Securing Future Disciples

So the question everyone has been asking me today... "How did we do in our Securing Future Disciples campaign?"

In case you did not know, yesterday was commitment day for our campaign to rebuild our preschool ministry facilities. Our church families streamed forward and placed their commitments and their offerings on the altar. It was the culmination of many weeks of hard work by dozens of people in our church. It was the culmination of much fasting and praying and seeking the Lord.

So how did we do?

Well... You don't really think I would break an announcement like that on my blog do you?

No. We're still working. A few more commitment cards came in today. That will likely continue this week as people who were out of town yesterday are able to make it by the church office. I'm sure we will receive a few more on Sunday from others who weren't in our service yesterday.

We are working on a tally....

The plan right now is to share the totals on Sunday, March 28 in our 10:45 service.

Can I at least give a hint?

:) -- Just don't miss the 3/28 service!

(and get those cards in if you were out of town... I'm anxious to see the final numbers...)

Pastor Noel

Have you Struggled in Prayer?

Quick note from something I learned in my quiet time this morning...

Have you struggled in prayer? I don't mean, 'have you struggled to pray' or 'have you struggled to remember to pray' or even 'have you struggled to make time to pray'. I mean have you struggled for someone or something in prayer?

This morning I was reading in Colossians and I came across this verse...

Colossians 2:1 (NLT)
I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.

I thought, 'Agonized how?'. When you continue to read and study, you learn that the chief way he agonized for them was in prayer.

Later in the same book, I read this verse...

Colossians 4:12 (NKJV)
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

So in these verses, we see Paul agonizing for the Colossians in prayer, and we see Epaphras laboring fervently for them in prayer.

The questions then are... When was the last time I agonized or labored fervently for someone one in prayer? Are my prayers simply reciting a list of concerns? Are there new things I need to learn about prayer?

Pastor Noel

New Facebook Trend...

As a pastor, I have counseled with a number of couples in the last year with troubled marriages. It is stunning how many of those marriage difficulties have something to do with Facebook or some other social networking site.

Sometimes the trouble has come because friendships gradually crossed the line of appropriate communications. Other times there was just suspicion and distrust.

Thankfully, Donna and I have not faced these difficulties, but every time I sit down with another couple in counseling, I am reminded that the potential is there.

So Donna and I decided to combine our accounts. I simply changed the account name and email on my account by going to the 'account settings' page. And we are in process of getting all her friends to be on my list (or our list).

Once this is done. We will just make her old account inactive.

We've also share our email passwords with each other. We have no secrets in our marriage and I don't want anything to creep in and cause distrust.

I know this won't be something everyone will want to do. That's fine. In fact, just because you take steps to have openness and integrity in your marriage in this area doesn't mean you can't have problems in other areas. But if you think combining your accounts would provide more trust, less possibility of friendships going in wrong directions, or even just a good witness and encouragement to others... then give it a try.

Noel