Worship and slippery fun

What a big day for our ministry. This morning our ministry led every aspect of morning worship as we shared about our mission trip experience. Our praise band did a great job considering how thrown together we had to be (three of our singers had never played with us until 1 hour before the service). Our set this morning was Not to Us (Chris Tomlin), God of this City (Chris Tomlin), and Every Move I Make (Fusebox). We've been playing Not to Us and Every Move I Make a lot lately, but they seem be really well liked by our students (and they seem to really worship whole heartedly when we play them). It was awesome to see students clapping, jumping, and even putting their hands in the air in the SANCTUARY. God of this City is a new one from the mission trip and really fit with the message. The students did a wonderful job sharing the funny, powerful, serious, earth shaking, and silly from the trip and I know their words challenged our congregation. I'm just so in awe sometimes at how mature our students can be when given tasks such as today's. I guarantee you many adults could not have shared so well.

My message this morning was entitled Church as It Should be and was based on Acts 2:42-47. The Church of Acts shows us Church as it Should be is selfless for one another, committed to reaching the lost and needy, and led by the Holy Spirit. The that struck me the most in writing this message was that the Acts church was so unified by their awe for God. I think many today have ceased to be in awe of God, but after all we experienced on our trip I know we all had moments when we were certainly standing in awe of the power of God. Sometimes we just need to step back and remember this is the creator of the universe that CHOSE to be a God with and for us, comming to Earth to suffer and die so that WE may live for ever. How can you not just be in awe of that? And for me standing in that awe really puts things in perspective and reminds me of the love I have for God, and that life (and indeed church) should never be just about me.

Tonight our high school group had a mega slip and slide at the Mullikin's, and it was a thrilling (if not soapy, cold, wet, pine needly, and grassy) time. And yes, I did manage to run into a tree, a hay field, Alyssa, and Erin. The bummer was lighting cut our night short, so we may just have to do it again some time.