Notes From the Pastor
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
An Emotional Swing
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A couple of weeks ago I experienced one of the most incredible emotional swings I think a person could ever encounter. On Saturday, August 18, our community pulled off one of the greatest events this town has ever seen. Our Back to School Fair was unbelievable! It was amazing to watch six of our churches come together to hand out over 500 bags of school supplies to children, allow people to get free haircuts, eat over 2,000 hot dogs plus a ton of nachos and who knows how many drinks . . . not to mention the fun that was had in the dunking booth and bounce houses as well as the informational booths loaded with goodies from organizations in the community. What a wonderful day it was. A huge thank you to everyone who had a part in making it a success. The goal of the day was to meet the physical needs of the community so we could eventually meet their spiritual needs. I believe we took a huge step in that direction!
The following Sunday morning was off to a great start. We had parent/baby dedication early in the service. What a special moment it was. Then towards the middle of my sermon, Daniel made his way down the middle isle of the sanctuary with the tragic news that Aaron Fry, son of Buddy Fry—the church of Christ pastor, had been killed in a motorcycle accident. The sanctuary went silent and we stopped for a word of prayer for strength for the Fry family. My heart broke for them. I had gone from one of the greatest feelings in the world to one of the worst in a matter of seconds.
Life works that way sometimes. After a couple of days to soak in all of the weekend events, I found myself being challenged even more by the Back to School experience from Saturday. Colossians 4:5 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” I was preaching this verse during our Sunday service. Boy, did those words take on a more urgent meaning after the circumstances of Sunday unfolded.
We are not promised tomorrow. We must make the most of every opportunity. As believers that is a great challenge for us. We need to be living each day like it might be our last. It means telling the people you love just how much you love them and telling those who don’t know Christ how much He means in your life. We must make the most of every day for the kingdom of God!
During our recent worship survey some of you commented you did not know what a contemporary service was like. After much time and prayer concerning this issue, the staff has decided to designate the evening worship service on the second Sunday of each month as a contemporary service. We will be doing this throughout the months of September, October and November. I hope you will make an effort to come and participate as we try a different worship format on a trial basis. Perhaps there are some friends, family members, or neighbors you would like to invite to these special services. Remember: make the most of every opportunity.
Summer is over and it is time to get back into the routine of school and the activities that accompany it. Remember to continue to pray for our school district and its employees as we committed to on Teacher Appreciation Day. I hope you will also get back into the routine of making Sunday School and worship a part of your weekly schedule. ¶ 8:16 AM 0 comments
A couple of weeks ago I experienced one of the most incredible emotional swings I think a person could ever encounter. On Saturday, August 18, our community pulled off one of the greatest events this town has ever seen. Our Back to School Fair was unbelievable! It was amazing to watch six of our churches come together to hand out over 500 bags of school supplies to children, allow people to get free haircuts, eat over 2,000 hot dogs plus a ton of nachos and who knows how many drinks . . . not to mention the fun that was had in the dunking booth and bounce houses as well as the informational booths loaded with goodies from organizations in the community. What a wonderful day it was. A huge thank you to everyone who had a part in making it a success. The goal of the day was to meet the physical needs of the community so we could eventually meet their spiritual needs. I believe we took a huge step in that direction!
The following Sunday morning was off to a great start. We had parent/baby dedication early in the service. What a special moment it was. Then towards the middle of my sermon, Daniel made his way down the middle isle of the sanctuary with the tragic news that Aaron Fry, son of Buddy Fry—the church of Christ pastor, had been killed in a motorcycle accident. The sanctuary went silent and we stopped for a word of prayer for strength for the Fry family. My heart broke for them. I had gone from one of the greatest feelings in the world to one of the worst in a matter of seconds.
Life works that way sometimes. After a couple of days to soak in all of the weekend events, I found myself being challenged even more by the Back to School experience from Saturday. Colossians 4:5 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” I was preaching this verse during our Sunday service. Boy, did those words take on a more urgent meaning after the circumstances of Sunday unfolded.
We are not promised tomorrow. We must make the most of every opportunity. As believers that is a great challenge for us. We need to be living each day like it might be our last. It means telling the people you love just how much you love them and telling those who don’t know Christ how much He means in your life. We must make the most of every day for the kingdom of God!
During our recent worship survey some of you commented you did not know what a contemporary service was like. After much time and prayer concerning this issue, the staff has decided to designate the evening worship service on the second Sunday of each month as a contemporary service. We will be doing this throughout the months of September, October and November. I hope you will make an effort to come and participate as we try a different worship format on a trial basis. Perhaps there are some friends, family members, or neighbors you would like to invite to these special services. Remember: make the most of every opportunity.
Summer is over and it is time to get back into the routine of school and the activities that accompany it. Remember to continue to pray for our school district and its employees as we committed to on Teacher Appreciation Day. I hope you will also get back into the routine of making Sunday School and worship a part of your weekly schedule. ¶ 8:16 AM 0 comments
