We have such an awesome staff at Grace Community Church. God has blessed us with people who love Him and love others and each of them has a true heart’s desire to be found faithful in their Kingdom work. With the size of our church, by most standards we are under-staffed. We have a philosophy that everyone on our staff is a true minister. There are no strictly administrative people working for Grace. (I hope that’s always our philosophy.) I want to take this opportunity to honor each of them for their special contribution to all God has done at Grace in the last 3 ½ years.
Are you struggling with what you don’t have or with things you feel you have missed out on that God hasn’t provided yet? Perhaps God is just proving to you He can provide when He chooses to provide. Perhaps He is just building your faith and ability to trust Him!
I really wanted something you could perhaps even memorize and take with you throughout the day that would remind you of an important principle; a life principle even. I envisioned that it might be something Jesus said because then you would know of its accuracy.
Tweet I love this. I love a good letter anyway, but this is history, it’s classy, and it shows the reality of life at the top!
When I was growing up, if someone called you a name, you stuck your tongue out and said, “Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never hurt me.” It sounded good coming from an elementary kid, but in reality it wasn’t true. No, in fact, sometimes the pain of words stays with you longer than the bruises do from sticks and stones.
I received an email from an Internet friend via my other ministry site (www.mustardseedministry.com) asking me how I determine if what I am doing is within the plans God has for me. Here’s my quick reply to him for knowing you are within God’s plans for your life:
Some of my best growth times with the Lord have been during teaching times with my children. I remember when my son asked an important question, “Daddy, what is the ‘will of God’?”
I have been encouraging people to dream big dreams for years. I think part of the reason I want others to dream is so that I am justified in my own desire to dream. I believe dreaming encourages the heart and keeps a mind fresh. As we begin another year, I hope you have some big dreams. You will never have a dream for your life bigger than God’s dream for you.
I am not a selfish person usually, although I guess we all are to a certain extent. Still, there are some things I want more of in my life in the year 2009. All of these stem from what I really want to accomplish in life. I have thought a lot recently, while preparing for the first message of the New Year at Grace, about what matters most in my life. Here’s my list of “more”.
It may be Happy New Year to you, but to me it is Happy Birthday Cheryl. Today is my precious wife Cheryl’s ____th birthday.