I spoke at some length this last Sunday about the impact that we can have on each others lives. One of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and one of the most fulfilling things you can do for yourself, is to give of yourself to others. Often we think, I would love to, but I just don't have the time. Often though it's not a matter of investment or not having the available resources. Many times, our words can suffice.

Solomon related in Proverbs 25:11, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

We know how words can destroy. An efficiency expert concluded his presentation on efficiency in the work place with a note of caution: "Don't try these techniques at home."

"Why not?" one of his colleagues asked.

He responded, "I watched my wife's routine at breakfast for years. She made lots of trips to the refrigerator, stove, table, and cabinets, often carrying just a single item at a time. 'Honey," I suggested, 'Why don't you try carrying several things at once and save time and steps?'"

The person in the audience asked, "Did it save time?"

The expert replied, "Actually, yes, It used to take her 20 minutes to get breakfast ready. Now I do it in seven."

Just as words can hinder, they can heal and help.

Ephesians 4:49, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from you mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Dr. Larry Crabb, Christian counselor and very gifted preacher, recalls an incident in the church he attended as a young man. It was customary in this church that young men were encouraged to participate in the communion services by serving and even offering prayers. Feeling the pressure of expectation, Larry, who in addition to being shy and nervous, had a problem with stuttering. In a terribly confused prayer, he recalls, "thanking the Father for hanging on the cross and praising Christ for triumphantly bringing the Spirit from the grave."

When he was finished, he vowed to himself that he would never again speak or pray out loud in front of a group. At the end of the service, not wanting to meet any of the church leaders who might feel constrained to correct his errant theology, he made a hasty retreat for the door. Before he could get out, an older man named Jim Dunbar caught up to him.

"Larry," he said, "there is one thing I must tell you, and one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I'm behind you one thousand percent."

Larry reflects in his book, "Even as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears. I have yet to tell that story to an audience without at least mildly choking. Those words were life to me. They had power. They reached deep into my soul."

I know what he means. I'm sure we've all had words fitly spoken to us, and we know the power that they hold. Words of edification that give grace to those to hear.

Norv

Earlier this month I went with my family to watch some Horse Pull events at the State Fair. This is the second year we have watched this sport and while watching the early rounds, when the sled is relatively light, we enjoy trying to pick the winners. Scrutinizing these powerful animals has led me to discovering some parallels between their competition and our own individual faith journeys.

First of all, a horse pull is no beauty contest. Having the biggest or prettiest horses or the ones with the fancy riggings is no guarantee for success. Secondly, names mean very little. In the last competition there was a pair named Andy and Max, from Johnson farms no less! While I rooted for this team with which I shared a name, I felt that another team would win and they did. The only way for me to predict success is to watch their pulling technique.

To this novice, I notice that some horses will have a combination jump or gallop which brings both of their back legs off of the ground simultaneously. While this can look spectacular as they fire through the early rounds, they often struggle with the heavier weights.

The teams that appear to me to have the most success are the "plodders." They do not fire up off the ground only to have to rebuild momentum, but they keep their feet moving. This keeps the sled moving too, and a team working in tandem will always have at least four legs pulling toward their goal.

In spiritual growth, the "plodders" also seem to be best suited for the long haul. They are the ones who consistently seek God in prayer and Bible reading. They are present in worship and Bible classes on Sunday mormning and use their gifts to serve God.

The "bounders" can be equated to those who accept the Lord with great enthusiasm, but sometimes just as quickly lose their fire for God. They tend to run hot and cold. Jesus described such a faith in his parable of the sower, where the seed that fell on rocky ground sprang up quickly, but withered because it had no root.

So while it is true that we can have growth spurts in our faith triggered by or accompanied by some special event, more often than not God shapes our character by the daily steps we take toward Him.

I know plodding does not seem like an appealing verb to describe our Christian walk, but the apostle Paul phrases it another way. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." --Philippians 3:14

Keep pressing (or plodding) on!!

Andy

Man, summer is really gone already??? I am sure that most of you feel like I do...WHERE DID IT GO? Although I do love summer, I also get really excited for all the youth programs kicking off and starting back to seeing all of you get excited to come and hear about this amazing God that we have!

So here are some of the upcoming dates and things that you need to know about. If you feel like there is an area in the youth that you want to be plugged into, please let me know! I hope you all had a great summer and that you will come and join us here at MCC for a great fall!

I want to end by saying a special thank you to al of you have helped with the youth program and to those of you that have signed on for this year. This program WILL NOT run without all the amazing volunteers to help it go smoothly! I know that it is a sacrifice but one that does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Here's to another great year! Hope to see you all September 10th

Alyssa

Well, some of you are aware that I just returned from spending a week in Orlando on vacation. I have to say, Disney sure has the "dream big" concept down masterfully! In fact, their current motto is "Where Dreams Come True!" And I am still amazed at some of the spectacular presentations we witnessed down there! What amazing imaginations the Disney staff have! They even call some of them "imagineers"!

I confess I have an affinity for all things Mickey Mouse (you'll have to see my home office/den sometime!) and seeing the many likenesses of Mickey come to life brings a smile to my face. But there are many, many more awe-inspiring activities and truly spectacular events to behold in any of the four Disney parks.

Seeing giant-sized characters of the Lion King Story come to life was amazing! The use of jumbo puppets to retell the story of Finding Nemo was incredible! All of the 3-D adventures were very stimulating to all the senses! And I can't even begin to adequately describe the car stunt show, the test track ride, and many other attractions!

Of course, highlights always include the closing ceremonies at the parks -- the fireworks, light shows, and parades. I have to say, my favorite was certainly the "Fantasmic" event at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It's a giant amphiteater featuring a cliff-filled island with a huge waterfront. There are boats, fountains, lasers, fireworks, images projected onto walls of water-mist sprayed from fountains, and at one point they even set the entire lake on fire. It was truly an amazing event!

The Disney Company may have some of the most creative minds in the entertainment industry and clearly Walt Disney himself was gifted with a tremendous imaginations and dared to dream big dreams! But even Walt's keen imagination pales in comparison to the creative imagination of our God!

Sadly, I think we believers try to put God into a little, manageable box that we can easily understand instead of seeing Him for who He really is!

Like Thomas, often our imagination can only stretch as far as we can see with our own two eyes. Don't we do the same thing too often? Our "limited creativity allows little room for magic or razzle dazzle", as Max Lucado once write. We walk with cautious steps and furrowed brows, finding it hard to believe or expect that God could surprise us.

Max goes on to challenge us, "When was the last time you let some of your dreams elbow out your logic? When was the last time you imagined the unimaginable? Has it been a while since you claimed God's promise to do 'more than we can ask or imagine'?

Our God is certainly the most creative being ever, anywhere, of all time. Shouldn't His followers be like Him by being people of vision who dream big "kingdom-sized" dreams for His glory and for His purposes?

Let's dream big!


Kevin

"The point of your life is to point to Him."

I could hear that everyday, and even then I would still forget by the end of the day that my part of life is to bring God glory.

Have you ever thought about your average day? Most of us live pretty scheduled lives, even though schedules can make things more chaotic; but on the average day, we normally do just about the same type of things.

I was at the mall the other day and I'm not a shopper so I just sit on a bench most of the time, grab a cup of coffee, and watch people pass by. I love watching people because everyone is so different. You have your serious shoppers who get their workout with all the bags they have. Then there are the men who are either sitting down on a bench or trying to talk the women they are with into leaving. There are so many different types of people, but you always see two things in the mall (and in life) -- stress and worry.

On your normal day, how much stress and worry do you have in your life? If the point of your life is to point to God, then there is no place for stress or worry. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. Many of us live with an unbearable amount of stress and worry, and that hinders us from living how we were designed to live. It says that we don't trust in God and that somehow the stuff in my life is exceptional and more dominant than God.

James says this, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why? You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes." (James 4:13-14)

James says that as we live we wander from place to place trying to make money, trying to live life. Both of those things we naturally get stressed out and worried about? Don't you get stressed out and worried about money, jobs, kids, and chores?

And then James says that your life is only a mist, it comes and goes, we are but a dew that appears on the grass for a while. It is in this perspective that we can live life with an awareness that God is bigger than any stress or worry.

Then and only then can the point of our life truly point to Him. I pray that today we as believers will live as if God is worth living for more than all the things going on in our lives today.

Blessings,

Much love...Chris