Hear ye, hear he!

1. Men’s Ministry Service Project – As you have heard over the last couple of weeks the men of Venice are taking some physical and spiritual necessities to some men who need our help. The project will take place on Saturday March 8^th. If you have signed up to donate any of the items, please drop them off when you come to church this Sunday. And, if you have not bought items to donate, please take part in our project offering this Sunday. In addition to our regular offering we will be receiving an offering for this project.

2. The prayer meeting now meets on the first and last Friday of every month @ 7:00 PM in the worship center and the first and last Sunday of every month @ 9:00 AM in the conference room. Contact Richard Guerrero for more information. Richard.Guerrero@imb.com.

3. Next Step Kickoff Sunday – March 16^th – One Service @ 10:00 AM. Lunch will follow our service. Everybody is invited. Childcare will be provided up through 5^th grade. Our desire is to see every member and attendee of Venice Church take their “next step” with God. At the luncheon we will help you discover your next step and we want to give you the encouragement and tools that you need to take your next step. Make your plans to be with us.

Questions...

If you want to know where you should minister, you must know what you are passionate about. Here are some questions that will help you uncover your passion.

What do I care the most about?
What could I care less about?
What makes me happy?
What breaks my heart?
What do I dream about?
What motivates me?
What do I really want to do for God?
Where can I make the greatest impact for God?
What would release the passion in my life for God?
If there were no barriers or obstacles and no chance for failure what would I like to attempt for God?

Our heart will play an enormous role in our service to God.
Be real.
Get in touch with you.
Ask God to give you a passion for Him and for ministry.

Happy Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.
(Perhaps a friendly reminder to all of you men who have not hit the florist or See’s Candy yet.)
Valentine’s Day is a day where we think about matters of the heart. Tomorrow we will think about it in the “love” sense, but the Bible speaks about the heart in terms of who we are.

Our heart is who we are. We are talking about our SHAPE on Sunday mornings right now, but as I said at the end of Sunday’s message we have to focus on what matters most. What matters most is who we are on the inside. If our heart is not in line with God’s there is no chance that we will use our shape for His glory in His Kingdom and church.

If we really want to change for the better and live lives that are pleasing to God we must start on the inside and work our way to the outside. Lasting change does not happen “out there”, but rather “in here”. Change happens in our hearts and is not dependent upon our particular circumstances.

If you want to be transformed do not wait for your circumstances to miraculously change you. Transformation starts with God and it continues in the humble heart of a human being.

So when you see one of those big old heart decorations or one of those nasty tasting little hearts with the quaint saying on them tomorrow, just pause for a moment and think about your heart. Does it match up with Gods? Is it filled with love for Him and others? If it is not…it can change. God can help. He will do for us what He wanted to do for Israel.

Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart.

By the way, I received this encouragement from a daily devotional. They really can help.
They may even lead to a change of heart. Give one a try.

Shaped For Service

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday when we will begin a new series called Shaped For Serving God. God has created each one of us uniquely. God has created us to serve Him by serving others and our church. In this series I hope to help you discover and uncover your unique shape. When we know our shape we will be prepared to serve God and His purposes and when we do that it brings God glory.

Upcoming Events:

Women’s Ministry – February 9^th.

Men’s Ministry – February 16^th.

CLASS 201: Discovering Maturity – February 23^rd.