What do you do when everything seems to be going wrong? Here at California Church, we have had 2 separate incidents that sent us into a bit of crisis mode. Firstly, during this past Sunday’s worship service, an old starter for the fluorescent lightbulbs in our sanctuary’s “flood lights” burned out. The result was a nasty, burnt smell that lingered and intensified during the second half of the service and caused some to panic thinking there was a possibility of a fire. Thankfully, there was no smoke or fire of any kind and an electrician has fixed the issue. But if that wasn’t enough, only a few days later I had a church trustee at my door telling me, “We’ve been robbed!” Yes you read that right – our church was robbed! Someone stole out of our utility shed a tractor lawn mower and 2 gas cans. As we waited for the authorities to show up all I could do was shake my head and think, “what could be next?” You could say our church seems to be going through a string of bad luck.
These kinds of things don’t just happen to churches though. These types of “incidents” whether it’s mechanical failure, theft, or that lingering feeling of frustration you get when they all come at once happens in our own lives more frequently than we would like. Those weeks when work feels like the worst place ever, your kids are driving you insane (and summer is around the corner so they’re bound to drive you nuts even more over the coming months), and the bills just won’t stop coming. Ever have a week like that? A week when it seems that if something can go wrong does? When you just want to look to the heavens and say, “ENOUGH ALREADY!”
While talking to someone this week at our church about all our issues it hit me like a ton of bricks – when we go with God to a new level, we get a new devil. His craftiness has no end and it seems that the volume of those distractions come when breakthrough with Christ is just on the horizon. While I’m not sure about the exact theological correctness of that statement, I do know Satan hates the radically obedient soul. A spiritual battle is raging all around us and because of that, life can be hard. While saying yes to God can bring blessing, it’s not easy.
In the early parts of the Bible we find a deep and passionate love story that reminds us of that radical obedience. Jacob’s love for Rachel gave him purpose and perspective. He served Rachel’s father for many years to earn the right to marry her because of his deep, unending love: “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (Genesis 29:20). Do you see what love can do for a person’s view of their circumstances? When you are crazy in love with someone, you’ll do anything — and do it with the highest level of sheer joy. I want to be so crazy in love with Jesus that not only do I serve Him, but I do it with absolute delight — even when life gets hard and messy.
A real sign of spiritual maturity is looking to God for purpose and perspective instead of only comfort and convenience. Trust me, I understand asking God for comfort and convenience, but I’ve seen that often leads me to complacency. Once God solves my issues, I move on and forget to look for more lessons I need to learn from what I face in this up and down adventure of life. But looking to God for purpose and perspective forces us to learn crucial (and hard) life lessons. Only then we can begin to truly understand the meaning of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. This does not mean that everything that happens to us will be good, but that God will work in and through every situation to bring good from it. And let’s not miss the last four words of this verse: “according to his purpose.” God has a purpose and His plans to accomplish that purpose are perfect. Trusting God’s purpose, and seeking to understand that He takes all the events from our life and orchestrates good from them, leads to a changed perspective.
So although it may be difficult to maintain the right attitude with technology on the fritz, when the messy sin of the world steals stuff right out of your backyard, and a house that may not have been cleaned in weeks, it’s crucial to look to God for that change in perspective. We can trust that in the midst of all the things that seem to go wrong, something will go right.
Every year the Evangelical Congregational (EC) Church gathers for our annual meeting. During this time leaders from the denomination share about what God is doing in the local church, the denomination, and around the globe during this 3 day event focused on encouragement, support, and inspiration. Pastors and Lay Delegates from all EC Churches gather for worship, sharing, and updating each other about their churches health and future goals/plans.
This year at National Conference a number of awesome moments took place:
- Our sister churches in Mexico have become the “EC Church of Latin America” joining EC churches in the USA, India and Japan as national conferences. Theirs is a story of astounding transformation since 2009 and will continue to inspire and welcome more to here the message of salvation from Mexico out to all of Latin America!
- We heard great news from our camps (Twin Pines – Poconos, PA and ECCO – Ohio) as well as the retirement community and Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA
- During one of the afternoons, we were invited to take part in the “Kingdom and Community Experience”. Pastors and delegates were organized into clusters of districts and moved to various areas to hear about how the new Communities function and what they offer churches.
- Many men and women of our denomination received new credentials or change of status in the EC Church. Some were ordained, some were retired, and others are somewhere in the middle of that journey of listening and responding to God’s call.
For more information and insight into the events of the EC National Conference 2017, be sure to click the link below!
EC Conference 2017 Digest
Events in June:
- Father’s Day (June 18th)– We’d like to wish all of the Dads, Grandfathers, and one day Dad’s a terrific day to recognize how much we are thankful for their influence and teaching in our lives. This year we will be serving a Father’s Day brunch immediately following our Sunday morning worship service. Be sure to join us for a time of recognition for all of our Dads!
- Serve at Opportunity House in Reading, PA (June 17th) – Our church will be serving breakfast at Opportunity House in Reading, PA on June 17th. We could use all the help we can get from helpers/prep cooks/servers to be there serving on the day of as well as people before hand donating food supplies. If you and/or your family would like to be involved please contact Pastor David and he’ll be sure to point you in the right direction!
Upcoming Events:
- Vacation Bible School (VBS) – Be sure to check back next month for more details and how to get involved in this wonderful ministry!
- Communion (July 9th) – Worship through coming to the table of God. Be sure to be a part of our special time of Communion remembering the Last Supper and its impact on our daily lives. Christ’s body was broken for you – Do this in Remembrance of Him.
- Christmas in July (July 23rd) – Everyone loves the Christmas season! So how do we keep the excitement for that date to come during the middle of the summer months? We enjoy a special time of worship during our regular Sunday morning time to already begin to celebrate the birth of Jesus come Christmas time. It’s always a rather fun Sunday with lots of cheer! Be sure to bring the whole family!
- Movie Nights – All throughout the summer months we look for fun ways to bring the family out to church. One of those ways is a summer movie night hosted here at California. Be sure to check your calendars and stay up to date as we’ll be sure to let you know what movies we’ll be showing and the date of those showings! Bring the popcorn and find a comfy place to sit as we enjoy films for the whole family!
Don’t forget to stay in touch here on our website as well as at our church! Feel free to comment AND SHARE with your friends on social media and we look forward to seeing you at California EC Church this month!
Don’t want to miss out on new posts? Be sure to check back for more Monthly Snapshots (always on the 1st of the month), “The Gospel According to…” reviews, and lots of other great things here on our church blog!
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