Who’s Going To Win In Your Life?
It’s all about the win. When I was in Jr. High and High School and my family would go visit my grandparents and we’d always spend time watching sports on TV. My grandpa would always walk in the room and ask the question, “Who’s winning?” It didn’t matter who was playing, only who was winning. I actually love that question as it relates to our relationship with Jesus. Who’s winning in my life? Jesus or Satan? Maybe better said, “Who am I allowing to win in my life?” Did you know Jesus is the key to the kingdom? John 10:10 clearly shows us who the opponents in our life are and their plans for us. By the way, these are the words of Jesus to his friends: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 Don’t Let The Trash Talk Win I love sports and competition. I love strategy and figuring out the weakness of my competition so that I can exploit it for a win. Basketball is one of my favorite sports and often times when playing basketball, you could easily trash talk another player into playing like garbage. I’m pretty sure that was a sin when I did that in High School and Bible College. ? Satan is going to do anything he possibly can to get your off your game. He will trash talk you (tell you things that aren’t true), trick you and steal anything he can from you. He wants to kill the good things in your life and steal your joy. If you ever need a reminder about that just go back and read John 10:10. That sounds like a lot of bad news, and it could be. But there’s good news – you get to choose. You can choose not to let the trash talk win. You can choose to stay connected to Jesus. He loves you, He chose you. Jesus is the key to the Kingdom. Jesus came not only so that you can have life, but have it to the FULL. He always meets us where we are and continues to develop us if we make the time. Just like sports, it takes dedication to have a solid relationship with Jesus. You can’t just show up once in a while and expect it to happen. You need to practice daily. It requires commitment and setting priorities in your life. Ways To Connect With Jesus Stay connected by reading truth, God’s Word/The Bible, every day. A great way to do that is the YouVersion Bible App. In addition to Bible verses, there are reading plans on just about any topic you can think of. You can even invite a friend to work through a reading plan with you. Spend time praying. Don’t let prayer intimidate you. Think of it as a time to talk to a friend and just let out what’s on your heart. God wants you to have an honest conversation, let Him know your struggles and ask Him to guide you. Just sit. Life gets busy and often we are running from one thing to the next with little to no downtime. When you just sit and be quiet, reflect on your day, your week and all that has been happening. Close your eyes and ask God to reveal where He walked with you. Try this experiment for today and continue this week and this month. Ask yourself 3 times a day, “Who’s winning…Jesus or Satan…in my life? Don’t allow Satan to win. Choose to win and receive the amazing life Jesus has for you.
Digging Ditches To Catch God’s Rain
The Greater Than Message for 2022 is about learning to ask God for help. But, we have to realize, God may require us to dig a ditch to prepare for what He is going to do. Have You Been Here Before? A little boy was playing in his sandbox. He had his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the wall. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, and shoved. But his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally, he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy’s father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father. Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had available? Defeated, the boy sobbed back, “But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!” “No, son,” corrected the father kindly. “You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.” With that, the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox. I wonder what dreams or needs you might be bringing into 2022. What Big Rock Is In Front Of You That You Need To Be Moved? We are going to look at the scripture today for encouragement on how to come to God for help. Background…3 kings set out to go after an opposing army. 2 kings from God’s people (northern/southern kings) and another ally. They are supposed to fight against an enemy that they should have been able to defeat easily… And we pick it up right here in 2 Kings 3:9: So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or the animals with them. There had been famine in the land, a drought. The kings had been running their kingdoms with not much thought to God. But, when you run out of water, you look to God real quick. But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”- 2 Kings 3:11 This was a very common thing in the Old Testament. Ask a prophet to ask God and tell us what to do. What need do you have in your life that only God can meet? What thing beneath the surface of your smile is bothering you at night that no one knows about because you are too embarrassed to admit it. You can do all you can do…but only God can make it rain. You need something only God can give. “The Lord says, ‘Dig a lot of ditches in this valley.’ – 2 Kings 3:16 Only God Can Make It Rain, But He Wants You To Dig A Ditch. They dug ditches to hold the water. God was saying, “I’m going to bring the water, you get ready for it by digging the ditches.” Before God sends the rain in your life, often He will call you to dig some ditches in preparation for the rain. What ditch is God calling you to dig in an area of your life in preparation for the blessing He wants to send? You answer that question, you will be living out your faith. If we do what we can do, God will do what he can do! Our mission at The Village is helping people experience Life change, Life Growth, and Life Purpose: Life Change: Faith/Repent/Confess/Baptism/Live the Christian Life, Daily Prayer, Daily Bible reading, taking that next step in generosity, inviting friends to church so their lives can be changed. Life Growth: Join a Lifegroup, Reaching out to others to connect and experience community. Life Purpose: Serve (dig ditches so others can experience God’s Grace). You dig a ditch, God will bring the rain! Don’t stop digging. Do it because the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain. But this valley will be filled with water. Then you, your cattle and your other animals will have water to drink.’ “That’s an easy thing for the Lord to do. The next day, the time came to offer the morning sacrifice. And then it happened! Water was flowing from the direction of Edom! The land was filled with water! 2 Kings 3:17-20 Ask God To Help You Do Greater Things Every year, we come before God and ask for his blessing on another year. Each year, He is faithful and does way more than we could ask or imagine. Every year, we remind ourselves of Jesus’ words in John 14:12 which say: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” We believe these words of Jesus, that together, everyone giving room for God to work and us doing what we can do (“digging ditches”) that this is true. What ditch is God calling you to dig? Where do you need to step out in faith and give him room to work? You might be tired, you might be worn out, just keep digging. Keep serving. Keep believing!
How To Incorporate Jesus In Your Life
Have you ever wondered how to incorporate Jesus into your daily life? Have you ever wanted an instruction manual for how to be a Jesus follower? You love Jesus, but maybe you just don’t know where to start or how to grow closer to Him. Those are common questions that I come across. We are in the midst of a series at The Village titled, Here’s How, that addresses some of those questions. I want to start by referencing this verse… Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. -1 Peter 2:1-3 Get Rid Of The Bad Stuff In short…Get rid of the bad stuff and replace it with good stuff. In the message, I challenged everyone in a couple of ways to put this into practice. One of those challenges was to only listen to Christian radio while in the car for a month. This was especially pointed at ME (just in case you don’t realize…a lot of what I teach I’m struggling with…just like you ?). At this writing, I’m 4 days in and continuing to push forward. It’s remarkable how much I miss my talk radio! I miss everyone being crabby about the Chicago Bears and other political pundits creating division. Why do I crave the bad stuff? Ugh! Find The Time For The Good Stuff At the same time, for me, my only time to step away from work is in the car. The ride to and from work, lunch, or a meeting is a respite from the busy schedule. I’m pretty much in the car every day. If you don’t know me, I tend to be a bit high-strung. Now in my times of stress, I get in the car and “escape” to the Good Stuff!!! It’s so good to hear (through music) God’s reminders for my soul. This daily time in the car is a great time to incorporate Jesus into my everyday life. It’s so important to continually remind yourself of who you are in Christ. To be honest, I do miss the ugly stuff. However, while I miss the ugly stuff each day I’m finding a difference in my life by only putting in the good stuff. What’s the bad stuff for you? I encourage you to take the time to think about it. Make a plan to eliminate it and replace it with the good stuff. What’s the good stuff for you? Think about it, make a list. Consider this question, what do you think God may do in and through your life? If you need help finding the good stuff let me know, I’d love to help you. There are many ways you can incorporate Jesus into your life every day. Sometimes you just need to slow down, spend some time thinking about it, pray about it, and ask God to help you figure it out. Check out the entire message, Here’s How To Stand Out
What Does Heaven Look Like?
Do you ever wonder what heaven will look like? Many people do. Will it be peaceful? Will we see angels? Lots of Fans When I travel, one of my favorite things is to go and visit sports stadiums. The second week of October I was in the Knoxville area and had an hour to kill so I went and visited the University of Tennessee Football Stadium. WOW! Just WOW! I was able to walk right in, and with the permission of the gatekeeper take some pictures.You can kind of get a feel for what I saw in the picture at the top of this blog, however it’s so much better in person. Did you know there are enough stadium seats for 102,455 people? I tried to imagine 102,455 people singing “Rocky Top” after a Tennessee touchdown. I almost extended my stay to see if I could get a ticket to check this out. This visual reminded me of a passage of the Bible where the apostle John is trying to describe Heaven. In Revelation 5:11 it says… Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Lots of Praise I did some quick math…10,000 X 10,000 = 100,000,000 (100 Million). Can you imagine 100,000,000 angels singing to Jesus in Heaven? What blew my mind with a 102,455 stadium is 1/1000th of the number of angels who will be singing to Jesus. Think about that. The University of Tennessee Football Stadium filled to capacity times 1000. Think about what that would sound like. Think about what that would look like. That’s something to look forward to! By the way…just a reminder that we have the opportunity every week in Minooka/Seneca/Online to worship God. The more the merrier! See you Sunday!
What Is The Bare Minimum I Need To Do?
When I started dating my wife, Rachelle, in college and wanted to get serious, I was willing to do whatever it took to show her how much I loved her. Can you imagine if rather than trying super hard, I instead asked her….Rachelle, what’s the bare minimum I need to do in this relationship for you to be interested? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the relationship would not have lasted very long! The Bible teaches us that when we enter a relationship with God, there are specific steps that we need to take. Step 1. Faith John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We don’t just kind of believe or say a simple prayer. This is a heartfelt, I’m “All IN” for the rest of my life moment! Step 2. Repent Acts 3:19 – Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. We don’t just sort a kinda walk away from our sins. We do a complete U Turn! And God meets us there and helps us continue to honor Him! Step 3. Confess Romans 10:9 – If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. We don’t just say words to get what we want. We publicly declare our love for Jesus because we love him. Just like we would our spouse and children. Step 4. Baptism 1 Peter 3:21 – And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. Baptism isn’t just getting wet. It’s the pledge of doing our best for God for all the days of our life. Step 5. Living the Christian Life Living the Christian Life (Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will) When we go through the first four steps, we don’t just stay infants in Christ. We grow daily by focusing on Him and in turn figure out His will for our lives. I began by sharing about my relationship with my wife, Rachelle. We began dating in February of 1992 in college. We were married in December 1996. At this writing, for 29 years I have been pursuing her. She is the love of my life. In the summer of 1984 I began my relationship with Jesus. I walked through each step, and for the past 35 years I have pursued Jesus. I’m ALL IN in my pursuit of him and will be for the rest of my life. How about you? Are you looking for the bare minimum….or are you looking to take every step and continue to take every step in pursuing a relationship with Jesus?
The Relationship Struggle Is Real
Have you ever wondered why relationships have to be so difficult? Are you struggling in a relationship now? The relationship struggle is real! You are doing the best you can, but the results are still the same. Have you heard this saying before, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is defined as Insanity!” May I lean in and encourage you to try a different approach? First, instead of focusing on the other person in the relationship, focus on you. That might sound selfish, but I can assure you in my explanation it is not. Check out this amazing verse from Ephesians 3:19… “May you Experience the Love of Christ. Then, you will be made Complete, with all the Fullness of Life and Power that comes from God.” When you experience the Love of Christ, some pretty amazing things happen. How do you “experience” the Love of Christ? You understand that He loves you and gave His life for you. He took your place on the cross so you could be with Him forever. From your thankful heart, you in turn surrender your life to Him. Do you have anyone in your life that loves you unconditionally, no matter what? The answer is Yes! Every single person on planet earth has a God who loves them unconditionally. Once you receive that and continue to experience that, God goes to work in amazing ways! He makes you complete! What makes relationships difficult? When two incomplete people come together, they make a complete mess. But, when two COMPLETE people come together, who are completed by the Love of Jesus, God can do something beautiful. If you need help understanding God’s love so that you can experience it, please let us know. We’d love to help you. If you need help with Relationships, join us for Relationshift a biblical approach to what is best. You can follow along in your Lifegroup or on your own using these Study Guides. You don’t need to struggle in relationships anymore! Don’t keep doing the same thing over and over and again and expect a different result. Do things God’s way and watch Him go to work!
What Do You Do With Big Worries?
Worries – we all have them, the big question is what do we do with them? Do we stress out, become withdrawn, or maybe lash out? You will face many worries at different times in your life. Where does your mind go when you are bombarded by those big worries? What is the doctor going to tell me? Did I get the job? How will I pay rent, bills and buy food this month? The list is endless, right?!? I recently had a health issue I was worried about. I had a doctor’s appointment and was praying about what I did not want to see happen. A friend asked me how I was doing and I shared that I was ok, just praying it wasn’t going to go bad. Then my friend asked me two simple, yet helpful questions. Are you praying for your worries? And is that even biblical? Pray Best Case Scenario My friend encouraged me to pray for a best-case scenario that God can provide instead of a worst-case scenario that anyone could provide. So I changed my prayer, went to the doctor, and was blessed to get the best case news. The next day, I was reading my Bible in Numbers 13. The 12 spies checked out the promised land, which at the time was full of giants. The 2 good spies looked at the giants and believed God was bigger. They said in verse 31: “We should go up and take possession of the land.” The other 10 spies had other ideas. They said in verse 33: “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” In other words, this is a land of giants, we’ve got no chance. This is a worst-case scenario. So, the people listened to the 10 spies and rebelled against God. Which forced them to spend the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness, instead of taking an 11-day walk into the promised land. All because they were focused on what they could control rather than focusing on God, who is bigger than the giants. As you read that scripture think of those giants as your worries. God is bigger than those worries. Today I want to encourage you to turn those worries over to God. It may sound overly simple, and in some ways it is. God doesn’t want to make things complicated. He wants the very best for you. What are you focused on? Are you praying for your worries? Today I encourage you to focus on a God who can do anything.
How To Handle The Stress
Sometimes stress can make you feel overwhelmed and you wonder, “How can I handle all this stress?” The answer is, you don’t have to. God is bigger than your stress, and He is ready, waiting, and more than capable to help you carry your burdens. Stress-Free Trivia Break Now, here are some fun trivia questions, let’s see if you can guess the right answers. What is the estimated weight of planet earth in tons? A. 6 Billion Tons B. 6 Trillion Tons C. 6 Quintrillion Tons D. 6 Sextillion tons If you guessed the letter D, you are correct. Here’s what it looks like as a number: 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. That’s 21 zeroes! And we still need to times it by 2,000 lbs which equals 1 ton. My calculator won’t compute that number because it’s too big. Now, just for fun, what’s holding up planet earth? Gravity. Who created gravity? No, it’s not Isaac Newton, he just more or less discovered how it works. Did you know the earth is tilted at exactly 23 degrees? Any more or less and our seasons would be lost in a melted polar flood. And finally, did you know the earth revolves at a rate of just over 1,000 miles per hour or 25,000 miles per day, 9,000,000,000 miles per year? Nothing Is Bigger Than God So, if God can suspend the weight of planet earth in the universe, keep it perfectly tilted, and keep it rotating at a consistent speed, do you think he might be able to help you with the stress you are currently facing? Do you think he might be the answer to guide you on what to do next? The next time you think, “How can I handle all this stress”, remember: He knows you, He created you, and He loves you more than you can imagine. Give him some room to work in your life. He knows how to help. You just need to ask, then be quiet and allow Him to work. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. -1 Peter 5:7 Get to know God by reading His Word. An easy way to do that is to use YouVersion Bible App. You’re Invited To Be Part Of A Community Of Believers Being connected to a community of believers will help lift you up and encourage you wherever you may be. There are options to do this: In-Person Church RSVP For Sunday Morning – Minooka Campus RSVP For Sunday Morning – Seneca Campus Experience The Village Live Online The Village Live Facebook YouTube Share Your Story Your Story Matters Connect In A Lifegroup Find Your Group Choose what you’re comfortable with right now. Start there. We are here to encourage you!
Having Faith Is Key
If you have no faith in the future, you have no power in the present. Having faith is key to living a full life, the life God intended you to have. Have you ever looked at a new year and been excited? Have you ever felt extremely nervous because you didn’t know how it was going to go? Maybe you experienced both excitement and nervousness at the same time. Thinking about the future offers so many opportunities. I’m completely experiencing both emotions as we begin 2021. It couldn’t be a more exciting time at The Village with so much potential for the future. We are launching a new campus in Seneca, experiencing exponential growth with the Online Campus, and seeing incredible things happen at the Minooka Campus! It’s so much fun to see God working in all three areas and it’s more than we can keep up with! My friend gave the perfect metaphor this week….it’s like changing a tire on your car while driving 25 miles per hour ? Sometimes life goes that way, right? God is providing so many opportunities that you’re not sure what to do next. It requires faith. Faith is having complete trust in someone or something, in this case, that complete trust is with God. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. He wants you to have 100% trust and confidence – to have faith in HIm. My non-negotiable in rapid seasons of growth is my time with God at 7:30 am. It’s an appointment that cannot be missed. Without it, I’m a wreck. I use this time to focus on my faith, my complete trust in Him. My devotion the other day was, For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. 1 John 5:4 (NASB) The challenge after the verse was simple… If you have no faith in the future, you have no power in the present. Faith is the victory! God has the future in His capable hands, not mine. I don’t know what God has in store in 2021, but I’m thankful that He is in control. I’m thankful that even when I’m overwhelmed and feel so nervous I almost get sick, He is in control. I can place my trust in myself, other people, other things. Or I can place my trust in Him and the future He has in store. I have faith in God and what he can and will do. Do you?
When Life Is Hard Choose Joy
How do you deal with challenges? When life is hard, it is so tempting to just give into worry, discouragement, or fear. Did you know that you don’t have to be miserable even when you are going through tough circumstances? You can choose something else. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the things of this world, to get busy, distracted, and you miss what matters. Today I want to encourage you to take a breath, sit still, and focus on the bigger picture. Here are some reminders of truths to focus on. Choose Joy! This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) I am fortunate to have many wonderful mentors in my life. My mentor in prayer is our Prayer Pastor, Lilye Sease. When I pray with Lilye I learn so much and it encourages me. I encourage you to find a mentor that can teach and encourage you. One of the things Lilye often says in prayer is the verse above…”this is the day that Lord has made, let us REJOICE and be glad in it.” Joy is not based on circumstance and it’s different than happiness. Happiness is based on what happens (I get a Christmas gift I like, I’m happy). Joy is more elusive. It’s that internal feeling that says your life is ok, you’re at peace, and therefore you have joy. I wake up every day and can quickly lean towards worry. Can you relate? You may feel hopeless, discouraged, unsatisfied, disappointed, and/or scared. Especially in these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is worry and fear about getting through all of this. The Bible teaches me, and my mentor has reinforced in me, a different approach. God made this day. There’s opportunity all around me to do good. And I need to CHOOSE JOY in the midst of it all. Regardless of the circumstance…if I choose JOY, I handle things better and I make others around me better. If I choose worry/discouragement/fear…I don’t handle things well and I drag others down. Jesus can be your source of strength. Jesus can be your sense of hope. Today I encourage you to focus on that truth because only in Christ will you ever be fully and finally satisfied. Only in Christ will you be able to find that true joy. Be reminded to have courage and choose JOY today! This is the day the Lord has made, let US (all of us) REJOICE and be glad in it.
A Great Story About Baptism
It’s All About The Opportunity In this blog I’ll talk about baptism and the opportunity for life change. Did you like playing in puddles of water when you were a kid? It was an opportunity to have fun and splash around, but most likely, you didn’t have dry clothes to change into. Did that stop you? My guess is the answer is no because you were focused on the goal of having fun so it didn’t matter. The opportunity presented itself, and you grabbed it. You didn’t wait, you didn’t make excuses…you just took action. Opportunities don’t often present themselves at the perfect time. In fact, they may come up when you’re not prepared or when it’s not convenient. Easily one of the best parts about what I do is getting to watch people respond to the opportunity of a life-changing call of God and make the decision for baptism. And guess what…it usually doesn’t happen during a Sunday morning service. One Day This Happened One day I drove into church and my friend Tim drove in right behind me. I got out of the car and said hello. Tim replied and said he wanted to be baptized, RIGHT NOW! He’d been out on a walk that morning and felt this strong leading to commit his life to Christ and make the decision for baptism. Tim felt a sense of urgency and wanted to take action that day. So, he drove directly to church and was ready to be baptized right then and there. By the way…he’d been thinking about it for a very long time. He would think about baptism, but then life and distractions would happen. This time he wasn’t going to wait until Sunday or even another hour once he made up his mind. He didn’t bring clothes to change into and our baptistery wasn’t set up. It would have taken at least an hour to set it up and fill it with water. Tim was not going to wait. So…we drove to my house and I baptized him in our pool! It was amazing! Afterwards he drove home in soaking wet clothes, but it didn’t matter to him. He was so focused on the opportunity to commit his life to Christ that the wet clothes didn’t matter. Baptism is Open To You Did you know baptism is open to you? It doesn’t matter what your past is, it only matters that you are ready to move forward into a relationship with Christ. You can experience life change. It’s what God wants for you. Has God been tugging at your heart to make the decision of baptism? Why wait? God has your best interests at heart and He has a plan for you, but you have to take the first step of baptism. Make the decision right now. Make a commitment to Christ, no more excuses, no more putting this off. Say yes today. Learn more about Baptism, or if you’re ready email nate@thevillagechristianchurch.com. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6
Stuck In A Rut
Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? If you’ve had that feeling when your life has become boring, stale, and monotonous, you’re stuck in a rut. This happens when we do the same thing over and over again, which some may call a habit. In fact, the definition of a habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. Habits become lifestyle. Have you ever heard of the 21/90 rule as it relates to our habits? The 21/90 rule states that it takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to make it a permanent lifestyle change. This is a true for good habits and bad habits! Most people want to develop good habits. Habits like getting enough sleep, getting up to get to work on time, exercising and eating healthy. In March our country was locked down due to Covid-19 and life changed. There were feeling of depression, anxiety, and fear. Many of our good habits were thrown out the window and replaced by not so good habits. Some people have become stuck in a rut and are having difficulty getting back to their good habits. Can you relate? What Is Essential? May I press in a little here? Did you go to the grocery story this week? Did you go to a Big Box store (Walmart/Target/Home Depot/Menards) this week? If you answered yes to the questions above, may I ask one more? Did you connect at church this week, online or in person? Are you going to connect in a Lifegroup this fall, online or in person? Those are habits – good habits. Being with other people, safely of course, is good for your mental health. God wants you to be with people. Connecting in a Lifegroup provides the opportunity for you to connect with Godly people, which will encourage and support you. This is critical especially in challenging times. Your relationship with God IS “ESSENTIAL” You need to make sure you are in the habit of giving priority to your relationship with God. Much the same way you are in the habit of making sure you have the food and supplies you need for each week. We are honored to provide online and in person opportunities for you to connect and give that priority to God. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25) Please make your habits of connecting with other believers a lifestyle for the next 21/90 days. You won’t regret making this decision to go from habit to lifestyle.
Greater Things Happen Together
YOU can make a DIFFERENCE!!! WE can make a DIFFERENCE!!! Jesus said in John 14:12; “…whoever (Singular – You) believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and THEY (Plural – WE) will do even greater things than these…” One person, who believes in God and puts that into action can make a difference. When lots of people do this, greater things occur! I see examples of this happening time and time again. Recently I had the privilege of being part of an event at our church, The Big Give For Kids. This was amazing to watch as our church family and community came together to provide new shoes, new socks and gently used clothes for families. A lot of families have been impacted by COVID-19 and are struggling. Hundreds of people in the community donated their clothes and dozens of people sorted the clothes. Many people in our church family also donated money to the Sell Something Challenge to purchase new shoes and socks. As a result, 280 kids in the surrounding communities received bags and bags of clothes! Our community came together to help those in need. GREATER THINGS! More Great Things Another example of great things happening when a group comes together was what one of our Lifegroups did. We partner with Ms. Pearl, founder of Good News DayCare in the Roseland community of Chicago. This area was hit really hard with rioting and looting and businesses were destroyed. One of our Village Lifegroups saw that Ms. Pearl couldn’t buy supplies in her area so they decided to take action. This group got a list from Ms. Pearl, purchased the supplies needed for a whole month, and delivered everything to the DayCare center in Roseland. These people recognized a need and filled it. GREATER THINGS! If you are interested in helping with supplies (because the businesses aren’t coming back anytime soon), here’s a list of what is needed: Supply List for Ms. Pearl Email info@reclaimedcharity.org to learn more about how you can make a difference. So my challenge to you today is to take a few minutes to think about what you can do, who you can partner with to make a difference and do greater things!
3 Ways To Relieve Anxiety
Are you feeling a little anxiety? That’s perfectly normal, especially in the times we’re living in. Today I want to encourage you that the Bible gives us clear direction to not be anxious about anything. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-8 NIV) Those are great words of wisdom. Do not be anxious about anything. That’s tough to live out right now, but fortunately the scripture tells us how to find relief from the anxiety. 1. By Prayer Take your concerns to God, whatever they might be. Put them at his feet. He wants to have the conversation with you. He wants to hear what is on your heart and causing your anxiety so don’t hold back. Pray to him like you’re talking to a friend. 2. By Petition A prayer of petition is a request to God that asks him to fulfill a need. If you are struggling and just don’t have the words, call another believer and have them pray over you, just like you would have someone sign a petition to agree on an issue. Have a friend pray with you in agreement for God to help. 3. With Thanksgiving In your time of need, don’t forget to thank God in advance for his help and to simply thank God for being there with you. Then, we see the… Result The peace of God will guard (in original language a military term, imagine a tank and soldiers guarding the fort) your hearts (your emotions) and your minds (your logic). So just to recap, you pray, ask others to pray in agreement with you and thank God. Then God’s peace will guard you from being anxious. One of the ways I like to pray is to be quiet, like when I’m driving to work. But most often, my favorite time and way to pray is while I’m moving. I like to walk with my dog, Simba, in our neighborhood. As I walk I just pray out loud (or under my breath when neighbors are around so they don’t think I’m crazy ?) and have a conversation with God. I share all the things I’m excited about and also worried about. Lately, I’ve been taking two walks a day. I might even go on three or more walks if needed. I can do this while social distancing and also keep my mind focused on God and his ever-present help in times of trouble. Take the time to pray and see what happens.
Invite God Into Your Decisions
Have you ever had to make decisions? There is this fascinating conversation that Moses had with God in Exodus 33… “Moses spoke with God as a man speaks with a friend.” – Exodus 33:11 Can you imagine speaking with God like that? How cool. In the conversation Moses essentially says to God, you’ve told me you will lead us, but you haven’t told us where to go or to whom we are going. God replies…I will go with you and I will give you victory. Sounds pretty good. The next sentence is to me what is so fascinating. God said 2 things… I will go with you I will give you victory In my brain, I think I would have focused on the victory part. What is going to be our next victory? Who are we going to defeat and when is the battle? Moses instead focused only on one thing. That God would go with him. Check out these amazing 2 verses in Exodus 33…. Then Moses said to him, “If you yourself don’t go with us, then don’t send us away from this place. If you don’t go with us, no one will know that you are pleased with me and with your people. These people and I will be no different from any other people on earth.” – Exodus 33:15-16 Moses says if you don’t go with us, it’s not even worth packing our bags. Your presence in our lives is the absolute most important thing. Without your presence, there’s no point in going anywhere because there will be no victory. What’s your next step in your life? What’s the next stage with your kids? Your career? Your marriage? Have you invited God’s presence into those decisions, those moments? According to Moses (and I happen to agree with him ?), the most important thing is God’s presence leading. He wants you to invite Him into your decisions. He is ready to accept that invitation. Better to stay still than to lead out without God. Better to have God’s leading, then follow.
Keep Shining In The Darkness
Today I want to encourage you to keep shining. My best friend from college is a coach in Bloomington. He is a follower of Christ and where he has influence with others, he says these words often “Keep Shining”. It’s a reference to Jesus words in Matthew 5:14: “You are the Light of the World – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” In a world that is becoming more and more dark, we have the opportunity to be a Light in that darkness! There are so many opportunities. Take a few moments to think about these questions. I encourage you to find some paper, or maybe a journal and write down the question and then your answer. Questions For You How can you be a Light for Jesus in your home? How can you be a Light for Jesus in your neighborhood? How can you be a Light for Jesus in your school? How can you be a Light for Jesus in your workplace? How can you be a Light for Jesus in your social media account? Find Those Opportunities To Keep Shining We have opportunities every single day. You have opportunities every single day. I encourage you to take that piece of paper of journal that you wrote the questions and answers in and look at it every day. It will be a great reminder to you of how you can be a Light and encourage you to keep shining. My friend closes every email and nearly every text message with me by saying…. “Keep Shining” It’s an encouragement in the moment, but also an encouragement for the future. KEEP Shining! Don’t just shine once or twice. Keep shining in all places and at all times.
You Are The Church
Do you remember the last time you went somewhere new? You didn’t know where the location was (you trusted your phone app ?) and arrived and everything was new. It may have been exciting, uncomfortable, or scary. Last Fall my wife, Rachelle, and I made a trip to Washington, D.C. We had an appointment to meet our tour guide at the representative office in the Rayburn Office Building. If you’ve never been there, it’s a maze. We got lost twice and it could have been uncomfortable and scary, but both times members of Congress helped us get to where we needed to go. We were so thankful for a friendly face and the help from people who didn’t need to take time out to help us. Visiting a new church can bring up those same feelings of being uncomfortable and scared. Last year over 600 people visited the church. Each one may have felt nervous and unsure because it was something new. Your response (a friendly welcome, an offer for help, a thanks for being here) can make or break their next step of faith in trying to get closer to God. I love it when people engage in ministry because Church isn’t a building or a place. It is a group of people experiencing life change, life growth, and life purpose. You are the Church. In 2020 we are praying for over 1,000 first time visitors at The Village. That is 1,000 lives being changed by God. We are praying that they feel welcomed, comfortable and excited about their next step. You can help make that happen. You are the Church. Recently a family visited for the first time. One of our regulars introduced themselves and flagged me down to say hello. The visiting family had kids, so immediately the welcoming family told them about Pulse Student Ministries that was kicking off that night. The kids came and loved it! Then, the next day two of our Pulse students met one of the new students at high school because it was their first day having just moved to the community. The students showed the new student around so he could feel right at home. Isn’t that wonderful?! My prayer is that I and WE can be as welcoming as our students and do our very best to point people to Jesus, living out this verse… Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1-2 NIV)
Be Strong Even When It’s Hard
Have you ever noticed that anything that really matters in life is not easy? Parenting, marriage, relationships…they all take work. There are peaks and valleys and it’s not easy. The fact is, following Jesus can be hard. Our culture is not focused on Jesus even though that is something that really matters. I was recently at an event for Heart for Africa where a man said these words: When we follow Jesus, we don’t do so to make our lives easier. We follow Jesus and he leads us to make our lives matter! The Bible is a great place to find encouragement, especially during those hard times. I love the encouragement we receive from the writer in 1 Corinthians 15: So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:58 New Living Translation) Now let’s break that verse down so you can apply it to your everyday life: Be STRONG (even when it’s hard) Be IMMOVABLE (don’t move off from what you know is God’s Will) ALWAYS work enthusiastically (your life, your work matters) It’s USEFUL (not useless) when we live our lives for God. Feeling a little down and need a pick me up? Read this verse every day for the next 30 days. Know that God is calling you to make an important step for Him? Read this verse every day for the next 30 days Feeling like you don’t measure up or that God can’t use you? Read this verse every day for the next 30 days. Immerse yourself in that verse for the next 30 days…every day. See what happens and let me know. You matter to God and He wants to encourage you. Your life matters because of Jesus and His love for you and His leadership in you. Be strong and immovable.
You Are Chosen By God
I like to read. There are a few reasons I read, for encouragement, to learn and to be reminded that God has chosen me. I read from the same devotional Bible every year. One verse, and one or two sentences of application. Here’s one of my favorites… You were chosen to tell people about the wonderful acts of God (1 Peter 2:9) God chose you…it’s right there in black and white. So…let’s spend a lifetime making our heavenly Father proud! What’s Next? My next book to read when traveling is titled “Game Plan, Winning Strategies For The Second Half Of Your Life”. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on having a mid life crisis ? What I am trying to do is this: Plan out how I can effectively serve in what I hope is the second 25 years of ministry in my life. I want to make God proud by telling others about Jesus. What’s your plan to make your heavenly Father proud? Take some time right now to think about that..really think about it. If you are married, it has to be tied to your spouse. If you have children, it has to be tied to your children. In all things, YOU will have opportunities that I won’t have. Actually YOU will have opportunities that no one else will have, because YOU have been chosen by God to represent him. Be on the lookout for those opportunities. Here’s what I want you to do right now. Pray this simple prayer today…God, give me courage to share about you WHEN (not if) you provide the opportunity! Post that prayer somewhere where you will see it every day. Say that prayer every day and see what happens. It’s fun to see the opportunities that God puts before us! He has chosen you! If you’re looking for a daily devotional to read, check out Youversion.
A Cheering Section Just For You
Have you ever had someone cheer for you? Have you ever wanted someone to cheer for you, but it just didn’t happen? Here at The Village we feel it’s very important to encourage and love everyone. When it comes to baptism especially, everyone should have a cheering section. Every Thursday The Village has a church service. Something special happened on July 25th, 2019. Mackenzie Eber was baptized! In our worship room we have 4 sections of chairs and the section in front of the baptistry (the tub where baptisms happen) seats about 60 people. Mackenzie’s many friends came to celebrate her life-changing decision to be baptized and filled this entire section! It was so great to see the love and support of her friends and family. On this day, I actually cut my sermon a little short because I could see the excitement in the faces of these students for their friend. They wanted to share in this moment of her committing her life to Jesus. You could not only see their excitement, but you could feel it. Everyone should have their own cheering section for when we make big decisions for Christ. It is definitely a time to celebrate! You Can Have The Opportunity We all get the opportunity to encourage and support others and we are all encouraged ourselves to see God’s work in others. This Bible verse from Hebrews sums it up perfectly, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1) We have lots more baptisms scheduled in the coming weeks. If you’ve been thinking about taking this next step, I encourage you to talk to one of the Pastors at The Village. You can also learn more about baptism here, https://www.thevillagechristianchurch.com/about-us/baptism The section in front of the baptistry is now designated for friends and family, but the other 3 sections are also for cheering as well! ?
Why We Do What We Do
I am honored to serve on or consult with boards of different charities. Each one has a mission and each one has a budget that is in place to accomplish that mission. In short…here’s a problem, and this is our solution. It’s the “Why we do what we do.” Here’s a great example of a “why we do what we do”: “I grew up in the Catholic Church, attended CCD and went thru the sacraments of communion & confirmation. I have never found my place to worship – always feeling like I was going thru the motions of sitting in church & not taking away any meaning. I wanted to have a relationship with God – but needed to seek out a place that I would feel comfortable & could learn & feel close to God without feeling judged. I attended your Church for the first time on Thursday – January 18th – everyone was so welcoming. It was a very inviting environment & nonjudgmental! Since attending that Thursday evening in January, I have downloaded the You Version Bible on my iPad & have opened it each day ~ thanks for the reference & way to learn more about God. I have also purchased a Life Application Study Bible. I am truly excited now to attend Church & learn each & every week.” – Kim When you and I give, stories like this happen! WHY GIVE? Giving is all about the heart and a key part of the Christian faith. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Luke 12:34 The Bible teaches us that our baseline standard for giving is the tithe – contributing10% of our income to the church. The word “tithe” literally means a tenth. We return to the Lord 10% of what He’s given us because it belongs to Him. We tithe, or give, to honor God. We acknowledge God as the giver of everything we have. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” – 1 Chronicles 29:14 We trust that God will continue to provide for us. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house.Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” – Malachi 3:10 We become a part of God’s work here on Earth. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Luke 12:34 We follow through on what God has asked us to do. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops;” – Proverbs 3:9 Thank you for your generosity! Read More About Giving
Take Time To Celebrate
This is the day the Lord has made, let us REJOICE and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 Do you struggle to have JOY in your life? I do. Many would describe me as over serious all the time. I like projects, tasks, mission and organizing people to accomplish things. This involves details and planning and lots of time, and I rarely take time to celebrate. It’s always on to the next mountain to climb and the next task to complete. In my marriage, my wife, Rachelle, is the opposite. While she is able to accomplish lots of tasks and organize people, she has lots more fun in the process. It’s one of the many attributes I love about her. Decide to Celebrate Because JOY doesn’t come as naturally to me, it’s something I really have to work on. Sometimes it takes a conscious decision to be joyful and celebrate. In fact, in the scripture, God basically says that JOY needs to be a daily part of your life. He made the day, let’s find something to rejoice about! Look around you and find something to celebrate. Life may be hard, but you can always find something if you look hard enough. Recently we celebrated Jared Baker’s 15 years of ministry at the Village. His family was in town and they are a blast to hang out with. We had dinner at our house for the family. Jared’s 80 year-old grandfather was the last to leave. He declared that in their family, they wake up and think of things to celebrate, then spend the day doing so. It shows. I love to spend time with them! Jared’s grandfather lives in Las Vegas and his parents in Denver. Both invited me to their homes to play golf and hang out, and I’ll probably take them up on it! They are filled with JOY, and it’s contagious! I need that in my life. This is the day the Lord has made…. What can you rejoice and be glad about today? When you have JOY it’s contagious and helps people get better! It’s good for you, it’s good for others. Let’s live in JOY every day! Read more about Joy…
When Life Doesn’t Go According To Plan
This past Sunday, I did what I always do. We finished our worship planning meeting at 8 am, and I headed to the prayer room to pray before services. Every week I do this, it’s part of the plan. Lilye, our Prayer Pastor, and our Prayer Team get together and pray over the day. Today was different. As I walked in, Lilye and her husband Sonny were on their knees praying to God. We had never been on knees praying before. Frankly, I needed to get on my knees and humble myself before the Lord because I had taken the first part of my day to tell God how stupid it was for Him to send snow on one of our biggest outreach days (the Easter Egg Hunt) of the year! ? I was making it all about my plans. Get On Your Knees When Your Plan Isn’t Working So I kneeled along with Lilye and Sonny and began to pray. One by one our Prayer Team came into the room and by the end of our time, every single one of them were on their knees. We were crying out to God and asking for His will to be done! I was so humbled and realized I was so wrong when I told God what I thought about how sending the snow was stupid. At that moment, I was so thankful for our leaders who led me to the right action. Despite the horrible weather outside, it was one of our best days as a church. People worshipped with passion, visitors came and were welcomed, friends encouraged and supported friends, an amazing message was delivered that would inspire many, and we had an incredible baptism. Have you ever thought things weren’t going to work out…and they did…according to God’s plan? Have you ever thought, “If God would just do things the way I have them planned out, this would work a lot better?”…but then realized that you’re not God and you need to stop acting that way. Can you relate? If the answer is yes, be reminded of the scripture below… “IF my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Let Your Light Shine
I saw this stat yesterday that said we just experienced the cloudiest February in 57 years! Then the comment was, “Now I know why everyone is so grouchy” ? OR maybe better said by my wife…“Now I know why you are so grouchy!” It’s easy to feel grouchy when the weather is cold and cloudy. Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather, but we can control our actions. It might be cloudy outside, but each day we have an opportunity to represent and shine His Light in a very dark world. Check out this simple challenge that Jesus gives to each of us every day: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) Key Questions To Ask Yourself How can I… Provide encouragement to my spouse today? Encourage my kids today? Help my co-workers today? Be an encouragement to someone I don’t know? Ask God to bring someone into your path today who needs encouragement and that you can be a light for. You will be surprised who He brings and what a difference you can make! My best friend from college always concludes his emails and messages with these two simple words: Keep Shining! Keep on being a light, every day, in every opportunity that presents itself. Do this so others may see your good deeds and GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.