News: We had a great Easter
service last week, lots of preparation and planning by our
staff, extra moving parts, dancing, new music, visuals, Easter
egg hunt, series launch, even parking lot attendants! Really a
great time, over two hundred adults at one service with over
fifty kids present... I have my usual meltdown about halfway
through the song set...I don’t know if I’m just relieved that
people showed up another week, or am experiencing the presence
of God, or really proud of my family? Maybe it’s all-the-above
and God is into the whole thing and I just have my little moment
with Him each week over it?
We’re also making some great progress with our paid staff,
ministry team I call them...quite the team, the Dream Team We
have been believing for over the past few years now this team
would come together and it is happening in a pretty sovereign
way. Coupled with our Volunteer Army, Elders and Board Members,
I really feel surrounded by a great group of people I’m just
humbled to be a part of...
We also just came out of a Discovery Class cycle and Baptisms on
top of that last week.
I must mention one of my favorite Growth Groups this
semester...the Future Wives Club, I call them the “weather
system” with their own gravitational force...truly organic
discipleship happening with little structure, way cool.
We’ve got some pretty fun stuff coming up too, the Summer Growth
Group cycle and the Men’s Adventure Series.
Sports: “And Jesus declared to them, go and make disciples of
all nations, teaching them to play Church League Softball.”
Believe it or not, I’m getting pretty excited about Church
League Softball. I never thought I’d say that. I was always a
CLS grinch because it always seemed too introverted that church
teams would only play with church teams. It seemed to defy my
DNA of being outward focused as a church. Until I saw some the
significant relational connection that started happening with
people on the team. People who hardly knew each other, or any
other God-fearing person, actually found themselves becoming
friends, then getting to know each other, then trusting each
other, learning from each other, experiencing life and God
together. Maybe CLS isn’t so bad after all. And too, it’s not a
bad outlet for those of us who suffer from even the mildest case
of MCD, Male Competitive Disorder.
Weather: Pretty nice spring weather...I remember last Easter
when it snowed sideways on Sunday to top off our second season
of epic snowfall (global warming...NOT). We’re pretty stoked
about two of our services this spring and summer that will be in
the park across the street, big fun for all.
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