| On Sunday, May 27th from 1-2:30pm we will be serving our community in various locations. This year we will be serving our schools, assisted living, parks and bike path, restroom clean up, and fire station. You can with bring a sack lunch and eat at the church or get lunch on your own and meet at the church at 1pm. Childcare is provided for nursery and preschool. Please be sure to stop by the table in the foyer and sign up or click here to email us to sign up. You are not going to want to miss this incredible opportunity to be a blessing to this community! |
The words we speak are powerful things. They can either tear down or build up. I'm sure you have stories of powerful words - how the words someone spoke to you impacted your life. Maybe they were words of encouragement and brought confidence and peace. Or maybe they were words that brought you pain and sadness. Now, whether you consider yourself a Christ-follower or not, the Bible is full of reminders of how powerful our words really are. Ecclesiastes 6:11 says that when used succinctly - words carry great meaning. Proverbs 12:18 says that although reckless words pierce like a sword, words from the tongue of the wise can actually bring healing. These are the words the scriptures call us to speak.
Humble words. Healing words. Wise words. Gentle words. Grace-filled words.
Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God.
Just like quoting John 3:16 doesn't mean you know the Word, talking about God doesn't mean you know him.
I can talk about Tim Tebow all day long. I watched him play in college, and I love watching him play in the NFL. But I can promise you I don't really know Tim Tebow and I'm certain he doesn't know me.
1 Cor. 8:3 says, "Whoever loves God is known by God."
So here's my question to you today:
Does God know you?
Of course God knows about you. He knows who you are, where you live, and your favorite flavor of ice cream. But does he know you?
Have you wept on his shoulder? Sat on his lap?
Have you shared your life with him? Your dreams, passions, and burdens?
Do you live like Jesus or just talk about him?
Is your worship about truth-telling or is it just about song-singing?
I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty. Heck, I struggle with this as much as the next person. I'm simply trying to challenge us to take our relationship with God to the next level.
God is so desperate to have a growing, healthy, and intimate relationship with us.
So let's intentionally spend time, not just today, but every day, getting to know Him better so he can know us better.
I wanted to share a reminder that was sent to me by a friend and written by Max Lucado that encourages each of us that God's ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9) “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4” Whatever you do, don’t quit! The Christian race isn’t a jog—it’s a demanding and grueling, sometimes agonizing race. God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them. The apostle Paul dedicates a paragraph to listing trash bags: trash bags of troubles, problems, sufferings, hunger, nakedness, danger, and violent death. These are the very dumpsters of difficulty we hope to escape. Paul states their value. He said in Romans 8:37, “In all these things we have full victory through God.” We’d prefer another preposition! We’d opt for “apart from all these things,” or “away from all these things,” or even “without all these things!” But Paul says, “In all these things.” The solution is not to avoid trouble but to change the way we see our troubles. God can correct your vision!
Two great events are coming this Easter Weekend!
Saturday April 7th at 10am ALC will be hosting the Rockin' Egg Hunt. Kids from birth- 5th grade are invited to take part in this massive egg hunt. Not only do we have tens of thousands of eggs we are also giving out prizes included a Nintendo DSi and an iPod shuffle. Be sure to attend this event and make sure you dress like your favorite Rock Star!!! The raindate is Sunday, April 8th at 9am.
For Easter this year at ALC – we are going to NEW Dimension – make that 3 dimensions! ALC is proud to present Easter 3D. Join us for EASTER 3D as we bring the story of Jesus to LIFE with a special message by Pastor John. Two service times are now available for your convenience 9:25am and 10:55am. While students and parents enjoy this life changing 3D event, kids are invited to experience age-relevant classes centered around the Easter message. Mark these items on your calendar - your family does not want to miss this incredible weekend!
Join our Facebook Group!