This week has become a BLUR of activity. So much planning and praying and practicing leading up to Easter Weekend at Life Church!
Here's some quick hits:
LEADERS: Here's a must-read article on the four ways Satan will attack ministry leaders the week before Easter. It's absolutely, flat-out TRUE!
BLOWN AWAY: A super cool twenty-something Life couple was going to be away Easter weekend to celebrate their wedding anniversary. It was to be their very first vacation as a married couple.
And they just canceled.
Why? Friends they've been inviting to Life Church said they wanted to come on Easter Sunday. So vacation plans were scrapped to ensure that their first visit to our church was smooth and comfortable... talk about being Kingdom-minded!!
Who scraps their anniversary plans to take friends to church?!
People sold-out to Life Church's vision, that's who!
THE QUOTE:
Day turned to night, His friends scattered and death thought it had won.
But heaven just started counting to three. - Bob Goff
PHOTOS: Remember my new Pakistani Muslim friend I mentioned earlier this week? Here's the photos she snapped as a curious church spectator:
EASTER WEEKEND: Our Easter Egg Helicopter Drop is this Saturday. God is granting us favor with great weather and favorable reporting on this locally, regionally, and nationally (fyi - the final quote in this last article is a misquote by the reporter).
For what its worth, the whole idea of an Egg Drop is based on Jesus' approach to people far from God. Jesus threw parties, not rocks. Rocks came from critics who completely misunderstood Jesus' missionary methods. Parties erupted from Jesus who brought in drinks (John 2) and hung out with pagans (Matthew 9) in order to build relationships with them.
The Son of God was criticized harshly by the self-righteous while He brought righteousness to the irreligious (Luke 19). And so when small pockets try to throw rocks with silly comments attacking fellow Christians, I don't let it bother me or our mission. After all, it's hard to build something beautiful with a sledgehammer.
The good news is that God is bigger, the vision is worth the cost, and we answer to the Lord alone. God is clearly leading the way and calling the shots at Life Church.
We want to be a people who speak life over people, not condemnation. We will always pray for, seek to honor, and speak highly of other pastors, leaders, and churches throughout our region. If we misunderstand something, we will go to the person directly and quietly in grace. We assume the best in fellow Christians, not the the worst.
Our volunteers are focused and ready to serve families from across the region this Saturday and Sunday. I cannot say enough good things about our Lifers and their desire to glorify God by gathering people to point them to Christ. We are praying hard and ready to rip! Bring on Easter Sunday -- we're ready to serve!
