Spirit who does it". Oswald Chambers states: "The one marvelous secret of a holy life is not in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh. Sanctification is "Christ in you". In fact Oswald Chambers in his book My Utmost for His Highest has a lot to say about letting Him live through us. He says this too: "How often we forget that our lives are not our own-but God's gift to us. We muddle our lives with OUR intentions--we need to remember to leave it to God. We are His servants. Isaiah 49:5 "And now saith the Lord, that formed me from the womb to be His servant."

Everywhere I look, it points me back to surrendering MY will to God, allowing Jesus to live through me--not me choosing to do things FOR HIM; separately from Him, but to let Him LIVE through me so He's the one doing things. It's the work God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. "Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Psalm 5:8"Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn". Isaiah 61:3 says "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting OF the Lord FOR the display of his splendor" it says that we are planted here BY Him to show His splendor through us, not to plant us then say 'ok, glorify me', He does the glorifying too, THROUGH us- His way, not ours. How awesome is that? All I need to do is to continually abide in Him and Him in me, to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."2 Corinthians 10:5b.

Look at 2 Corinthians 5:15 "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again". How much clearer can it get! I'm so excited by this, it took a huge weight off my shoulders. I just have to let Him and He will glorify Himself through me--the way He intends. Wow!!! How freeing.

When we wake up in the morning, and breath, we've missed the mark-so how can any of my efforts on my own be pleasing or righteous to Him? Plus I don't have to earn my salvation, He did it for me because He made me (just like everything in creation- to glorify Him), and wants me to come back to Him, to live eternally with Him-and to tell others how much He loves them before I do come home. Why would I be so arrogant to think that what I want to do for Him is what He wants from me?

What He wants is for us to obey Him; to show love to Him for His mercy and grace He gives us; to surrender our will; to choose to be submissive to Jesus is the only answer. Everything else will follow. Praise God!

(Just a side note, I do realize how sinful I still am and always will be in this world, and I do pull back my submissiveness, sometimes taking the reigns myself, and thankfully God will still work it for the good-- Romans 8:28. I am so grateful for His mercy and grace. "What a pang will go through us when we suddenly realize that we might have produced downright joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, no matter what was ahead." another quote from Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest.)

Preparing for South Africa

By Lisa Catania

My family and I are now officially leaving in less than a month on a mission’s trip to South Africa. We have never done a missions trip before. However, when we heard about this opportunity both my husband and I looked at each other and said, ” We need to do this!” Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

This past year we have been planning, organizing, praying, and raising support. What a journey! I must admit we have wrestled with questions of….what were we thinking?...this is crazy!....we are endangering our kids….are we going to be eaten by a lion?.... I am taking a live virus to keep me from getting it? Am I nuts? Honestly, those thoughts crossed my mind. However, God has carefully calmed our spirits with peace through the Psalms. Psalms 37:23 “The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord.” Ok….God is guiding us. Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.”  Ok…God will protect us.

This journey has really taught our whole family to surrender. We can’t plan for everything. We won’t fully know what we will face. We just know God is in control and we need to surrender our lives to whatever He has planned for us. Philipppians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.”

So we ask for your prayers for our family and the entire team heading to South Africa. Please pray for peace, safety, and that we may glorify God in all that we do. (…and not get eaten by a lion!)

Letter to GCC from the Disciples Of Christ Outreach Church

Praise the Lord, this is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it!

It’s an honor to give a testimony of thanksgiving about a church such as Grace Community of Frederick. As the Pastor of Disciples of Christ Outreach Ministry it has been my joy and burden to serve the inner city communities of Washington D.C. and Suitland Md. Thanks to your support we are able to work with and reach out to our community with the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The Bible says “Let everything that hath Breath Praise the Lord.”  Today we praise and thank God for your friendship and support.

Over the years Grace Community Church has placed its arms around our ministry and has aided us in our spiritual acts of service such as; our annual food drive and basket giveaways, our annual coat drive and give away, our back to school community outreach and our, We care community mission focus.

I also thank God for the leaders and members of Grace Community, because of their kindness we have been able to develop wonderful relationships and engage in awesome times of fellowship. I especially recall the time Pastor R Greene and other leaders came to D.C. to support one of our many outreaches throughout the year. They aided us by going door to door inviting people to come out to our ministry and share in a special service we were planning the next day. The group came in with such an awesome energy and they had gifts for everyone they would come in contact with that day. They brought beautiful flowers with them and on the flower pots was a scripture verse and message which stated “We Care.” 

This really blessed our hearts and the hearts of many throughout our community.  Days later it was such an encouragement to walk the community and see many homes blessed by the gift of flowers and scripture reminding us all that God cares. This is just one of the many acts of kindness we’ve experienced from our wonderful church family in Fredrick.

In our absence this year we pray that the Lord will continue to bless and keep you as a ministry, full of light. We pray that you will continue to walk in the power of His might knowing that all things work together for good for them that love the Lord and are called to His purpose.

Disciples Of Christ Outreach Church or as Pastor R calls us “DOCOC” pray that you will continue to support our wonderful work. That our ministries will unite as one to continue the work of the Great Commission. Your sacrifice of giving has enabled this ministry full of struggle to not walk alone. Your generosity has placed hope into many men women and children as we’ve shared the gospel message of salvation together.

Special thanks and blessings to Pastor Greene, Pastor Brubaker, Pastor Miller, Pastor Kyle and all those who make Grace Community a special church.  

Last, special thanks to the one who planted the seed for our ministry to blossom the late Pastor Dr. James Dixon and family.  A true inspiration of faithfulness, whose legacy lives on throughout the many churches and missions throughout our fellowship.


In His Service,

Pastor Kevin and the D.O.C. Church Family

Update on the life and thoughts of Jimmy Greene

Hello my friends, Jimmy Greene writing to let you know some of the things that have been on my heart and mind these past few weeks. I recently returned from a much needed vacation with the family and sabbaticaling (if thats a word) father. The combination of the waves, sun and sporadic 10-12 mile runs on winding canal roads culminated in quite a relaxing atmosphere. My heart is filled with joy to be back in Frederick and to continue my work here with the adult and youth praise teams.

Some exciting things are coming your way to a Grace Community Church (of Frederick) near you...Saturday the 14th will feature another Toast and Jam opportunity for musicians in the church. See the bulletin for more info. In addition, August 14th will also feature a worship night from 7-9. The praise team will be worshipping in the FLC, come and join us! This will not be a structured "by the book" service. Our only agenda will be to praise and worship the living God. Amen!

To my shame, I recently watched Iron Man 2. I cant honestly say the film was worthy of the $3.25 ticket price at the Holiday Cinema theatre (one of the best kept secrets of Fredrick). As I frantically searched to take something away from this action packed, melodramatic film, my efforts were continually thwarted by Robert Downey Jr.'s over-inflated ego.

Then, redemption...One line in the movie caught my unwavering attention (and ensuing scrutiny). The Russian antagonist exclaimed after a "thwarted" attempt at taking Iron Man's life that, "If we can make God bleed, people will stop believing in him." This struck me as odd because our God DID bleed and that is why we believe in Him. One of the many mysteries of the gospel involves what has been often called the God-Man. How could God, a fully perfect, omnipotent, omnipresent being inhabit and dwell inside man who is temporal and finite. Although some questions require faith, as the answers may not be readily accessible, I am reminded of God's tremendous love, compassion and humility to undertake such a feat. Why didn't God  summoned a great host of angels to protect Him while the Romans proceeded to torture and crucify submit to death?
 
This question of a fully competent/powerful and equally submissive, compassionate, loving God has eluded philosophers like Nietzsche and Marx who argued that passivity in this regard would be a sign of weakness. In the world of Nietzsche and Marx, the "real" men are completely self-referential and only concerned with their personal gain. On their account, the mere thought of a God who would humble Himself to the cross, to die for sinners and enemies is not only baffling, it is lunacy.
 
However, Jesus' actions were not for the benefit of the Son. What these thinkers fail to see is that Christ was operating out of His tremendous love and compassion for us. The chasm that man had created between himself and God was only rectified by the sacrifice of a truly perfect Lamb...Jesus. My friends, although God was completely powerful on the cross, He was perfectly submissive to the will of the Father. He did this for us.
 
Stay strong in the faith my friends.

Who Are You Investing Your Life In?

By Adam Forsberg

Luke 12:48b: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Usually when we read this verse our mind jumps right to money and the financial aspect of our Christian life. While this verse does pertain to our finances, I also believe that it applies to our knowledge of God, and the growth in our relationship with Him. The more that we know about God, the more that we need to be passing on to others. This is a biblical concept know as discipleship.

A discipleship relationship is when a Christian who has been growing in their relationship with Christ comes alongside of a younger believer to help them grow in their faith. The main goals of discipleship are for the younger believer to develop Christ-like character, and for Spiritual maturity in Christ to be taking place. This is more than just sitting down and having a Bible study, it’s being a part of their life. There are two ways that the discipler impacts the person he’s discipling- transmission of information, and transmission of example. Paul is a great example of this. In 2 Timothy 2:1-16 we see him doing this with Timothy. Paul talks about the experiences that they shared together in ministry (vs. 2 “and the things you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses…”), and then goes on to give Timothy information about God and how to apply it. Paul teaches Timothy by example and by passing on information. It is also crucial to remember that God’s promise, working, Spirit, grace, and Word are ultimately what is changing people’s lives.

My challenge to the church is to find somebody to invest your life in. This past year I had the privilege to disciple two guys in the youth group, and it has been an amazing experience. It’s been awesome to see them grow in their faith throughout this past year. I get so excited when I think about how much spiritual grow can take place in our church if discipleship became a part of everybody’s life. I’m in still in college and am very new at discipleship, and I still saw God work in big ways, so I get so pumped to think about people who are way more spiritually mature than me discipling others.

It can be hard to start discipling another person, but it is definitely a worthwhile experience that helps you grow in your faith as well. In the fall the Grace Community Church will be having a discipleship class that teaches people how to be involved in a discipleship relationship. Please consider taking this class, and then start pouring your life into others, helping them grow closer to Christ.

My Journey Continues

By Susan Greeves

So now, I've been wondering and praying about what this submissive life really looks like in a practical way. Does it mean that I have to wait to be told what to do-and there's only certain things I'm allowed to do? Or does it mean that I let Him live through me and He (through me) will respond to the circumstances that He engineers for me from my free will choices. I think this later one! When I make choices I should consider these questions: is it loving to God? Am I showing that I love him with all my heart, strength, and mind? And next, is it loving to others? And if it isn't what He wants me to do, it won't happen, or if He does allow it, no matter the outcome , the outcome is to serve his PURPOSE of His will. (Eph 1:11 according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will). And for those times that we are selfish and/or make mistakes Romans 8:28 is a wonderful verse: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. So my thinking is that 'a life submissive' simply summed up is; we are to love Him, and out of our love we will make choices that are honoring to Him (some or hopefully most of the time), and will bless those around us, no matter what our circumstances are.


I came across this excerpt (yes, it's from O. Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest-it seems the Holy Spirit really uses this book to touch me!): "Ministering as opportunity surrounds us does not mean selecting our surroundings, it means being very selectly God's in ANY haphazard surroundings He engineers for us. We do not need to care what our circumstances are, Jesus is amply sufficient."

And another from O. Chambers..."The sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on Jesus Christ's errands, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus, says, in effect, Do not be bothered with whether you are being justly dealt with or not. To look for justice is a sign of deflection from devotion to Him. Never look for justice in the world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will begin to grouse and to indulge in the discontent of self pity- Why should I be treated like this? If we are devoted to Jesus Christ we have nothing to do with what we meet, whether it is just or unjust. Jesus says- Go steadily on with what I have told you to do and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance. The most devout among us become atheistic in this connection; we do not believe God, we enthrone common sense and tack the name of God on to it. We do lean to our own understanding, in stead of trusting God with all our hearts."

If Jesus is allowing us to do whatever it is that we've chosen at that moment, the outcome is all for His glory, we need to just submit to Him and once we've made the choice, the circumstances are an opportunity to show Jesus in our every day life. No matter how you look at it, no matter how our choices turn out (and again, the above mentioned questions should be considered every time we make a decision) it's all for the glory of our Great God!

...and all God's children singing glory glory, He reigns, He reigns....

Momentum 2010

By Pam Work

We have a saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. I think these pictures will generate more than a thousand words! Our Lighthouse Youth Group had a powerful week together with other youth groups from across the country as we gathered to worship God, pray for each other and listened to great speakers who spoke from the Bible to teach us valuable lessons from God. This event took place at Cedarville University in Ohio and there was as estimated 1,600 teens and adults gathered there.

The focus was “pursuit”…to pursue after God…to be a God chaser. Everyone was given the opportunity to look at themselves as either someone who wanted to be a servant for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or someone who wanted to remain in their present state of heart. Teens and adults had opportunities to learn about ways to serve and then to actually serve the community around the university campus.

 

Our group chose to volunteer our time to work with an organization called Feed My Starving Children. We packed food to send to the orphaned children in Haiti. We packed enough nutrition to feed approximately 300 plus children one meal a day for an entire year!

As in the past years, we all came back to Frederick exhausted, re-focused, and energized to serve. God was present; the Holy Spirit was present and I believe not one person left Momentum 2010 unchanged.

Thank you to the GCC family for your continued support and love that you shower on the teens of our Lighthouse Youth Ministry.