I don't think it's too early to be thinking about the new year, is it? I know we haven't finished Christmas yet... and I'm really looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior with you... but the new year is only a week after that, so let's look at some of the things that will be happening in 2008, because it's going to be our best year yet:
Sermon Series: We're going to look at several topics in 2008 that I think you'll find interesting, challenging, refreshing, and worth inviting a friend to hear, too.
Parental Guidance Required - January 6 - February 3 - Whether you are a parent or not, we all are around children from time to time. Parenting your child in the new millenia is a tough challenge. It will take more than "mom and dad" but rather the involvement of the whole community. In this series we will look at ways that you can raise your children (and help others as well) as we explore some biblical basics. The final sermon will turn things around. We'll look at the current reality that many are becoming parents to our own parents. The Bible has something to say on that as well, and the faith community needs to learn who we can step up to help.
Be Contagious - February 10 - March 2 - Most of us consider the idea of sharing our faith with others to be the most intimidating effort we could ever undertake. In this sermon we'll explore ways to share our faith in Christ without either offending someone or finding ourselves curled up in a fetal position in the corner.
Advancing the Dream - March 9 - This date will be a celebration of how God has blessed Good Shepherd. During the weeks that lead up to March 9 you will be challenged to consider how the ministries of Good Shepherd have impacted your life and how you can extend that gift to others. 12 years ago the members of this church had a dream and they built a building to help fulfill that dream. 4 years ago you saw the dream grow and expand beyond the capacity of the building. So you built again. Today we find ourselves in need of Advancing that Dream. During these weeks prior to March 9 you will receive information about the capital indebtedness of our church. You will have an opportunity to participate in the retirement of that debt. Doing so will allow us to Advance the Dream of Good Shepherd well into the future.
You Matter to God - March 16 - What a day this will be. We'll have our regular services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00. Then we'll come back and do it again in the evening. We're adding a 4th worship service!!! I hope you'll plan on getting the word out. There are people who can't, or won't, worship on Sunday mornings. They matter to God just as much. So we're going to offer them the chance to worship in the evening, so let everyone know how much they matter to God by inviting them to worship at our alternative time. (As a side note on this... I'm praying that several of you will find a passion and the calling of God on your heart to become a "chronological" missionary. Usually a missionary is sent out to a new geographic location. In this case, you're being sent to a new chronological {time} location. Same worship, same place, new time. We'll need ushers, greeters, evening trustees, children's ministry leaders and others to assure that our new guests have the same opportunity to connect to God as you do in the morning. Let me know if you're feeling called.)
Living is ForGiving - March 23 to April 6 - It's hard to say "I'm sorry." Harder to say "you're forgiven," and truly mean it. It's sometimes even harder still to accept forgiveness for our transgression. During these three weeks we'll explore both the personal and spiritual sides of Forgiveness; seeking it, offering it, and accepting it.
One Anothered - April 13 - May 18 - What if you came to church and nobody cared? I mean really cared? What if you wanted to care but didn't know how? After all, what do you say to a person who just found out they have cancer? How do you offer care to someone who has lost a spouse? What can you do, should you do if a neighbor loses their job? How far should you go and will going far be seen as intrusive and meddling? During this series we'll seek to answer these questions as we seek to respond to Jesus command to "Love one another."
Though most of the summer messages are still under the prayer and meditation phase, there are two other series we know we'll be doing this year...
The Path of Transformation - You've heard me say, "God loves you just the way you are... and loves you too much to leave you that way." God's love is always calling you to a deeper understanding and response. How do we see that and live it out? At the time of this series we will be unveiling a new "Transformation Pathway." This will be a tool that you can use to identify where you are in your journey of faith with God, and what the next step is that you can take to go deeper in your faith.
Pure Sex - This might be a bit more controversial than what we've done in the past, but the reality of unfaithfulness, divorce, pornography, and teenage sex leads us to either ignore it or face it. We're going to face sexuality, learn what God has to say about it, and offer a refreshing look at how we can live a sexually pure life.
I want to ask you for two favors. First, let me know what topics of faith you struggle with so we can address those in the future. Second, keep your eyes open for news, websites, books, etc. on these topics. I'm always doing research to assure that the information I share is accurate as well as interesting, informative, and useful.
1 comment:
Parenting my parent(s) while raising my children is the most challenging thing I've ever done. Finding time for myself and my spouse during this time has been hard. I am glad to read that you are going to address the issue of being in the middle of the "sandwich" in the sandwich generation. Where does God fit into this situation? How can you ever feel like you've done or are doing the best you can with what you've got to give?
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