Heating up!

I had a wonderful Life Group this morning so I thought I would share....

We were talking about how it can be such a challenge to stay fired up about Gods Kingdom especially in the way of sharing our faith. My Life Group is very passionate about Missional Living but we have all found sharing our faith is a much more difficult task. Can anyone relate?

Kinda got me thinking. My house stays very warm or very cold, kinda like the church. But unlike the church the heater in my house works! Once we turn on a little heat the house responds great and as the heat goes down the thermostat recognizes the temperature change and kicks on heat again.

We had a thermostat Life Group this morning. We needed to recognize it was time to turn the heat up! About two hours after our Life Group ended our Life Group leader sent an email offering some really cool ways we as a group could be Inclusive.

This is what it's about! It's not a shock that we need to have thermostat reminders sometimes but we MUST make sure we're having them!

How about you? Hows the temperature in your house?

Sunday Reflections...

* Great Sunday!!!
* We had 10 Jr High students at the 9 am service, so cool!
* The band was on fire yesterday - thank you guys for leading us INTO worship!
* The morning gloom got the first service - including me :)
* Second service was packed! Some of you need to start hitting 9 am!
* Tons of new faces!
* I saw a new couple come in and no one welcomed them, I was bummed. We HAVE to look out for that!
* I was exhausted after church, the message was a challenge to teach.
* Excited for next Sunday!
* Invisible Children - be there!
* SO pumped about our vision, I believe in our vision and how God is and will use us!
* Excited to start another week. I'm running tonight with two guys who are disconnected spiritually, I'm hoping I can include them in the journey towards God. Pray for me!

This Sunday!

When it comes down to it what does God want from our life? Have you ever wondered this question? Many people spend their entire life trying to find the answer to this question. This week we will take a closer look into the words of Jesus and find with great clarity the answer to the question that puzzles so many of us. The section of scripture we will look at this week has been the most influential and informative passage in my life. It has taught me more about what it means to follow Jesus than any other passage in all of scripture. In fact Jesus says this is the most important command in all of scripture. What is it? Come find out this Sunday.

Look forward to seeing you then!

Fig Tree

This past Sunday was an incredible time in scripture. I felt confident that God was working in all of us as we wrestled through the true condition of our spiritual lives. If you missed church yesterday make sure to check out the message online.

I got an email this morning that was sobering and challenging. I thought I would take a moment and pass it along to you. My prayer for you is that in all circumstances you would realize God is at work in your life. The e-mail is below.

Josh,
Thanks so much for the message yesterday. It's hitting me this morning…the Lord is revealing to me that I don't pursue or reflect Him as I should. I feel as though if I were a fig tree I'd look like the picture below. I believe that I engage the world and people (non-believers) around me very well, but often time it ends there. I need to produce fruit…I'm lacking. I found out this morning that an acquaintance died in a car accident this weekend, and a sobering conviction has feel upon me. I have contact with so many people every day and leave my true beliefs on the shelf. This isn't a game. Please pray for the family who lost their son/brother.

Being INClUSIVE is amazing!

We had an amazing lunch yesterday with our work neighbors. SK digital has 8 employees and we have said "hi" and "bye" to them for over 3 years, but have not shared the amazing real love of Jesus with them. Yesterday we opened that door. We served them lunch, played basketball and learned their stories, it was perfect!

I'm proud of where we are going as a church and I invite you to come along. Include someone and love them like Jesus!

See you this Sunday at 9am or 11am as we continue to look at how Jesus lived by studing the book or Mark!

So you're interested in going to Nicaragua?

Then here is some information that you need to know...

Dates: July 24 - August 1 (The exact days of departure and arrival may change, and times are still being determined, but we will definitely be going during that week).

Cost: $1500 (We are planning several church-wide fundraisers to help off set some of the cost, and you are all encouraged to do your own fundraising as well).

Brief Description:
We will be going to Nicaragua to help out a few of our friends down there. The trip will be divided into three target areas: Schools, Orphanage, and Renovation. Below are descriptions of what each area involves:

Schools
We will be working alongside Emerson Diaz, a Christian youth worker, in the city of Managua. He has asked us to travel to a few different schools with him to put on a little show for the kids. We will put on a presentation in the morning for the elementary-age kids and another in the afternoon for the teenage students. Each presentation will consist of some silly games, a few short skits, and a salvation message.

Orphanage
Emerson's parents own and operate an orphanage in Managua. About 20 kids live at the orphanage full-time, but another 30 or so come in and out throughout the day. We will be doing various projects on the grounds like fixing the basketball hoops and repairing the playgrounds. More importantly, we will be spending a lot of time playing with the kids there and just loving on them: crafts, stories, futbol, games, etc.

Renovation
Josh Hotsenpiller's In-laws, the Manghams, have some friends in Managua that need their church facilities severely renovated. We will be doing a huge overhaul of their Sunday school building. Right now it has a dirt floor, unstable walls that let the wind in, and a leaky roof. Our goal is to bring their facilities up to par.