Announcements
Confirmation!--
The session approved Jade, Chase, Ashley and Jackson to be confirmed
on May 18! This is great news for the kids, for this congregation
and for the Kingdom of God! Please join us on the 18th to celebrate
what God is doing in their lives.
Community
Kitchen Spot
There
are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community
needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please
bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the
bookshelf.
Plastic
Forks, Knives, Spoons
Dinner
Napkins
Heavy
Duty Sectional Dinner Plates
Dessert
Plates
New
Hope News
Sunday
School—We
press forward in Matthew, focusing on the Lord's Supper this Sunday.
Pray
For:
Norma
Capone
The
medical research community, that a cure for cancer may be discovered
The
displaced people from Syria, and all those who live in refugee camps
Links
Keith's
Random Thoughts
My mother has
approximately 14 million books. They are everywhere in her house,
and she is constantly on the lookout for more. I have acquired this
trait, for we have too many books in our own household. I long since
stopped trying to acquire enough bookshelves to house all of our
books. Now I just look for creative ways to store them. (I haven't
found any... they just end up in piles on the floor.)
So it makes perfect
sense that when I ask her to borrow a particular book, that one isn't
available. It's been lent out to someone else. Fortunately, I have
enough of my own books to distract me until it returns. I can't read
the book if it's not available, right?
I was listening to a
sermon the other day on availability, and it's the same principle.
God wants to use us for his glory and for his kingdom. I believe
that when God is using us for his purposes, our lives are as
fulfilling as possible, because we were created in the image of God
and are most fulfilled when we are living into our created purpose,
which is for God's Kingdom. So God wants our live to be rich with
his presence and glory.
But what happens is we
loan ourselves out and become unavailable to God. We get so wrapped
up in our pursuit of our own goals that we aren't available for God
to use us. God wants to use us, and he can use anyone, but only if
we make ourselves available to him.
So we need to check
ourselves back in to God, and to make sure that we are paying
attention to him above all else. When we go out to work or play or
serve, we need to do so with a mind focused on paying attention to
God in the midst of what we are doing, to make sure we are available
to him while we are doing the things of life. When we are available
during work and school and such, God will work in and through us,
that our lives might find their ultimate purpose in God alone.
Text
for this Sunday
(Click on Link below to read)
Romans
12:1-8
(NIRV)
12
Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his mercy. So I am asking you
to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies
are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your
bodies to God, you are worshiping him. 2 Don’t live any longer the
way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed.
Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will
agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and
perfect.
3
God’s grace has been given to me. So here is what I say to every
one of you. Don’t think of yourself more highly than you should. Be
reasonable when you think about yourself. Keep in mind the amount of
faith God has given you.
4
Each of us has one body with many parts. And the parts do not all
have the same purpose. 5 So also we are many persons. But in Christ
we are one body. And each part of the body belongs to all the other
parts.
6
We all have gifts. They differ in keeping with the grace that God has
given each of us. Do you have the gift of prophecy? Then use it in
keeping with the faith you have. 7 Is it your gift to serve? Then
serve. Is it teaching? Then teach. 8 Is it telling others how they
should live? Then tell them. Is it giving to those who are in need?
Then give freely. Is it being a leader? Then work hard at it. Is it
showing mercy? Then do it cheerfully.
New
Hope on iTunes
Keith's
Blog
& Devotionals
for your Kindle
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