Weekly Update from the Senior Pastor
September 6 , 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
God is good.
That truth in my life always gets a ‘needle-north’ refocus whenever I go to my Men’s Table on Thursday mornings at 6:45 with Eric Closs leading (we’re the second shift after Paul’s table at 5:45 a.m.!)
Each week we read a passage of Scripture, each man applies a verse to himself (not to his spouse or kids), then we share and pray. My verse this morning (Luke 24:38) is for you also. The resurrected Jesus said: “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts rise up in your minds? Behold My hands and feet!”
Whenever trouble comes and you are tempted to doubt God’s faithfulness or love, stop and look again at the nail-scarred hands and feet of Jesus and remember He loves you so much He would go to a Cross and die for you before He would let you face anything alone.
That table of men reminds me of two truths:
- The enemy’s best weapon is isolation. That is the breeding ground for discouragement and distrust. If you are hurting and moving into isolation, you are moving away from God.
- God builds men and women in the rough and tumble of community. He teaches us how to live a long obedience in the same direction and maturity of faith by exposing and dealing with our imperfections as we do life together. There is no such thing as the Lone Ranger in the Kingdom of Jesus.
UPDATES:
Focus on 5: I just finished reviewing with Dr. Jon Davis the interview we are going to share together this Sunday as a set-up for our Focus on 5 series. Jon helped train the Olympic Men’s and Women’s rowing teams to Gold Medals; and then shifted to training Andrew Maynard to an Olympic Gold Medal in boxing. Soon Jon will complete his own black belt requirements. This man understands focus, discipline and commitment for the long haul. Don’t miss this. It is a perfect segue into our series on Focus on 5: how to build every-day usable action-steps into our Mission of becoming a Light-Bearer for Jesus in your sphere of influence. See you Sunday.
Honor Set-Up Teams: Whether you are on Team Red, Green, Purple or the mighty Blue wave, this Sunday we want to honor your commitment to making the work of God possible on your Sunday each month through showing up and setting up. Come Sunday and be honored as we all step up to a new season of ministry for Jesus.
Men’s Advance: Men, Friday evening, October 12 and Saturday, October 13 is the Men’s Advance, an overnight time of challenge to grow together in the Word under the teaching of a powerful man of God (a 6’9” former collegiate athlete now turned men’s pastor). The location is the Bishop Claggett Retreat Center in Buckeystown (close by) and the cost is only $85, everything included. The info will be available in the lobby this weekend, on our website or at any Waterboyz men’s table. Come and see.
Gratitude: Last week Sallie and I drove [42 hours round-trip L! ] our youngest child, our daughter Tasha, to her new college in Minnesota; then helped move our middle son to his first apartment for his senior year of college and had our final week with our eldest before he heads out for graduate school. We are officially empty-nesters! My gratitude is not for that—we miss them all already. But I am deeply grateful to the Elders and to Roger Fair specifically for the maturity of their teaching and spiritual leadership over the last two weekends (and to Debbie Ellington and the Communion team). The prayer and sharing of these two weeks has strengthened the fiber of our souls to do the next right thing for Jesus.
So here we go. Come Sunday and let’s Focus on 5 together…in the Lamb.
Richard
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