Sunday Recap - January 2, 2011

Beginning the New Year is always interesting. Some years you get the benefit of people deciding that "this year I am going to attend church more." Other years you have people spread out all over the country and on their way home. This year I think we had both. It was good to see some people where were with us after a hiatus and I know some people who were still gone.

The theme for the first few weeks is dealing with change and I chose to look at the life of Abram for insight. He was certainly tested by the change that occurred when God called him to "go to a place that I will show you). Personally, God decided He'd test me Sunday by having me teach the older youth class and then come over for worship and find that the projector had given up the ghost. So our modern church had to go back to the hymnal for a Sunday. Bunny, Kristen, and Brittany did a great job adjusting and leading us in worship. I helped, but after was told that there was a very scant relationship between my arm signals leading the congregation and the actual music. All I will say is... probably a good call. :)

So our retro music was: O Worship the King, Tis So Sweet, and It Is Well With My Soul. The invitation hymn was "Jesus Paid It All."



What was funny about the morning was that the one preaching about change and call was the one who wound up doing major adjustments. Not having the powerpoint meant I was working off those notes I never use and it did bother me to a certain extent. But looking out at the congregation I could see times when the Holy Spirit was delivering what he wanted heard. What an amazing thing to be a part of God's work - a "pencil in His hand" as Mother Teresa once said.

Sunday night we met to discuss some items of critical importance to our church going forward. The response once the church family learned of the need for action was heart warming. New Hope is a special group of people who love God and work to bring Him glory through loving others. Very thankful to be placed here as pastor. We're walking by faith through all of what we find ourselves in as a family of believers in Jesus.

If you don't have a church family, out of all those I have known in 37 years of being a Christian, this is the one I'd recommend to anyone. We're not anywhere close to perfect. We don't have many of the bells and whistles the big churches do.

But we know how to love. And that my friends is all you need to know.