Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Serve (1 Peter 4:10)

I was mowing the lawn when it hit me. I was given the school year theme of Serve One Another in Love from 1 Peter 4:10. So I started working on a theme song that would best fit the school year and bring out the theme. So I went out to mow the lawn. I do a lot of thinking while mowing. It is my private time. No one bothers me. I get no phone calls or emails. I can just push the mower and allow my mind to think. So I'm thinking and it comes to me and I had to stop mowing before I forgot.

Serve (1 Peter 4:10)

Serve one another in love
Serve the Father above
Serve with a servant heart
Serve, do your part


Serve with gladness everyone.
Praise the Father, Spirit, Son.
We all have gifts God provides,
To share His love, Him glorified.


Reach out to others with a loving heart.
Don't complain about doing your part.
It is God's grace that we share.
So take God's love everywhere.

So serve the Lord with a servant heart.
So share His word. Do Your part!



Special thanks to members of the music ministry team who helped with musical ideas and with the recording of this song! You can check out the song by going to the church website at http://www.livword.net/. Scroll down and click on the church link. There is a link to the song on the music ministry page.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Guests

Just recently I had to make a quick stop at Kroger to pick up a few items. As I was walking through the store, there stood a young lady who looked very familiar. I thought nothing of it until she happened into the same aisle I was in. So I asked if I knew her from somewhere. She mentioned that we had talked before at Living Word one Sunday morning. I asked her how she was doing. She explained that she came to Living Word twice. Both times, she didn't feel welcomed at all. The people sitting next to her didn't talk with her, even during sharing the peace. She didn't attend communion because she just didn't feel like she was part of this church family. When the service was over, she told me that not one person ever said anything to her, except myself on her first visit. She mentioned that I was busy on her second visit. But she didn't feel welcomed by people. I apologized for this and invited her back. She hasn't come back yet.

We all have our friends in our church. We feel comfortable talking with them and at times, seek them out to visit with. Our ministry is also in this building. We tend to talk about sharing the Word with those out in the community, but what about in our own building. We need to step outside of our normal group and welcome those around. We need to share the love and peace of God with those who step into our building to worship. We say that everyone is welcome, so we, as a church, need to practice this. We have been having many visitors in the past months. It is a blessing to have them worship with us. We should thank them and welcome them. The church isn't just our members, the church is everyone. Each person should feel a part of the family of God.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Are You Ready for Some Football

I will have the honor of watching the Indianapolis Colts play the Minnesota Vikings in Indianapolis this week. I love watching football and love seeing the strategy that goes into playing the game. Now this game is only a pre-season game and the first one for both teams, so I know that I won't be watching much of the starting lineups. I'll see the backup players as they try to do the things to impress the coach so they can make the team. These players might not have the household names, but they have the talent and the ability to play the game. You never know watching these games, you might be watching the next NFL pro-bowler or hall of famer.

There are times in our lives when we feel that we are working to impress our coach, God. We do many things to show that we are Christian, but the problem is, we are doing things to show we are Christians. It has nothing to do with what is right or what God has commanded, it is all about ourselves. We walk around trying to build ourselves up so much that we forget about who we are serving. We work so hard to impress God, to make Him see us, that we forget that we don't have to impress Him at all, only serve. We don't need to work to make the team, we are already on it. All we have to do is follow the play that He has set before us. All we have to do is serve Him.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Garage Sales

My wife and I enjoy finding garage sales. She is what her family calls a "garage sale expert". She can find deals and things for next to nothing. She found curtain valances for our family room. She has found curtains for the dining room and living room. She found a laptop computer that really works and a basketball goal. All for next to nothing (in some cases, nothing). We search the newspapers for garage sales and watch for signs. It is something we enjoy doing and has turned into a challenging adventure.
Thank goodness God didn't search for a deal to save us. He knew the price He had to pay for us and that was full price...the life of His only Son. There was no picking around piles to find us. There wasn't any bargaining or leaving us behind because He thought we weren't worth the price. He was willing to pay for us in full...no strings attached. God looked at us and knew that we were something He wanted and He was willing to give it all for us. He didn't see junk, only something special. What a precious thing we are.