Direction(s)

As we talked about Sunday, making decisions in life with limited information…and no real idea what will happen in the future…is always difficult!  One of the most difficult aspects of all is knowing where to start…what to do “next”.  Here’s a little tip, and one that comes from a couple of really familiar verses. In fact, If you’ve been struggling with a decision, I bet some helpful person has probably ALREADY quoted these well-known verses to you:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  Proverbs 3:5-6

I love those words from Proverbs, and they have proved themselves to be true again and again in my life.  However, notice that they don’t promise turn-by-turn directions.  They don’t promise a mapquest style print out of what comes next.  All they promise, is that if you trust God (and not your own “wisdom”)  he would show you which path to take.

It turns out life is a lot like a bicycle-Impossible to steer (or balance) unless you are moving.

God will never tell you what his plans are for your future until you are on the path.  You will never know what the “next thing” is until you take the next STEP…the scary one…the one that takes faith…the step that you probably ALREADY KNOW.

Take your next step.  Today.

No Worries…

A few weeks ago as we studied the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, we learned that the antidote for worry was this:

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Philippians 4:6

We’ve got a Huge weekend coming up with Fathers Day on Sunday and Relay for Life happening on Friday and Saturday.   Instead of worrying about how everything is going to come together… :-)   I’ve told God what we need…and I thought maybe you could join in as I thank God for all he’s done in just the last few weeks:

So…

Thank you God:

-For providing EACH week, everything we need…for everything we do.

-For the many times Michele and I can say “I don’t know” because we have great leaders who are making amazing things happen each week.

-For all the people who sweat and bleed (no exaggeration) :-) to put together a church at Frank Theaters.

-For our great actionkidz crew, who somehow manage to turn a small theater into an exciting place where God’s word comes alive for our children!!

-For the MANY people who have signed up to cook, and walk, and serve those who have cancer in our region at Relay.

-For sound and video equipment…and an ugly truck…and the people who know how to keep both working!

-For people who are brave enough to try out actionchurch because they saw a $2 lawn sign beside the road…we’ve always dreamed of billboards…thank you that $2 signs work instead.

-For the lady I met this weekend who was a graduate from Bridge of Hope…for great partners in serving others like Bridge of Hope!

-For medical miracles in the lives of people we love!

-For lives changed and prayers answered…every day.

-For leading us as a church,-to a place we could grow and have an even larger imprint on York County!

I could go on.  And I think MAYBE that was Paul’s “tricky” solution, once you begin to think about all of the amazing things God has done…it’s sort of distracting from the whole worrying thing.

What can you add to the list from your life?

 

 

Leaving the ‘verbs…

the 'verbs - 31 days in Proverbs

Today is the final day of January…and the final day of the ‘verbs.  If you are reading along this month in the book of Proverbs, todays reading is Proverbs Chapter 31.

Here’s a few Monday Morning thoughts about the series:

So thankful to be  married to a “Wife of Noble Character” that the writer of Proverbs 31 talks about.  Other than the whole “spinning of wool” thing, it sounds like Michele.  In fact, if you have been blessed by actionchurch in any way over the last three years, it was probably due to her effort!

Never underestimate the power of scripture (and common sense).  The Bible is NOT “magic”.  You can’t expect that just reading scripture will “fix all your problems”.  BUT,  reading it daily AND applying it to your actions can change your life.

I am SO thankful that “we are not alone”.  I am so thankful for the actionchurch folks that I learn from and do life with each week.

It’s pretty freakin’ cool to have a giant hi-def screen in church.   Jason snapped this pic Sunday…I am a lucky man to get to preach in front of a two story Darth Vader!!!  :-)   (Check out the Podcast later in the week if you want to know why.)