To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Thanksgivings have come and gone. To fight the idea that we have to wait another year before we are thankful again, or emphasize it here, I will do so right away.
I am thankful to Jesus, for taking the wrath of God upon Himself in my place, for rising from the dead, for loving me, and even now interceding for me. To Him I owe my all. I am thankful He has called me to serve His bride, what an incredible overwhelming privilege. May we always feel this DEEP and LASTING gratitude for His Grace!
I am thankful for my family, and each stage that we have grown through. Love having five children that want to follow Jesus (we take more credit for Hannah than we should), and a family that loves to be together. Thankful for Lori and her blessing to me as a partner and completer.
I am thankful for our church family, the privilege of getting to serve you, the joy of seeing you serve. Thankful for those who take so much time to help us pursue excellence, paid only in eternity, yet passionate about excellence for God's people here. As an aside, love the Christmas decorations and the work that went into these home made, EXCELLENT marks of the season. Thank you to those who made the curtains, who made the wreaths, who took hours/days out of their week to decorate...we get to appreciate your work, so THANK YOU. Thank you to all of you who instead of watching TV, or making excuses choose to serve, and bless God's people at CBC. I am thankful for God's people at Cloverdale Baptist Church. Thank you to all who give, many sacrificially so that we can pursue excellence in our service of God, seeking to help people conform to the image of Jesus and live on mission helping others to know Him!
Share with others what you are thankful for and not only will you be obedient to God, you will deal a deadly blow to entitlement, excuses and evil in one of the best possible ways. THANK YOU! Just as the word sorry marks us as Canadians, I hope the words THANK YOU marks those who attend Cloverdale Baptist.
Today is GIVING Tuesday, and I would be remiss for not thanking you for your giving to God's church at CBC, or asking you to continue to invest what God has given you to steward here. Please know that without the sacrificial giving of God's people to the ministries here we could not serve Jesus as effectively as we are. So this giving Tuesday, THANK YOU, your sacrificial giving is appreciated and know we value you. Be encouraged to give, and as you steward what God has given you, we would love the opportunity to invest with you in God's ministry through His local church here. You are appreciated and a blessing, thank you for giving to the LORD!
Baptism: Next Sunday...there is still time to talk with one of your pastors if you want to take this step of obedience. Call the office, make an appointment and take the next step of obedience in your walk with God. If you have already been baptized, rejoice in the richness of God's love for you, and live your life as one who knows, believes and delights in Galatians 2:20. A number of you have talked with me, and we pray this number would grow!
Sunday School: The last week of Sunday School is December 8, we will then take a break until January 12. Come, join us in hungering to know God better, and as we break use the extra time to study on your own, visit, and continue your journey into knowing and obeying God. One of the tragedies of the Canadian church is a lack of knowledge, don't let your sleeping in on Sunday's steal your opportunity of being a part of the solution.
Prayer: We are seeking to become more and more of a praying church together. Please pray for wisdom and joy for your leaders, and especially that this season we would point clearly to Jesus. Pray for the person that God would have you invite into our services and look for opportunities to do so this Christmas season. Pray for our missionaries, especially this week for Dan & Jess, as they say their final goodbyes to the many friends they have made in Poland, and pray that the legacy they have left behind would be one of spiritual fruit. It is not always easy to settle back in to Canada, pray that they would be able to do this successfully.
Please also pray for Hong Kong and Iran, focused on God's people there, as these places go through incredible turmoil. Know there are many others as well, so feel free to add to these places, and PRAY PRAY PRAY!
Sunday Is Coming:
Text: Luke 1
Title: Ordinary People Of Christmas: Zechariah & Elizabeth
- How does the Christmas story help you to know Jesus better?
- Why is it important to remember that the people of Christmas (other than Jesus) were ordinary people?
- What do Zechariah and Elizabeth have to teach us about obedience and real life?
- Why is trusting God for His timing important in the midst of all of life?
- How does this story help us to understand that pain is a part of God's plan?
Remember that God can always be trusted in the midst of real life as an ordinary person, and HE never wastes our pain, and uses ordinary people like us to accomplish His purpose. You are a part of the eternal plan of God, REJOICE and renew your commitment to live your life for His glory!
Privileged to give to God's people with you,
Pastor Rob