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Our Saturday evening service is a unique, high energy
experience combining upbeat contemporary music, multimedia presentations,
stories and brief messages designed to help you connect with The Living God.
The service lasts about 45 minutes. Jeans, sneakers, sweats, shorts, flip-flops and coffee mugs are encouraged.
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Early birds are invited to feed their bodies with breakfast starting
at 8:00 in our fellowship hall and feed their spirits in an informal,
come-as-you-are service in our sanctuary starting at 8:30. The 45 minute
service mixes traditional hymns and liturgy with more contemporary music
and garnishes of multimedia, theater, and stories.
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With a different theme drawn from the Bible each week we encounter God
through contemporary music, readings from the bible, stories, videos and a brief message.
Think of the Sanctuary as "God's Living Room" and come as you are to
encounter a God who welcomes you.
The service lasts about 45 minutes. Jeans, sneakers, sweats, shorts,
flip-flops and coffee mugs are encouraged.
(Click on any picture to see it full size)
A blend of traditional Christian music and Liturgy and more contemporary
musical styles help make our service a true
celebration of God's love and power in our lives. Music from the Celebration
Choir uplifts and inspires, readings, prayers and reflections on the
scriptures help us focus on the ways God is at work in our lives.
Raise me up
Psalm 41:10
(so that I can become all I am meant to be)
For most of this week I've been staying with my friend Carol while her husband is out of town. We both sorta do our thing during the day, get together late afternoon, have dinner, determine what we're going to do in the evening, and then I spend the night at her house. I get up early in the morning to come back home and my surroundings. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope she has as well, but I have to admit, this is not my normal routine and I am finding myself more tired than usual.
And I miss my doggies a lot!
Now, please understand, I'm with them during the day, but am leaving them alone at night while I'm at Carol’s. She has two dogs – I have two dogs – four is just way too much! But when I get home each morning, I sit down and they both jump right in my lap. Buster, my three-year-old, fifteen pound (porker!) dachshund, always brings me his ball and waits excitedly for me to throw it, so that we can play fetch. He'll do that until his legs fall off. Joey, my seven-pound, seven-month-old, dachshund, jumps all over me, wiggling, and licking, and just being the loveable puppy he is. As I was sitting in my favorite chair this morning, just holding them, I couldn't help but think how simple their lives are, yet how much we can learn from our pets.
Joey and Buster don't know anything about paying bills, going to the grocery store, trying to decide what’s for dinner, or all the other decisions we all make all the time. They don't care about whether our hair is done or how we're dressed or what kind of car we drive. They don't or know about whether the grass needs cutting, the wash is piling up or there are dirty dishes in the sink.
But what they do know is how to love unconditionally, ask for very little except some food and a good bush or tree a couple of times a day, and a small amount of our time. Without morning coffee, they awake, ready to go, play a little, love a lot, and then drift off to sleep to recharge and regroup, so that they can do it all over again.
So, that all being said, my somewhat convoluted message for today is let us look at our lives. Are we doing what’s most important? Are we living for God or for each other? Are we spending time in prayer? I would imagine that all of us would like to answer “yes” to all those questions, and even if we do, we all can do more.
As we celebrate this birth of our nation, this weekend, let’s see if we all can simplify. Are you up to it? I hope so!
Now, enjoy this short story I found on line. It’s a doggy one, but has a great message for all of us to remember. Until next week, please stay safe and close in spirit.
Your sister in Christ,
Jill
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
