The Hands and Feet of Jesus

I have always been very involved in church work or church ministry. I love being a part of a vibrant church. We came to Highland Oaks a little over 3 years and I've been working full time at Highland Oaks for a little over a year and a half. I love my job without a doubt. I have worked at other churches but this is the first time I've done it full time. Full time work for a church is a little different. You get very busy and you can get caught up in feeling like your job is your ministry. Which I guess to a degree, it is. But if that is your only ministry, you are missing out.

Highland Oaks has begun to go out into the community lately. It's something a little new to Highland Oaks and I'm sure something a little scary for some. Highland Oaks hosted Hoops in the Highlands a few weeks ago and we were able to serve that group. My family was out of town, but I heard it was a tremendous blessing.

This past Saturday, Highland Oaks hosted an Easter Egg Hunt at a Mesquite school including a "cookie" walk, egg tosses, egg decorating, popcorn etc. I was blessed to be able to be a part of that event. It was Saturday afternoon, Chris had to work and couldn't go, so I was really kind of dreading going by myself. I even tried to talk myself out of it a couple of times, (ok, more than a couple!) but I kept feeling this nudging from God to go, even if I had to go by myself.

Well, I went...and it was amazing! It was so much fun getting to interact with the kids from that neighborhood. They were all so excited to see all of those eggs out there. We let them hunt eggs every 10 minutes and let 30 kids go at a time. After everyone had gone through once, we put out the rest of the eggs and let them go to town! We had over 8,000 eggs, yes eight thousand eggs, and we had about 300 kids! So you can imagine the excitement at the grocery bags full of eggs they all left with.

On my way home, I sat in the car and thanked God for giving me that nudge to go alone. I was truly blessed by that one hour, more than I have been in a long time. It reminded me what we as Christians are supposed to be all about. Yes, I love my job, and I wouldn't trade it for anything! But that Egg Hunt was what ministry and serving are all about! I can do all the great work for God possible inside that church building that needs to be done; and don't misunderstand me, it's work that needs and has to be done. But the work outside the church walls are what it's all about!

I had more fun Saturday than I've had in a long time serving God. That's what it means to be "The Hands and Feet of Jesus"! I pray that as a church, Highland Oaks is ready to do more of that kind of work. Not only will it bless those around us, but it will bless us more than we can possibly imagine! As the old Acappella song says, "You can't go to church cause the church is you"! So let's get that church outside more often!

Blessings!

So That in All Things God May Be Praised...

As I was doing some Bible study recently, I was reading in 1 Peter. In 1 Peter 4:7-11, it says,

"The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

As I read through that scripture a lot of things crossed my mind. I am no bible scholar and I don't claim to know the full meaning behind scripture, but I know that certain scriptures hit me in certain ways. It talks about being clear minded so you can pray. It brings to mind how many times my mind seems to be a jumbled mess when I am trying to pray; and it makes it hard to focus. There are times when you need to pray in the midst of a mess, but I wonder how much better my prayer life would be if I intentionally tried to clear the clutter before I began to pray? Taking in deeps breathes and releasing the days events before I begin to talk to God. I also think praying out loud or at least out loud in a whisper seems to help me keep my mind clear to pray. It helps me to focus more on the thoughts at hand and keeps my mind from straying. If our mind is more clear when we are praying, how much more so will our mind be clear to hear God's response?

"Love each other deeply, for love covers over a multitude of sins." How much more forgiving and tolerant would we be of others, if we truly loved each other deeply. When you love someone deeply, whoever they are, it's very hard not to forgive them. Love does cover a multitude of sins.

Another verse says offer hospitality without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others. I think we can sometimes be very selfish when it comes to serving. Me included. I know there are times to say no, I'm not talking about that. And I know that we serve. But how many times, even when we do serve do we first think about how it's going to infringe upon my time. I would rather go and do this or that. Someone else will do that, I really don't want to do that today. Without ever giving a thought to the blessing that service might be to someone else. That we might be the only friendly, compassionate, God like face they see that day. I know that every time I forgo those thoughts and serve someone unselfishly, I am the one that usually feels the greater blessing. The person being served is usually always very grateful, but there is just something about the blessing we receive in return.

Everything we do should reflect the word of the God, should reflect Jesus living in us. If we live like that, we are the ones that will be blessed. Have a great week!

so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11