The Body

As I continue to read & soak in Romans 12 . . . .

How incredible be a part of this community that we call the church:
"Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." (vs.4-5)

Your hope is my hope. Your problem is my problem. Your need is my need. . . . He goes on:
"In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly."

We ALL have the privilege - and responsibility - as part of the whole, to serve in the way that God has designed us. It takes ALL of us. It takes you.

This past Sunday we began something new in sharing with you the 'Oso Creek Top 7'. The top 7 serving needs that are going unmet at Oso Creek right now (that we know of).

It's my obligation as your Pastor to share with you these needs and encourage you to prayerfully ask God if He is nudging you to fill one of these needs. If so, please contact the person in parenthesis. So here they are (makes for kind of a long post) . . . thanks for being part of the family!

1. Children’s Ministry – Kids, Kids, Kids! We are blessed with many kids . . . all of who need to experience the love of Jesus! We are in great need of Son Harbor leaders, 1^st – 5^th grade on Sunday mornings. Prepare lessons, activities and lead Son Harbor volunteers in leading engaging and active Small Group discussion and activities. No experience necessary, curriculum and training provided! (Audie @ 960-9551)

2. Volunteer Champion – Have the joy of helping people find their place to serve!! Updates serving needs on a regular basis and coordinates with new Creekers after completion of Discovery Class to connect them to serving opportunities. (Audie - 960-9551)

3. Children’s Ministry – Pre-K & Kinder Class leaders. Sunday morning leaders for our Pre-K & Kindergarten students. Leaders present the weekly lesson and all activities, crafts and projects are provided. Curriculum and training provided. Leaders can serve, bi-weekly, or once a month. (Amber @ 793-7305)

4. Lighting Team – Let the Light Shine! We need someone to serve on our Sunday Celebration team - lighting up the whole thing - by operating the lighting board. NO experience needed, training provided. (Mike Ilse - 857-6588)

5. Videographer- Do you like to communicate through media?? Do you have some (not extensive) experience filming, editing and producing video? We need a willing volunteer to help us experience God in a more powerful way through film. (John @ 993-4463)

6. Student Ministry- Impact kids in some of the craziest (and most volatile) years of their lives! We need Middle School group leaders. Our Middle School Life Group leaders meet with our 6^th – 8^th graders each Sunday morning during our 11:00 am Celebration Service. (Beau @ 356-6279)

7. Greeter Team – Be a part of the ‘crazy wavers’ who give Oso Creek an awesome first impression! The ‘First Impression’ team includes parking lot greeters, nametag table assistance and children’s table assistance. We currently are looking for volunteers to serve at our nametag table for both Sunday morning Celebrations. All you need are a willingness to serve and a friendly attitude. (Tim @ 215-0230)

Financial Peace Deadline!

I can't encourage you enough to take advantage of going to Financial Peace University beginning February 20th. (Check out my last post on it for more info)

But I do need to tell you that the deadline to sign up is next Tuesday February 12th. And it is a very dead deadline because materials have to be ordered. So this Sunday is the last Sunday to sign up or you can come by the office.

Listen to this comment that was left on the previous post:

"my husband and i are doing financial peace and it is awesome...it has lit a fire under us to honor God with every aspect of our finances. not to mention how much you can further the kingdom of God if you don't have debt payments to make! 2 thumbs up for financial peace!!!" (Margo)

Pretenders - Part II

Still chewing on these verses in Romans 12: "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." (Romans 12:9-10)

'Take delight in honoring [blessing] each other.' God's been talking to me about being a blessing. So much of my life I feel like I go through as a policeman. Can anybody relate? Watching this and that. Correcting this and that. Instead of blessing, I'm busy policing.

God's job is to correct, mine (and yours) is to bless. OK, I'm speaking generally, I'm not saying that we NEVER correct our children or others - but what if we went through our day looking for ways to bless people. Not looking to judge, or critique, or justifying, or ignore. Just bless.

We have been blessed now for 4 weeks as Beatriz Lopez has been living with us. (This is her at the HS Girls GNO) Cindy and I believe that much of the reason God has put her in our familie's life is because she is a 'blesser' (and a blessing!)
It's like she is just continually searching for ways to serve and love others. It's amazing. She came here to learn about America . . . and this sweet young lady is teaching us much as we just watch. (I know that her parents in Madrid must be proud.)

I pray for a Beatriz in your life . . . and I pray that today you (and I) would seek to simply be a blessing.

Daniel Fast

On Sunday I encouraged you to join me on a 6-week+ Daniel Fast, beginning this Wednesday and ending on Easter.

The idea of a Daniel fast comes from the Old Testament book of Daniel chapter 1 - where Daniel, a Jew who was deported to Babylon and chosen for the King's Palace Program, resolved not to defile himself by eating the Palace's royal food and wine. Instead Daniel chose to eat only vegetables and drink only water. (I encourage you to read the passage.)

The physical (& spiritual) principle that we are seeking to follow here is to seek to put things into our body (& life) that most reflect the vision for our life that honors God. Daniel was making a statement with his 'fast' that he was going to follow God.

There are all kinds of different fasts (the Bible does not say that you have to do a fast 'this' way or 'that' way . . . and a 'Daniel Fast' can take many different applications as well . . . some people hold to just vegetables and water).

What I'm asking you to do is join me in fasting from something(s) that you are doing to your body that is unhealthy. Maybe it's from sodas, or fast food, or tobacco, or junk food, or etc, or all of the above!

The purpose is two fold: 1) To move towards God's vision for our physical health. For many this is first step of making the statement that you want to honor God with your health.
2) As we have the desire for that thing(s) - to allow it to remind us to pray for God's vision for every area of our life. A fast is ultimately about helping us focus on and pursue God. And in these days I am asking that together we pursue God's heart for our lives. That we repent where we are not following Him and ask Him to show us how to seek Him in the different areas we have been talking about.


So, I ask you to be praying between now and Wednesday, and then share with me (& us) what God is telling you. What are you fasting from?

What questions or thoughts do you have?