Following the Leading of the Holy Spirit

Every summer we do camp and our mission trip and every summer God teaches me more about being prepared to go even when you don't know the outcome and the location. We have had some things come up over the last week that will drastically change the summer trip to Denver. This could be viewed as a bad thing, a horrible outcome or whatever you want to call it. I believe it is an exciting thing that God can use to further His kingdom and His impact in another way, and He can truly teach us what it means to follow the Holy Spirit's leading.

I want to encourage you to read James 4:13-15, Romans 1:8-13 and Acts 18:21 about what it means to follow the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we rush blindly into an event with the expectation that God will show up and work. What we should be doing is preparing for the event and then waiting on God's leadership to take us where He is working. Paul learned this early on and I think we can learn alot about following God's leadership in our lives when certain circumstances come up.

I have read James 4:13-15 many times, and never had it come to life like it has over the past few days. I believe that what is taking place this summer is no accident and is an exciting thing because we will see how God uses willing and obedient people to accomplish His purpose of drawing people into His Kingdom.

I will fill you in on this more on sunday at our Mission training at 3:30. I ask that you be praying and asking God to help you understand his will and direction as we go on this journey with Him.

Memorial Day

Memorial day for many has turned into a time to have a 3 day weekend, to spend time with family having a picnic in the park, a BBQ in the backyard or a day on the lake. But Memorial Day is a time to reflect on, remember and thank God for the men and women who so bravely, selflessly and courageously gave their lives for our freedoms here in the United States as well as for the freedoms of other in numerous countries around the world.

Here is a video that we played in our services on sunday, I hope you enjoy it. I think it will challenge us all to examine what it means to be a Christ follower and what it means to be an American. They can both go hand in hand. As a matter of fact one of the mottos that used to be spken throughout the military was always God and country. So with the thought I hope you enjoyed a great weekend and took a moment to pause and remember so many great lives that ended so quickly for the great cause of freedom.