Hey there Church of the Way!
I hope you've had as good a week as I have.
I'm so excited about what God is doing among us and how He is moving marriages
during "The Vows." I hope you'll be there this Sunday
as we close out the series focusing on the last line of our wedding vows.
"To love and to cherish, till death do us part." We're going
to dig into God's Word to see how to make our marriages last a
lifetime.
Also, you don't want to miss this week because of our
"Wedding Vow Renewal" Ceremony. If you've always wanted to
renew your vows, this is the perfect time to do it. I hope you'll plan to stay
after worship for the 'reception'! It'll be a lot of fun. Plus, we've
got some big news to share this week about how God is moving in our
church and it's future. Exciting times!
Thought for the
Week
"Well done good and faithful servant." Matthew
25:21
Today I read a interview with Mark Batterson, pastor at
National Community Church in Washington, D.C., that said, "Live for the applause
of nail-scarred hands." I've been to Mark's church and met him. You can tell
this ideas is at the heart of who he is. The passage above is from a story
Jesus told about what we do with our 'talents'. Back then, a talent was a
monetary amount, but isn't it fitting to compare it to what we think of as
'talent.' It is so, so easy to get captivated with attention and applause of
the world. How many likes did my post get? How many comments did my blog get?
How many people retweeted me? Who shared my photo? Do my parents approve? Do
my kids think I'm cool? Do all the people at work like me? Is our house as
nice as our friends' houses? What will the neighbors think? Do you think
people at church can tell something's wrong with me/us? Did I measure up? Will
I win employee of the year this time? Does not getting a raise mean the boss
doesn't like me? Does being laid off mean I'm a failure? We have been worried
about popularity since we were about 13, and it hasn't stopped. That's not our
goal, though. Our purpose is not to win awards or be popular. Our purpose is
the honor Him. Please Him. Magnify Him. Obey Him. Follow Him. Are you
living for the applause of others? Your family? Your friends? Your children?
Your parents? Your co-workers? Your colleagues? Or are you living for the
applause of nail-scarred hands?
In Christ,
Carter
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