So what is the matter with being in a rut? There is an old saying “a rut is just a grave with both ends kicked out!” We talked in the Sunday sermon about habits or Rhythms that we get into. Some good, some bad, and some, . . well just our routine.
As with running, the spiritual rhythms that I engage in (prayer, Scripture, rest, community) have been uncomfortable and sporadic at first. I have to build endurance for them. I have to push through not enjoying some of them and evaluate afterwards the fact that they actually made me feel better than before.
That is the focus of our series, "PURSUIT". We are pursuing relationship with Jesus by developing rhythms that shape our hearts and the pattern of our behaviors. Not just our hearts...our souls. These rhythms unite our heads and our hearts, growing our love for God and our neighbors, just as we were created to be.
The Pantry here at Harvest has just been so good lately. It has been an encouragement to my heart to see the Lord’s provision and I want to write so that you all may be encouraged as well.
Have I become so accustomed to life here on Earth that life after the return of the Christ, where pain and striving will cease and the perfection of the Garden of Eden will return, has simply become a part of my theology, rather than a future reality on which I can depend? Have I placed the temporary amusement found in a movie above the everlasting peace of life in the presence of God? I’d like to say “no,” but I don’t think that would be the most truthful of responses.
To proclaim to the world that being a part of the church body, and not simply checking the box of attending a service, is so much more than a Band-Aid; it is a source of true life itself.
Had Christ not hung on the cross, taken on our sins, and defeated Satan’s power, His rising again would not have been as meaningful. We wouldn’t be singing worship songs about it. The New Testament probably wouldn’t have been written. And no one would have eternal life.We're going to read through scriptures together each day this week, "walking in His shoes." And by He, I mean Jesus. This is HIS story.
What is left, then, is a choice: do I curse my circumstances, and, like Jonah after his plan for Nineveh to be destroyed was disrupted, refuse to change? Or do I evaluate what this new phase has brought, and attempt to roll with the punches?
If it is your inclination as well to try earning the title “Christian,” and thereby to try earning salvation, I predict that this time of “stay home, stay safe” might be having one of two effects. First, that you’re incredibly relieved. You have a reason beyond your control to not leave the house and do everything. Second, that you feel challenged. Under the surface you might be thinking, “now how am I going to accomplish anything.”
It’s an interesting time in the world right now, to say the least. Stock markets are fluctuating, stores are empty, and schools are closing. The control that I seek over my life seems to be slipping from my fingers at an alarming rate.
So many of us have personally experienced real seasons of darkness or hopelessness…or know someone close to us who has. We hope to provide you with resources to help in your journey of healing, or for you to better relate to those who are close and going through difficult times.
The Carnival is brings in over 1,200 kids and parents from our community. It is a fun way to reach out, show love to those around us, and plant seeds about the church and Jesus! We look forward to seeing some of the families who come to the carnival walk through our doors on a Sunday morning.
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