Hey church family!

I was trying to think of a biblical way to encourage you to help with a seating challenge we have on Sunday mornings and I thought of this verse:

So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. Genesis 45:4

😂😂😂 In all seriousness, in our Sunday morning gatherings, we often don’t really have a space challenge, or a number of chairs challenge, we actually have a preferred seating challenge. Not everyone can sit near the back😬, but a lot of people like to! So many times we end up adding rows to the back of the church when there are big gaps in seating, and entire empty rows towards the front. It may sound silly, but a way that you could legitimately serve your church is by moving UP, closer to the front, and moving IN towards interior seating.

Also, our church family loves to talk with one another before the service, which is GREAT, and a sign of healthy fellowship! But if you could make your way to your seat when the 5 minute countdown starts, it would really help the connect team and people arriving to locate where the open seats are.

Now, hopefully this goes without saying, but if you have a medical condition or circumstances that require you to sit near the back, please sit near the back! And if you have a rough morning and arrive late, thats ok! We aren’t mad at ya, we’re happy you made it! We’ll gladly put out chairs for you! But if you are healthy and able to lay aside personal preferences, and can come closer and move in to help make room for making disciples, please do so!

Love y’all,

Roy

Ever feel like you wasted so much time and opportunity not following the Lord? Or maybe you poured your life into something that ended up breaking your heart? Ever wish you had the time back? Check this out, God says:

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…

-God, Joel 2:25

I don’t know all the you’ve been, or are going through. But this verse reminds us that when we put our trust in Him, God RESTORES…He even restores “years”….TIME. Time is the one thing everyone says you can’t get back. But here the Bible says he restores “years.” How does He do that? I believe He restores it, at least in part, by enriching the time we have left. Restored time, is time when we’re closer to God and closer to the people we love. Restored time, is time when we have a greater appreciation for His forgiveness, love and grace. Restored time is time when we have a greater appreciation for little things too, like a good laugh, tasty dessert, and a colorful sunset. He restores time by making everything in life sweeter.

We’d all do well to just go ahead be done with trying to make sense of everything that went wrong in the past. Some of it happened to us, a lot of it we probably brought on ourself. Either way, when we know Jesus, it’s a new day in the Lord! And we can look up and look forward to how He’s gonna continue to “restore the years” by making what time we have left that much sweeter.

#LookUp

Great post in keeping with our sermon from last Sunday on the topic of the Holy Spirit:

What’s Better Than Jesus Beside You?

In him we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace… Ephesians 1:7

It’s not the strength of our faith, but the object of our faith, JESUS, that makes redemption and forgiveness possible. Not our good works, but his work done for us. Not about me, or you, or any other deeply flawed human for that matter, THANK GOD. It’s all about Jesus!

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can my sin erase

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Naught of works, ’tis all of grace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my hope and peace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my righteousness—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

‘Nothing But the Blood of Jesus’ Robert Lowry, 1876

We get overcome with worry because we think we know better than God about what needs to happen in our life. Then we go nuts trying to control everything. That’s not our place, it’s His.

Let’s trust God and stay in our lane, friends!

#LookUp

Stay in the loop of what’s going on at Grace Bible Fellowship!

https://mailchi.mp/527de06e949e/bible-studies-wednesday-nights-resume

Quick reminder and word of encouragement for those who parent teens or work with them on a regular basis. Like a lot of things, being a teenager is harder than it looks! They have pressures, challenges and insecurities that are hard for us to identify with or even imagine. They’re trying to navigate a tough season of life without much experience or know-how.

I’m not saying that life isn’t easier for teenagers in some ways, but I am saying that there are some real difficulties, that are unique to them. Do they need correction? Of course! Called to a higher standard? Yes! A reality check? Sometimes…But what they also need is something we all need—understanding. They need us to be people who are willing to hear them out and try to see things from their perspective and seek out the why behind their actions. They need love and grace and patience—all the stuff God gives us, daily.

Anyway, that’s it. I’ve worked with teens in one capacity or another for 10+ years. I love them! I know many of y’all do too. Be encouraged to keep trying to understand the young people in your life, and keep pouring into them. It’ll take some effort and leaning heavily on the Lord, but God is faithful and they’re worth it!

The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. Proverbs 20:5

#understanding #teens #beencouraged #BeALight

Check out this powerful response to a reporter by NCAA Championship head football coach, Dabo Swinney:

https://youtu.be/ty3W49EPIB8

In 2019…

•Let’s focus more on the many things we have in common, rather than our differences.

•Let’s look for God’s giftings in each other and be secure enough to pay each other compliments

•Let’s assume the best motives in each other, rather than the worst.

•Let’s avoid being critical whenever we can, and if we feel criticism is necessary, let’s speak it directly to each other, not about each other.

#2019 #BeALight

2019 Goal…

Jack, the lamplighter in Mary Poppins, always working, always smiling, always bringing “light” to others. What an inspiring example for us! Jesus said we’re the light of the world. Like Jack, we are to bring the Light—the love, joy and message of Jesus Christ, to others

What if we made it a goal this year to think less and less about what we want FROM people, and more and more about what we want FOR people? What if we spent 2019 seeking to have the light of Jesus shine brighter and brighter through us, for good of others and the glory of God?

You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. -Jesus, Matthew 5:14-16

#NewYear #BeTheLight #LookUp