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First Assembly of God Newsletter March 2011 |
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The Bible is filled with many themes from Genesis to Revelation. In the book of James we find the greatest invitation ever issued. It is found in James 4:8 - “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” The Creator of the universe desires to have an intimate relationship with each of us. God's longing for intimacy with His people has never decreased or changed, and this desire is continually revealed in His Word. When we focus on the blessings of God instead of putting an emphasis on our relationship with Him, we are guilty of only approaching God to get something, rather than responding to Him for who He is.
It is a fact that God wants to draw near to us even more than we desire to draw near to Him. He actually yearns, that means “longs for us intensely” according to James 4:5. When we yearn for someone we think of them frequently. God is no different. God told David about His thoughts toward us. David states in Psalm 139:17-18 “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can't count them, they out number the grains of sand!” Everything in life has a value assigned to it. That value is determined by the perception of the purchaser. What is our value to God? It is there that we find our true value. God is the One who sets the standard for worth in the universe, not men. “For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15) We are His prized possessions, the “living stones” who make up the tabernacle He desires to dwell in. When we really understand that He is the most prominent being in the entire universe, and yet the most personal who is in hot pursuit of us, how can we ignore such a wonderful invitation to draw near? Hunger is the key element to whether we pursue intimacy with God. We need to keep in mind that we are in control of our appetite, not God. The question is: “What appetites and cravings are we going to develop? There is a spiritual principal that never changes: We will hunger for what we feed on. In invite you to join me for prayer on Sunday at 5:45 p.m. In the sanctuary. Be in prayer for the services during the week, and spend seven minutes a day in prayer. Let's make it a priority to read through our Bibles this year, and to win at least one person to the Lord a month. What are you hungry for? God desires fellowship, do we? —Pastor Jeff |
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATOR NOTES
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We want to thank all of you who attended the annual business meeting on February 2, 2011. It is important that we get together once a year to conduct the business of the church and to gain a perspective on the vision for the upcoming year. If you have not heard, our newly elected Administrative Board members for 2011 are Russell Whitmer, Barbara Shaw, Bill Fawcett, Jenny Glick, Billy Grimsley, and myself. Carolyn Spitzer was elected to serve as our Corporate Secretary and Shirley Parsons has been appointed to serve as the Church Treasurer. We offer our congratulations to those who were elected and covet your prayers that God will grant them wisdom and a spirit of unity in leading our church throughout the year. Please feel free to contact any Board Member if there is an item you would like to have considered at an upcoming board meeting.
I also want to make you aware that we are going to initiate a change in our newsletter. We are going to switch from a monthly format to an every other month newsletter. In addition to saving postage, this will relieve some of the burden on those who are responsible for writing articles, printing the newsletter, and getting it ready for mailing. To be honest, for those involved in this process it seems like the newsletter deadline comes around about every two weeks. In the every other month format we will do our best to keep you informed about upcoming events. The weekly bulletin handed out on Sunday morning will also keep you updated on announcements. Of course you can also keep a close eye on this website to find information about what is happening at your church. As we move through the upcoming year, please let us know if the every other month newsletter causes you any real hardship. We will do our best to address any issues at arise. —Steve Parsons |
