We are off and running with a very busy summer! Kids are at camp as I write this, then we celebrate Independence Day, then there is a youth missions trip, then Neal and Danette Childs will be here, then VBS, and there are Royal Ranger activities and camps mixed in, and before you know it, it will be back-to-school time. It can seem overwhelming to look at it all at once. So make the necessary plans, but take it as it comes.
Youth camp will be over by the time you read this. The Fourth of July is right around the corner. Celebrate safely, and take a moment to thank God, really thank Him, for the freedoms we enjoy here in America. I have read a lot of sad stuff lately; Christians bashing anything to do with love of country, insisting we are not a “Christian Nation”, etc. I get it; we are citizens of the Kingdom of God first, and yes, this country has some ugly things in its history, and some things are still a mess. It’s inevitable; this nation and this world are still populated by sinful, messy people. But I firmly believe that God HAS blessed this country and will continue to bless us because of the Christian underpinnings of our society and because of the prayers of Christians themselves. So be salty and bright, and do your part to preserve this nation.
Then join us in praying for the youth and leaders who are going on the mission trip to Michigan. Pray that they will be a blessing to the ministries and people they serve, that they will be protected, and that God will open their eyes to some things that allow them to see Him and this world in new ways. Then, prepare your hearts to receive a word from Heaven via Neal and Danette, and prayerfully consider setting aside something to bless them with, as we will, of course, be receiving an offering for them. Theirs is not a ministry we support on a monthly basis, but it really is a privilege to sow into a work that is doing so much in what has been ranked as the first or second poorest nation on earth, and one that is overwhelmingly (so far) Muslim. They will be here Sunday morning and evening on July 15, and if you can make both, you will be glad you did!
Then comes VBS! I am perhaps more excited about VBS than anything else this month. Some of our youth are being blessed right now at camp. Some of our
youth will be blessed and being a blessing on the mission trip. All of us will be blessed as we receive from Neal and Danette, and I hope will all be a blessing
to them. But VBS is the event that has the potential to reach more unchurched people right here in our community, AND involve the greatest number of our
people to make it work, than anything else. VBS is a big undertaking, and I absolutely love seeing LWFC come together with their time, talents, energy, and resources to pour into the lives of children and families. ALL of you can help! There are still items to donate, items to purchase, props to build and paint, meals to serve, setting up to do, cleaning up to do, and hospitality to extend. If you want to come and just hang out and greet new people before and after, I encourage you to do that. We have already seen such an outpouring of work and preparation, it fills my heart. But don’t forget, this is God’s work. We must bathe this in prayer, and truly trust God to work through it, or all OUR work will be in vain.
It’s great to be part of such an amazing church. Let us not be weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9). As we have been reading in Romans, there is a certain way we are supposed to live as a result of the awesome work Christ did to save us. And that way is centered on Him and loving His children, His church, His work, and the world He came to save.
We are one day closer to His return than we were yesterday, so let’s keep our eyes on the prize!
Laboring Together With You,
