Sunday Evening Thoughts

Monday, September 1, 2008

Sunday Evening Thoughts

 

It was a good day at First Church!  Honestly, you never know how a holiday weekend will go – some years the attendance is up and some years it’s down.  For us, both services were down some.  And yet, the second service had a several new families!  Here are some of my thoughts from the day…

 

  • The worship in both services was incredible!  Mitchell Cooper continues to show his love and passion for Jesus and leading people to worship in Spirit and Truth.
  • We had several new families visit in the second service!
  • Our church will grow the fastest when our people fall in love with Jesus and follow His command to reach the people in this community. 
  • We had two exchange students in service today – one from the Ukraine and one from Spain!
  • No decisions yesterday – we are praying for broken hearts and changed lives.  It literally breaks my heart to not see people move – you can see the hurt, pain, emptiness, etc etched across their faces – as a pastor it hurts.  I know Jesus is the answer – I so greatly desire to see people open their hearts to Him.
  • Part 2 of our sermon series TXT “Is the Word of God Reliable” was a great study for me and so important for our people to know and understand.  To truly live out the word – to truly appreciate the word – you need to know why we believe it is true, accurate, infallible – and you need to know how to express that to others.
  • Next week, TXT 3, will be so important for everyone – you need to be there.
  • Pastor Stan from Franklinton, LA – contacted our church asking for help in wake of Hurricane Gustav.  We are beginning the planning stages of taking supplies, chain saw crews, etc. down to the coast.  Stay tuned for more.
  • Our staff is embarking on something new – a Daniel Fast!  We will begin next week and fast for 21 days.  If you’re interested in joining us let me know.
  • I drove to Springfield to visit Frieda Hays, she’s doing well.  Dan Clark and Bob Moore were also there – I love these guys and am so thankful for their leadership and love for Jesus.
  • Got home by 8:00 and loved having the rest of the night off – we watched an incredible movie “August Rush.”
  • Can’t wait to rest with the family on Monday!

1 comments:

Jamie said...

Love the blog, Joe! Miss you all and pray for you and Julie often. Can't believe Klaire in the picture - her hair is SO long. Give all the kids a hug from us. Oh yeah - and thanks for the tip on August Rush - I've been wanting to see it!

PS - Isaiah told me yesterday that he didn't want us to spend money to fly home for Christmas to see our families. He said he'd rather fly to Lebanon and stay w/ your family. We ALL miss you guys!