This year our church had a summer bash, an outreach that included an all-you-can-eat barbecue picnic and a concert by our worship team. Despite the fact that we've had very rainy and stormy weather the past few weeks, this past Sunday God showed up and did some incredible things with the weather and with our hearts.
I took a picture of E when we got there. 10:30 AM it was really sunny, hot and humid, but we were ready to have a good time. This park has lots of lakes and is very green. It also has an amphitheater which is where we had our service and concert.
The first thing my son asked was if he could run. "Buddy," I said, "If you've got energy to burn, go have a blast." And he did. Up and down the hills in the park. For Floridians hills are a big deal, since Florida is flat, so he really enjoyed that.
He also took a picture of Mommy by one of the lakes. I thought he did pretty good.
This is our pastor, Bob. He talked about happiness. We all know about life, liberty, and the pursuit. Our culture says it's our right to be happy, and we should go after it. But happiness isn't something we can "go after". Happiness is a byproduct of seeking God. Jesus taught us something totally different from what our culture teaches us. He said that when we seek the opposite of happiness, that's when we experience it. Just look at Matthew 5:1-6, what is commonly known as the Beatitudes. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit, those who recognize their need for God. He said that those who are meek will inherit the earth. Most people think meekness and weakness are synonymous, but the opposite is true. Meekness is power under restraint. It's waiting on God's timing and not forcing things to go our way because we only think about ourselves. It's about putting others' needs first. Then Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness would be filled. We have to desire what's best to experience true happiness. That might not always be what other people consider best for us. But we don't need to please others to experience happiness; we need to please God.
Afterwards, our worship team took over. Amazingly, it didn't rain during Pastor Bob's message. When he was done, everyone got on line for food, and that's when the rain started. Only it wasn't the downpour we'd gotten everyday for the past two weeks. It was a fairly light rain that lasted about 25-30 minutes, then became a very light drizzle, then disappeared in time for the concert. The best part was, the rain cooled everything down. It was extremely hot and humid during the morning. Once it rained, the clouds stayed to cover and protect, and we had a comfortable breeze. It's funny how everyone was so concerned about it raining, yet God knew it was just what we needed to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in worship.
This is Pastor Mark. Not only is he our worship leader, he's also the youth pastor. What a heart for young people! Pastor Mark has been such a positive influence on my daughter. She regularly seeks his advise because she knows he'll tell her like it is, with her best interests at heart. I'm eternally grateful for God placing Pastor Mark in our lives. He just recorded his first CD, so don't be surprised if you see him again real soon!
Of course, this was the kid's favorite part. Two bounce houses, a giant slide, and a rock climbing wall. The Summer Bash attracted over 700 people, and we just pray that many hearts were changed by the message of hope and true happiness that we can have by accepting Jesus as Lord of our lives. I can't wait till we do it again next year!
I took a picture of E when we got there. 10:30 AM it was really sunny, hot and humid, but we were ready to have a good time. This park has lots of lakes and is very green. It also has an amphitheater which is where we had our service and concert.
The first thing my son asked was if he could run. "Buddy," I said, "If you've got energy to burn, go have a blast." And he did. Up and down the hills in the park. For Floridians hills are a big deal, since Florida is flat, so he really enjoyed that.
He also took a picture of Mommy by one of the lakes. I thought he did pretty good.
This is our pastor, Bob. He talked about happiness. We all know about life, liberty, and the pursuit. Our culture says it's our right to be happy, and we should go after it. But happiness isn't something we can "go after". Happiness is a byproduct of seeking God. Jesus taught us something totally different from what our culture teaches us. He said that when we seek the opposite of happiness, that's when we experience it. Just look at Matthew 5:1-6, what is commonly known as the Beatitudes. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit, those who recognize their need for God. He said that those who are meek will inherit the earth. Most people think meekness and weakness are synonymous, but the opposite is true. Meekness is power under restraint. It's waiting on God's timing and not forcing things to go our way because we only think about ourselves. It's about putting others' needs first. Then Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness would be filled. We have to desire what's best to experience true happiness. That might not always be what other people consider best for us. But we don't need to please others to experience happiness; we need to please God.
Afterwards, our worship team took over. Amazingly, it didn't rain during Pastor Bob's message. When he was done, everyone got on line for food, and that's when the rain started. Only it wasn't the downpour we'd gotten everyday for the past two weeks. It was a fairly light rain that lasted about 25-30 minutes, then became a very light drizzle, then disappeared in time for the concert. The best part was, the rain cooled everything down. It was extremely hot and humid during the morning. Once it rained, the clouds stayed to cover and protect, and we had a comfortable breeze. It's funny how everyone was so concerned about it raining, yet God knew it was just what we needed to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in worship.
This is Pastor Mark. Not only is he our worship leader, he's also the youth pastor. What a heart for young people! Pastor Mark has been such a positive influence on my daughter. She regularly seeks his advise because she knows he'll tell her like it is, with her best interests at heart. I'm eternally grateful for God placing Pastor Mark in our lives. He just recorded his first CD, so don't be surprised if you see him again real soon!
Of course, this was the kid's favorite part. Two bounce houses, a giant slide, and a rock climbing wall. The Summer Bash attracted over 700 people, and we just pray that many hearts were changed by the message of hope and true happiness that we can have by accepting Jesus as Lord of our lives. I can't wait till we do it again next year!
1 comment:
I'm glad things worked out so well for you!
Post a Comment