SatJan72012
Harvest,
First, it's so good to be back at work serving the Lord at Harvest. My time over Christmas with my immediate family, and also my extended family was blessed by the Lord. Only because of God's grace. I believe God worked powerfully in our family over Christmas because of prayer--your prayers and ours. Thank you so much for praying for us. Please know we were also praying for you. If you have any stories about family this Christmas, please email them to me. I'd love to celebrate with you or comfort you in prayer.
Second, I'm excited to be back serving the Lord at Harvest in 2012 because of our continued pursuit and desire to experience the glory of God. It's been our focus over the last 6 months or so to call on God to reveal His glory to us in ways we've not experienced before. Only God can change us. Only God can powerfully and purposefully cause us to become more like Jesus Christ.
With this in mind, it's my heart and prayer this year that we Become the People that God is pleased to reveal His glory through in great ways. We can't make God do anything, but we can obediently and faithfully give our lives to the Lord in 2012 like we've never done before. When we do, who knows what the Lord will choose to accomplish through us.
There are three ways I'm praying we all change for the glory of God this year: 1.) We'd become a more disciplined people following hard after God; 2.) We'd have more joy in our lives because of the Lord in our lives; and 3.) We'd serve each other more selflessly, more humbly, and more sacrificially.
God is able!
Finally, continue to remember and meditate on our theme verse for this 2011-2012 ministry year: Ephesians 3:20-21, Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
See you all on Sunday, Harvest! We'll be focusing for the next several weeks on what it means to live separately from the world--not yoked to the world--in areas of our lives like sin, marriage, parenting, money, etc. It's going to help shape us to be the people that God wants us to be!
Love you, Harvest!
brent