There are lots of things on the schedule for MAY. I wanted to give you a quick preview of what will be happening…
SERMON SERIES – God is Still Appearing – Well, Easter is nice, but like always, we move on! They call us “Easter People” but that is only good for the season. Are you serious? We need to be Easter People who bear witness to that daily fact that God is still appearing! So get ready. Open your eyes and your heart to all that God is doing in our lives, in our family, in our community and in our church! The difference is we will be looking for it and celebrating God-winks! Oh, this will be good for disciples! We really are Easter People!
MOTHER’S DAY SUNDAY (May 12th) As the church, we will be recognizing and honoring our mothers of all types (mothers of children and those who acted as mothers to so many) and hearts… those with us and those watching over us from heaven. Invite your mom or come and share what made your mom so special. We are going to look at how moms distinctly display the character of God – God hard-wired them for God’s glory. God isn’t embarrassed or worried that people will get the wrong perception. Instead, God seems to embrace those powerful images… I will protect them like a bear robbed of her cubs. Hosea 13:8; As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:13; Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. Luke 13:34.
MEMORIAL DAY SUNDAY (May 26) Memorial Day is a sacred commemoration. The persons we honor on this day are a silent witness to a virtuous honor that is particularly dear to people of spiritual values. This is the time each year when we remember men and women who have been, as is written about a leader of Roman soldiers in the New Testament, “…set under authority…”(Luke 7:8) On this day, we remember that some of those under authority have, as a consequence of their service, sacrificed their lives. I believe that people of faith can find spiritual values from the stories of men and women who have made the “ultimate sacrifice” of their lives. On Memorial Day, I have the honored privilege of bringing the address at the traditional Memorial Remembrance at Ashton Chapel. I also have the honor of conducting services for a husband and wife team who both served
in World War II (both pilots) at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. I am looking forward to experiencing the fullness of sacred commemoration.
UNSTUCK CHURCH – I have been reading a book after attending a Leadership Institute where I met the author of a book called: The UnStuck Church. I had a great conversation with him about the two churches I am privileged to pastor and share with in ministry. I shared the good and the challenging (as with every church). He said: “Your church is perfectly designed to get the results you are currently getting.” I let that soak in. Are we growing? Are we diminishing? Or, are we somewhere in between? We are going to unpack each phase of the church lifecycle, and (after our assessment)put in place some specific and strategic next steps we can take to find our way to sustained health . . . and become unstuck. Regardless of the stage in which we find our church, it carries with it the world’s greatest mission — to “go and make disciples of all the nations…” With eternity at stake, the church should be doing most everything within its power to see lives changed forever.
