10-13-2013 Imagine

Jerome Nelson, our Central Conference Superintendent, joined us and it did our hearts good to see our brother in good health. We also warmly welcomed Lydia Barry, our newest regular attender.

We had the unique pleasure of Sarah Warren’s Swedish version of How Great is Our God for the offertory. We continue to lift up Scott Jeffries who is recovering from the bone graft surgery; and Megan Laninga, who is scheduled for surgery Tuesday.

Jerome started us off with silent prayer and then shared a poignant PowerPoint video to the MercyMe tune I Can Only Imagine.

He spoke a word to us on the Holy Spirit being predominantly dormant within many of us in the faith.  We need our pilot lights rekindled in order to cook. We need to consciously choose to welcome the Holy Spirit. For it is through the Holy Spirit, and that measure of Faith that God gives us, that our thoughts and our wills will become His.

We are like trees who need our growth to be deep, wide, tall, long, and high. Truly absorbing the understanding of God’s love for us is key. His Love is wider than everything else: our sins, our depression, our self-pity, our experiences, our pride, and our woundedness. (Ephesians 3)

When bad things happen to us and our generally happy & comfortable lives become profoundly disrupted, we sometime blame God for letting go of our hand. But in reality while we may turn from Him, there is nothing in creation can separate us from His love. (Romans 8) He and His love, know no bounds. He is everlasting to everlasting. 

We, as a Church, need to be networked like the internet, yet nestled together sharing warmth like the coals in a barbeque pit.

And on that note, we hope to engage with you as God leads…at prayer meeting, in a small group, or next Sunday morning when we welcome another Central Conference guest speaker: Debbie Griffith Samuel, the Director Mission and Outreach. May God fill us and facilitate our blessing those around us.