To God's Beloved @ Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Sunday was a struggle for me. Just to breathe made me feel like coughing, and to try to speak often left me struggling for words, and hearing air. Listened to it afterward, and although clearly a struggle for me, not as bad as I thought, that being said...isn't it amazing how God uses us in our weakness (sometimes more profound than others) to accomplish His work. Thank you for all your encouragement and prayers. It is a blessing to belong to this family, and I appreciated your grace for what was a short sermon for you, but seemed to take forever for me :)
I love 2 Corinthians 12:9-10...
It has been incredible to hear so many of you interacting on the Pressing On series together. I sometimes wish you all could hear the stories, and I know that ones shared with me are only a fraction of what God is doing. Please keep reading the devotionals and sharing with those around you what God is teaching you. Be ruthless about seeking to make them specific to your life, and to see God's Word continuing to shape it moving forward. One man shared with me this morning the value of the devotional that he and his wife read together, so keep growing together, as we push forward together we become stronger than we could be alone!
Lots Happening!
- Membership Class: Begins this Sunday at 9:00. Even if you have been thinking about getting to know our church better, now is a great time to learn more. We would love to share with you about who we believe God to be shaping us to be, and invite you into our passionate pursuit of His Mission and Conformity to His Person.
- Sunday School: We want to grow ever deeper, and teaching ministries are important to this. Yes, SEND YOUR KIDS, but more than that, show them the value of Sunday School by going yourself. If you don't have kids, or are wondering if you need to grow more in your life, let me answer that for you...YES! So join us as we seek to grow together!
- SO MUCH MORE. Check your bulletin or online for where you can join in!
Missions Update: Please pray for D & M, as they prepare new scripts for videos and for their health. If you know them, send them a quick email or text expressing your love and support, and let them know we are joining them in their struggle by praying for them!
PRAY! Please if you think of this church as your home, PRAY PRAY PRAY! We want so much more than human wisdom or strength could provide, and your part in that is to PRAY!
Connect: Two brief challenges for us all:
- If you haven't seen someone at church for a little while, call them. If every person reading this does this, we will hopefully not let anyone fall through the cracks. If you can't think of anyone, use your lifeline and phone a friend, and bless them with what you are learning from our Pressing On Series.
- Find someone you don't know, or don't know very well on a Sunday and say hi...well, more than hi, but if hi is all you can do...start there. If each of us comes looking to connect with at least a few other people, it will be impossible to feel left out. If you join us at Connection Cafe, and we would love you to do this, find someone there to say hi to, and if you see someone alone...make sure that doesn't last very long!
- (I know I said two, but preachers always have 3) Invite someone to church this weekend.
Sunday Is Coming:
My voice is a lot better so far, so with continued prayer and more tea than I have had since ministering in the Middle East (please keep praying for my recovery) I am excited about gathering with you to praise, pray and pursue a deeper relationship with our God!
Title: Press On: Love One Another
Text: 1 John 3:11-18
Please continue to spend time working through the devotional material!
Why do you think that Jesus repeatedly declares how important it is that we love one another?
How would you define love?
What are you known for?
How does loving like Jesus (Ephesians 5:1-2) help us to know what this should practically look like in our lives?
Most people talk about whether they were loved or not... rather than whether they actively loved or not, how can you help us as a church to change that fleshy pattern to a Spirit filled pattern of longing to love?
If my voice holds, get ready for two sermons...done very quickly. So for those who enjoyed a slower shorter pace, look out!!!!!
(Just kidding, but was worth it to see how many of you were worried!)
Pressing On With You,
Pastor Rob
A quote from Elias as we interacted on Young Adults this week, "You fight legalism with the Gospel, not the world". Love it...you don't get closer to the world to fight what you perceive to be traditionalism or legalism, you get closer to the Saviour!
In a day or two I will be using that quote as my own, so you should know where it came from :)