Giving Thanks!

Well, we did it! And I mean “we” as in all of you. One thing that is so obvious is that in order to touch people on this kind of scale we all need to come together to make it happen. You have laid out a banquet before many that will never be able to repay, but were so appreciative of your kindness. Our reward won’t necessarily be in this life, but the reward is there nonetheless.


Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14

Here are a few praise reports. Let’s keep our eyes and hearts focused on serving others!

“I watched Coleen Van Nostrand for awhile. Her seamless service was incredible. She drew no attention to herself ever and did heavy work with grace and did it appearing as though it were effortless...but I have a brain in my head...she was carrying heavy things and in hot places and the beauty and grace of Christ was all over her. I was blessed and strengthened just by seeing her. I keep seeing her and praying for that same grace and beauty to be in me that I saw in her and for Christ to refresh her.”

“The table of people I served were, all but three, unable to get up and serve themselves. Each of them were filled with joy from God. They each wanted to know something different about our church. One wanted to know who the chef was and how he could make so much delicious food at once. One wanted to know who the pastor was and what time church was. One wanted to know if she could give a donation...she could only whisper and asked if I would pray that she would live to be able to come next year. The gentleman in the walker loved the worship music. I was running around getting things for each of them and at the end they were very surprised to find out that one of my family was the pastor ;) I gave a specific word of blessing that God was giving to me to each one as it was clear that was real receptivity for that and then went into the other room to serve there. It seems to just get better each year....though it is so good I don't know how that happens. God knows.”

“One thing that comes to mind is a conversation I had with an elderly gentleman named Paul, who talked about the importance of praising the Lord during the day with mind and spirit, and mentioned how others can see this in the Spirit, even though they may not recognize what it is, that this attitude of praise brings light to the world. It just confirmed what I've been hearing from the Lord recently, that the louder and more steadfastly we praise Him, seeking gratitude whatever the circumstance, the more confounded the enemy becomes.”

“I think my donation story was really neat, and really made me realize that the leading of the Holy Spirit is so subtle but so persistent.I had a list of possible stores to call and had calledthem all except Rite-aid... the number I had was the automated answering service at the pharmacy and for some reason I decided not to pursue it. I'll be honest I was kinda pushing down a feeling that I should pursue it. The last day when I was picking up the donations I had received I just felt really compelled to call rite aid again, and after patiently waiting through the automated system I was connected to a person who happened to be the manager. Well, after talking to him he said it was too late to send a donation request to corporate, but if I were to come in he would donate something out if his own pocket. Ididn't know what to expect, but I had a feeling he was going to be generous. I met him and told him about what the dinner was all about, and I got the feeling he was a Christian. He said something about how hecould tell me all about his past and how he got to where he was today, but there was no need. Then he handed me a $100 dollar bill and said that was what he had decided to give!! I was quick to shower him with thank yous and God bless yous, but his response was"Faith without works is dead!" So true...God bless Dave the manager of Rite-Aid.”

“I was having a conversation with one of the men who had come for dinner, and then he and his friend wanted to help clean up, so they came back . . . helped to put away tables etc. They were getting ready to leave and I thanked them for their help and one of the men began sharing his story. He said he was only fearful of one thing . . . the wrath of God. He said he believed in Jesus and I assured him that by believing in Jesus, the wrath was no longer applicable. After he was done, I invited him to come on Sunday and he promised he would. I hope to see him at the service.”


“It seems that every year when we take dinners out to I.V., we have the exact amount needed. I can't remember if it was last year or the year before, we were heading back home from I.V. with four dinners leftover. When we entered the church parking lot to drop someone off, we noticed a car pull up, and a family of four pile out. They looked a little lost so I asked if I could help. They said they came for the Thanksgiving dinner. When I told them that it was all over and everything was closed up, their expressions turned despondent. But then I remembered that I had four meals leftover - just the right amount!

This year, when we left I.V., we had only one meal leftover. As we were driving home, Douglas remembered that he had promised someone, who was disabled, a Thanksgiving meal. He had recently undergone surgery for breast cancer and was getting ready to have a kidney transplant when he was run over by a car in front of his house. Although he was in a tremendous amount of pain from his cracked ribs, he was elated to have this surprise gift show up at his doorstep. He couldn't stop thanking us for the meal.

It seems to me that there is just as much thanksgiving to God for having the opportunity to represent Him in giving, as it is to be the recipient of a gift from Him.”

“I am extremely grateful that I belong to a church body that welcomes and supports all of us that the Lord isn't quite finished with yet; a place where we can come as we are and be accepted and loved and continue to grow.”

For more photos. Thank you!

You Are The Light

Who Is The Light?

Here are some quick thoughts on what it means to be a light in this world. I hope the Lord speaks to you.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Jesus is the original light ("I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jn 8:12) that stepped out of heaven into the darkness to give light to all men. Now He says that WE are the light of the world!

Jesus is our example that we need to follow. Jesus stepped out from the comfort of heaven into a dark and dangerous world in order to serve His creation and reveal the heart and character of our Father. Jesus shared meals with prostitutes, touched lepers, forgave sins, and healed hearts, minds and bodies. Jesus met both the spiritual and physical needs of his people. He wasn’t afraid to mix with the lowest of the low. He came to be the servant of all and we too are called to serve. We want to be like you Jesus!

As Jesus served His creation HIs light was shining bright and people saw His good deeds and gave praise to His Father in heaven. Not everyone understood who He really was, but because of His “good deeds" they praised the Father. God was glorified. Some got it later, and others not at all, but Jesus' kindness and practical acts of love drew people toward their heavenly Father.

The ones that did get it had their hearts set ablaze by the Holy Spirit and took up the torch from Jesus to become the light of the world in which they were living. These faithful saints that have gone before us can serve as our example as well.

They are the ones that chose to spend their lives serving their Father by laying down their lives for the lost and dying that Jesus gave his very life for. These are the ones that saw the physical and spiritual needs of a dying world and decided to make a difference with the Grace the Father pours out to all that lay down their lives.

They have changed the world through many acts of kindness. Our predecessors have revolutionized education, medicine, science, history, agriculture, literature, art, music, theology and so much more. In whichever field they were called they gave their lives fully to the Lord and expressed that devotion by serving mankind as Jesus himself did. They caught the heartbeat of God and laid down their lives in order to bring the gospel in word and in deed.

Now the torch has been passed on to us and Jesus tells us to put our light on a stand for all people to see. To take it out from under the basket and hold it up high so that people may see OUR good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. What are the good deeds that the Father has called you to? Who are the lost and dying around you and how can you serve them? What are the needs that God has put in front of you and how can you meet those needs?

You see, this life is not about us. It used to be before we were saved because were self-centered and separated from our Father. But Jesus told us that if you try to save your life you will lose it, but if you lose your life for His sake you will find it. Once we are saved we are supposed to lose ourselves in Jesus so that we can become like Him. And being like Him means living like He did.

Living like Jesus did means being a servant. And becoming a servant means that others need to be the focus of our lives. And focusing on others takes the focus off us. The paradox here is that as we lose our lives we will actually find it. We will be fulfilled and satisfied as we seek to see others fulfilled and satisfied.

As we take up the torch and become the light of the world we can make a difference and actually change the world. By our good deeds we can see the darkness flee and the kingdom of God advance in our days. We, like Jesus can see the captives set free, the blind made to see, the oppressed liberated, the orphans taken in, the hungry filled and the homeless safe in their father’s house.

Jesus has entrusted us with the message of hope and given us His Spirit to carry out the works of His kingdom. We are the ambassadors. We have the message. So, as St. Francis of Assisi said, “preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.”