General Church News
Are you weary? 
Jesus said “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” More than a few Christians feel like they accepted Jesus’ invitation only to feel more weary and more burdened. They could say:
- I feel tired. Sometimes I find myself wondering “Does this work?”
- The closer I try to get to God, the further, it seems, I drift away.
- The list never ends. There’s always some way I need to improve: prayer, Bible study, more books to read and more people to serve. I don’t feel like I can ever do enough. I buy a movie ticket and feel like God is saying, “You could have used that money to feed the poor.”
- I keep messing up and I know God must be disappointed in me. Sometimes I wonder if I’m really a Christian at all.
Frustration grows and passion diminishes. Some consider severing whatever connection to Jesus and the church they might have had. Some hang on with a commitment to try harder, but they feel skeptical of any real change. If this describes you, there is good news. You can discover the whole gospel – not just a ticket to heaven, but a life-changing power that bears fruit: freedom from captivity to sin, a growing desire for God and a heart to serve others.* Join us in the coming weeks on Sunday morning at 10:30 as we discover why Paul called the gospel “the power of God”.
*The Gospel: Rediscovering the Power that made Christianity Revolutionary” by J.D. Greear
It’s 1975: Wheel of Fortune premiers; the Viet Nam War is coming to an end; Terry Bradshaw leads the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory in Super Bowl IX; Gerald Ford is only months into the presidency he inherited following the Watergate Scandal and the economy is in recession. Imagine, at this time, being approached by two young men about a “high-tech” capital investment opportunity involving personal computers. Keep in mind, in 1975, most individuals do not own, nor have they even heard of a personal computer. Being the savvy investor that you are, you ask questions of one of the aspiring entrepreneurs.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty.”
“Do you have any entrepreneurial experience?”
“No.”
“What is your educational experience?”
“I dropped out of college after the first semester.”
“Do you have a source of income presently?”
“No, but I don’t really need one. I’m crashing on the floor of a friend’s house.”
“What about food?”
“I get free meals at the Hari Krishna temple. If I can find enough Coke bottles, I can get enough money for a Happy Meal.”
“Where is your business?”
“My mom and dad’s garage.”
You’re underwhelmed and you politely decline. As you are likely aware, you’ve just walked away from Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Fast forward to 1997. Apple is still around but has a dismal track record. You reward yourself for not investing in that loser high-tech start up by purchasing a PC for $2000.00. Fast forward to 2012. If you had used that two grand to purchase 100 shares of Apple stock in 1997, you could ring in the new year with $150,000.00 shares of Apple stock. And what if you had helped those 20 year old hippie dropouts in 1975? If spotting great investments were easy we would all be rich.
What are the five or six investments that you could make in 2012 that would have the highest and best return? For a parent, it may be the decision to invest more in a child than a career. For another person, it may be the decision to forgive and release the bitterness that has poisoned her life for many years. The best investments create returns that go well beyond financial prosperity.
Join us in January and February as we explore the teachings of Jesus and some of the best investments we can make in the coming year.
We will be gathering for worship on Christmas Eve at 5:30 p.m. instead of our usual Sunday morning time.
The next discussion group will meet Thursday, December 1, 7:00pm at Twain’s. The topic is Pagan Influence on Christmas. More information can be found on the Discussion Group page.
Christmas falls on a Sunday this year and we want everyone to be at home with their family on Christmas morning. Mark your calendar. For that weekend, we are moving our worship gathering day and time to Christmas Eve at 5:30 p.m.