One Big Day

Sunday is the big day. My friend and mentor Jerry Thorpe will be here to speak to us in the morning service (10:00 AM). Invite somebody to come with you. Come a little bit early and enjoy a beverage in the coffee bar and receive a free Venice Church mug with the price of your drink.

And if you serve in a ministry or if you are interested in serving in a ministry here at Venice please make plans to be here for our Leadership Gathering on September 14^th @ 5:00 PM. Dessert will be served and Jerry will be challenging us and encouraging us and inspiring us in our service to God and His church. (Child care will be provided.)

Upcoming Events:

September 14^th – Guest Speaker: Dr. Jerry Thorpe

September 14^th @ 5:00 PM – Leadership Seminar with Jerry Thorpe

September 21^st – 23^rd – Men’s Ministry Road Trip – Sign up and pay at the Info Center

October 4^th – CLASS 101: Discovering Membership

October 19^th – 40 Days of Community

October 31^st – Trunk & Treat presented by Rockstars Childrens Ministry

September Craziness

Our Day @ the Beach is this Saturday. We are meeting at Dockweiler Beach beginning at 10:00 AM. Look for the awnings and the Venice Church sign. Bring you own lunch and plan to enjoy a lot of good fellowship.

Please continue to make plans to be here on Sunday September 14^th. My friend and mentor Jerry Thorpe will be here to speak to us in the morning service. Invite somebody to come with you. Come a little bit early and enjoy a beverage in the coffee bar and receive a free Venice Church mug with the price of your drink.

And finally…if you serve in a ministry or if you are interested in serving in a ministry here at Venice please make plans to be here for our Leadership Gathering on September 14^th @ 5:00 PM. Dessert will be served and Jerry will be challenging us and encouraging us and inspiring us in our service to God and His church. (Child care will be provided.)

This Sunday we wrap up our study in James as we talk about Praying About Your Problems. I look forward to seeing you then.

And...oh yeah....pro football starts tomorrow.

Growing With You,

Craig

Upcoming Events:

September 6^th – Venice Church Beach Party

September 14^th – Guest Speaker: Dr. Jerry Thorpe

September 14^th @ 5:00 PM – Leadership Seminar with Jerry Thorpe

September 21^st – 23^rd – Men’s Ministry Road Trip – Sign up and pay at the Info Center

October 4^th – CLASS 101: Discovering Membership

October 19^th – 40 Days of Community

October 31st - Trunk or Treat (details are coming)

A Day @ the Beach

Our day at the beach is coming up on Saturday September 6th.
Join us at Dockweiler any time after 10:00 AM.

We will have lots of fun and fellowship and we will baptize.
If you want to be baptized, please just let us know.

Good Summer

I must begin the Touching Base today by commending you for your faithfulness. Your love for Venice Church is displayed in an awesome way by your attendance and giving. Our attendance has been very good this summer and God has provided for us in wonderful ways and He has used you to accomplish it. Your faithfulness to give has allowed us to pay down principal on our building loan and make some improvements to our property like the new sign that will be installed in the coming weeks and some much needed renovation to our offices that will begin very soon.

In addition, we have had many first time visitors this summer and the ones that I have spoken to have all commented on how friendly you are and how “it feels like family” here at Venice. It would be easy to say that is how it should be, but I know that not all churches are as warm and friendly as ours. Thank you for loving and caring for each other. Thank you for welcoming our guests with such hospitality.

There is a long list of upcoming events below, but let me remind you of a couple that are coming up fast.

Sunday September 14^th Jerry Thorpe will be here to speak to us. Jerry is a vibrant communicator and I know that you will enjoy hearing him. It will be a great day to bring a friend. Let me encourage you to come a little bit early and enjoy a drink in our coffee bar. Every drink that day will be served in a complimentary Venice Church mug that will be yours to keep. Come of the fellowship and take home a free mug.

That evening at 5:00 PM Jerry will be speaking all of the leaders and ministers of Venice at a Leadership Seminar. Dessert will be served and I know that Jerry will inspire you and encourage you in your service to God and Venice Church. Child care will be provided.

And…men…the road trip is coming up. Get signed up and paid up at the information center this week. Guys, it will be a blast. You don’t want to miss this great trip.

See You In Two Weeks

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to be taking some time off. So, I am going to give the Touching Base a two week break. It will return on Wednesday August 20^th.

Amy and I will be out of town on Sunday August 10^th. It will be great to have our veteran missionary Mark DeNeui with us. Mark and Lisa have done a wonderful work and I know that you will be excited to hear about the next chapter in their life and work.

I will be back on Sunday August 17^th, but I will not be speaking. My friend Mark Pointer, a missionary going to Peru, will be here. I am excited for you to meet Mark and hear about what God has called his family to in Peru.

Sunday August 24^th we will get back to the book of James and we will finish up the series on September 7^th.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. We will be in James chapter 4 talking about Facing the Future. It will be a great time together.

Remember

I keep a little journal, mostly to record my diet and exercise routine and how God works in my life. I have done this in the past, but had let it slide and I started again on May 24^th. Yesterday I went back to look at some of the prayer requests that I had recorded and, I don’t know why, but I was amazed at how many of them God had given a definitive answer. There were some in particular that really caused me to pause and praise God. I had given thanks when the answer came down, but by reviewing my journal I was able to worship God again because He has continued to work in those situations. God is so good. He has his fingerprints all over my life.

Sometimes I don’t even realize how much can transpire in just one month. I am kind of a day to day and forward looking guy. Unless I take the time to look back, I forget a lot of what happened. I am focused on today and tomorrow and a month from now. I don’t want to live in the past, but I want to remember all that God has done for me. This is actually a biblical principle. Over and over in the Old Testament God tells the Children of Israel, “Don’t forget the mighty works that I have done on your behalf.” Over and over again they forgot. Over and over again I forget. My little notebook helps me remember.

Let me encourage you to remember what your life was like before Christ. Remember what God has done for you yesterday, last week, this year, and since you accepted Christ. You will remember, like me, that He is worthy of praise.

The Summer Time Blues and God's Goodness

God has been so good to us this summer. Our attendance has been very steady and good and our offerings are very good. This past Sunday we had an excellent attendance and a great time in God's House.
So much for the summer time blues!
God is so good.

Sticks & Stones...

We are learning so much in our study in the book of James.

This past Sunday we learned about managing our mouths...watching our words. Our words are powerful and can be harmful. Ultimately our words simply reveal what is in our hearts.

Harsh words reflect an angry heart.
Negative words reflect a fearful heart.
Too many words reflect an unsettled heart.
Prideful words reflect an insecure heart.
Filthy words reflect an impure heart.
Critical words reflect a bitter heart.
Encouraging words reflect a happy heart.
Gentle words reflect a loving heart.
True words reflect an honest heart.

Ten Things I Think

1. I think that it is definitely the dog days of summer when basketball is over and football camps do not open for another three weeks.

2.I think that our teenagers had a great time at camp last week. You will see and hear about the camp in our service on Sunday July 13^th.

3. I think that baseball is upside down. Both teams from Chicago are in first place and the Tampa Bay (not Devil) Rays have the best record in baseball. They are 5 and 0 against the evil Red Sox. Crazy!

4. I think the book of James is really beating me up. Nobody ever said that following Christ would be easy. This Sunday’s message is Managing Your Mouth.

5. I think that it has already been a hot summer, but aren’t you glad you live on the Westside?

6. I think that movies derived from 70’s television themes is an okay idea. The problem is that in many cases the star of the 70’s show made the show. Get Smart was okay, but Don Adams is Maxwell Smart.

7. I think that I have found a new love and appreciation for what our forefathers endured to see our country established. I caught the series John Adams on HBO and then read the book. I am now reading His Excellency: George Washington. The founders of our country not only lived in a different time…it was a different world! It is very apparent to me that God was at work in the birth and infancy of our nation.

8. I think that we should return to being the God-fearing nation that we once were.

9. I think that what Tiger Woods accomplished at Torrey Pines last month is one of the most amazing feats in sports history. The fact that he was walking around a golf course is amazing in itself. It is going to be a long year for golf without Tiger around.

10. I think that the price of gas is ridiculous. It is as if the oil companies woke up one day and realized what a bargain gas was and said, “We can fix that. Let’s get the price of gas up there with the outrageous price of every thing else.” They have succeeded and in the process driven up the price of everything else. What a deal!

Just Do It

Here is the follow up that I promised from Sunday’s message. To be blessed by God we must be in His Word, the Bible. I rattled off that list of things to look for when we read and study the Bible.

Here it is…
When we look into God’s Word we should look for sin to confess, promises to claim, attitudes to change, commands to obey, examples to follow, prayers to pray, errors to avoid, truth to believe, and something that is worthy of praise.

James is teaching us that maturity is not measured by knowledge, but rather by character. God’s Word is to be obeyed. This Sunday we continue and we make it to chapter two. James has some interesting things to say about how we treat people. I look forward to seeing you then.

History Made

History was made yesterday. It was inevitable.
We were either going to have our first female presidential candidate or our first African-American presidential candidate. All political views and or biases aside, this is a time that all of us should be proud of. I am proud to have a man of color rise to this esteemed occupation. When so much about America is ridiculed and lambasted it is good to know that we are making progress.

Here is how we will know when we have really arrived. When we no longer find it necessary to mention a man or a woman’s ethnicity in the conversation we will be on the way. It will be a day of days when they are simply known as Americans and when we only refer to them as the Senator from New York and the Senator from Illinois.

I really dread the next 150 days. For the next 150 days we will tear at one another and name call and divide all in the name of democracy and liberty. While I can appreciate the democratic process I do not appreciate the politics. At the end of the day, my prayer is that as Americans we will be united in our desire to be great. Not great in the bully or police of the world sense, but great in our humanity and great in our morals and great in our love. Most of all I pray that we will be a people that will turn or return to Almighty God. What we need more than anything is the blessings of God on our country.

Celebrate this historic day. Participate in the process. Pray that God will be glorified in these United States of America.

Summer Camp

This Sunday the Shockwave Student Ministry is sponsoring a free spaghetti lunch and they would love for you to attend.
Daniel, Kristen, and their team will be telling you about their exciting summer camp that is coming up on June 20^th.
Some students need help with the $250.00 camp fee.
The Shockwave leaders want you to have a part in sending a teenager to this life-changing event.
Please join us right after the service on Sunday.

Please continue reading the book of James.
Our goal is to immerse ourselves in this wonderfully practical book.
This Sunday we will talk about how to make God-honoring decisions.

Faith That Works

This Sunday we are going to begin a new series called Faith That Works. We will be studying the book of James. We will be in this study all summer. To go along with the series you may want to read a chapter in James everyday. You will be immersed in the Word of God and you will be very prepared for our study each week. James is the most practical book in the Bible. It is literally a handbook for our lives as we follow Christ.

And…every Sunday morning the Coffee Bar opens at 9:30. Please join us for a latte, espresso, hot tea, or ice blended. It is a wonderful time to meet new people, catch up with old friends, and just enjoy the company of our church family.

Mother's Day

Sunday is Mother’s Day. That is just a friendly reminder just in case you had forgotten. I know that it is pretty hard to forget when just about every other ad on TV or radio is pitching a gift that your mother must have. I think Mother’s Day is a good thing. It is especially good when my wife and mother of my two sons selects a restaurant that I like. I am so blessed that my wife loves to eat steak! There will not be any foo foo brunch for us on Sunday. No, it will be steak and baked potato baby.

And I also realize that there are some who are skeptical and see Mother’s Day as just another “holiday” that was manufactured by Hallmark, FTD, and See’s Candies. That could be true, but here is how I see it. Every day should be mother’s day. Every day should be father’s day. We should honor our parents every day. As parents, we should honor our commitment to God to be godly mothers and godly fathers every day. So, make the most of Mother’s Day. Join us for our service. I will share with you Eight Things That Moms Need (that won’t cost you any money).

Summer Schedule

This week we will begin our summer worship schedule. We will have one service each Sunday at 10:00 AM.

Please keep these other ministry and fellowship opportunities in mind as you plan your Sunday.

The Berean Senior Adult Small Group will meet every Sunday at 9:00 AM.
If you are over 55 and would like to be in a small group Bible study this group may be for you.
Please contact Bob Tripp (rtripp7992@aol.com) or Tom Nichols (nichols10@verizon.net) for more information.

There will be a Prayer Meeting every Sunday at 9:00 AM in the Library/Conference Room. Please contact Richard Guerrero (Richard.Guerrero@imb.com) for more information.

The coffee shop will be open at 9:30 AM each Sunday.
Please come a bit early and have a cup of coffee, a bagel, or the beverage or snack of your choice.
It will be a great opportunity to meet new people and hang out with the church family.
If you bring a first time guest, make sure that you pick up a gift bag for them so they can use their free beverage card in the coffee shop.

And…beginning this Sunday there will be a new check-in procedure for your children.
Your child will be given a name tag and you will be given a claim check.
When you pick up your child your claim check must match your child’s name tag.

If your child is in Studio Green(Nursery) or Studio Blue (2 – 4 years old) you will drop them off at their Studio and they will get their name tag and you will get your claim check.

If your child is in Studio Orange, Red, or Black, they will receive their name tag and you will receive your claim check as you arrive.

Jennifer Villaryo will be there to assist you.

Beginning this Sunday and continuing each Sunday we are going to try something different with our elementary age children.
Children in Studio Orange, Red, and Black will now be in the Worship Center for the opening worship time at 10:00 AM.
They will sit with their parents during the singing and Communion and then they will be dismissed with their Studio Leaders to their studio for their game, craft, and lesson time.
This will offer a wonderful opportunity for you to worship as a family and to share in singing and Communion with your child.

You will pick up your child from the studio at the end of the service.

Choices

Life is about choices. At the end of the day our life is comprised of the sum total of our choices.
Success in life depends upon our desire to and our ability to align our choices with God and His Word.

In our series called Running On Empty we are talking about the pace of our lives and the fuel that is necessary to sustain the pace of our lives.

This Sunday we are going to talk about choices and the role that they play in the pace of our lives.
We don’t have the time, energy, or stamina to do it all.
We must choose.
It is my prayer that we will choose better.

Next Step With Purpose

You are to be commended on your response to our guests this past Sunday. You sent the Powell’s to Viet Nam with an $1,100.00 love offering!! That is fantastic and so I say, “Yea God!! Yea Venice!!” You have done well and should be proud of yourselves. I think that it is safe to say, based on the offering, that the Powell’s were a blessing to you. I am thankful for that as well. They were a real blessing to me.

Here is a very special announcement.
We are going to move to a Summer Worship Schedule beginning on Sunday May 4^th. We will have One Service @ 10:00 AM each Sunday from May through September. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our church family to worship together. The coffee bar will be open at 9:30 AM and I encourage you to come early for coffee, tea, breakfast and fellowship. The worship center will be a little more crowded so you will want to get here early to get “your seat”. With the new schedule we will have Prayer Meeting every Sunday morning at 9:00 AM in the conference room.

Now, let me encourage you with this. You are going to continue to hear about Next Step and so let me help us stay focused on what it is that we hope to see accomplished through Next Step. Venice Church is here to build a family of fully devoted followers of Christ that bring glory to God. To accomplish this mission we focus on God’s five purposes. God’s desire and purpose for us is that we would worship Him with every aspect of our lives, that we would be committed to this church family, that we would grow to be like Christ, that we would serve others in ministry, and that we would share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our friends, loved ones, and acquaintances that are far from God. So, when we talk about taking our Next Step we are talking about stepping out in faith to see if we can deepen our resolve to live out one of these purposes.

Let me give you an example of how this may look. Many of you, on Next Step Sunday, declared that your Next Step was to read and study the Bible more consistently or to kick up your prayer life a bit. I hope that you are doing well in sustaining your commitment. The goal of those commitments is to deepen your fellowship with God and strengthen your walk with Christ. In the fulfillment of that commitment you will grow to be more like Christ, you will be better equipped for ministry, you will be better prepared to share the Good News, your intimacy with God’s family will intensify and you will be more fervent in your worship of God.

So, take your Next Step and continue to worship, grow, serve, fellowship, and share your faith. You will be a strong follower of Christ and as we grow and are strengthened our church family grows and is strengthened. At the end of the day we will have reached our goal of loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and body and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Still Learning

Amy, Jennifer Villaryo and I spent Monday and Tuesday in Clovis with Pastor Otis Ledbetter and his staff at Sonrise Church. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with other pastors, children’s pastors, and their wives. We were given the opportunity to learn about other children’s ministries and we came home with some good ideas that may work for us here at Venice. It is always encouraging to see God working in other churches in other places and to see what is possible with God’s help.

We have come through the Easter season and Spring Breaks are coming to an end and we are looking forward to what God will do through the rest of this spring. Let me encourage you to be faithful to our worship services, your small group and your ministry. If you need to find a small group, please contact me and I will help you find one. And…if you still have not found a place of ministry, we can help you find that as well.

And…let me encourage you to invite a seeking person to a service. The best way to spread the good news and get the word out about Venice Church is word of mouth.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday. Our special guests will be Henry & Sandie Powell. I know that you will want to hear what God is doing through them in Southeast Asia.

Baptism

As you will note below there is a lot going on here at Venice and so I encourage you to get involved and stay involved. We will be baptizing in the Worship Center on Sunday just before the second service. If you are a first service attendee grab a cup of coffee after the service and then hang around for the baptism at 10:40 AM. If you are a second service attendee come a bit early for a cup of coffee and then head into the Worship Center for the baptism and the service to follow. It is always a blessing to celebrate with those being baptized.

Ten Things I Think

1. I think that it was a wonderful weekend here at Venice. In our three services the total attendance was 302. There were visitors here who had never heard the gospel. Please pray that their lives will be changed by the power of God and His Word.

2. I think that it is fantastic that our teenagers are going to be serving the hurting this Saturday. Adam’s team does a great job each month and it is exciting to see Daniel and Kristen encouraging the kids to join in.

3. I think that the Major League Baseball season started this week and nobody noticed…except maybe those who play fantasy baseball.

4. I think that this message series, Running on Empty, is extremely pertinent to people who live in west L.A. It is a great time to invite a friend to a service.

5. I think that we are having a great time in our small group study. We are studying 3:16. Max Lucado is leading us in a study of John 3:16. He makes this statement at the beginning of the study. “If you know nothing of the Bible start here. If you know everything about the Bible return here.” I am not a newbie and I certainly do not know everything about the Bible, but it has been good for me to return there!

6. I think that the “summer tease” that we had last week was great, but it makes me wish that we could skip June gloom.

7. I think that UCLA will fall just short of winning a national championship in basketball. They will probably make it to the final four and another final four appearance will be good but it is all about winning championships in Westwood. I hope that I am wrong about this prognostication.

8. I think that “Next Step” has been a success so far, but for it to really take hold we must follow-up and follow through to see our steps come to fruition.

9. I think that this is the best overall talent that there has ever been on American Idol. A good singer is going to go home every week. By the way, you might want to set your TIVO for next Tuesday night’s episode. Thanks to Sandra Pettway, Amy and I will be in the audience. I can’t wait!!

10. I think that I hate election years. It is only March and I am just sick of hearing about it. Don’t get me wrong. I love our country. I pray for our country. I think that we have the best process, but it just gets old hearing about it everyday. It is a bit disconcerting to see how polarized we are in America.

1.

Implement

So…how’s it going?
I mean, how’s it going with your Next Step?
Have you implemented it?
Do you have a plan to implement it?
Sunday was a great day and I do not have any doubt that it will be life-changing for you and for our church, but…we must implement.

I hope that you are enjoying your week. I trust that you are planning to join us for our Good Friday Service and one of our Easter Services. It is a great time to invite a friend to a service. It could be the weekend or weekend that their life and their eternal destiny is changed by Christ. It doesn’t get better than that.

Happy Spring!!

Upcoming Events:

Good Friday Service – March 21^st @ 7:00 PM

Easter – March 23^rd Two Services

Feeding the Homeless & Hurting – March 29^th

CLASS 101: Discovering Membership – April 5^th

Baptism – April 6th

What Is Your NEXT STEP?

Sunday is the big day.
What will it be for you?

• Accept Christ as Savior
• Get Baptized
• Read your Bible everyday.
• Pray everyday.
• Join a small group for encouragement and spiritual growth.
• Lead a small group.
• Host a small group.
• Attend Class 101-Discovering Membership and join Venice Church.
• Take Class 201-Discovering Maturity.
• Begin using your unique SHAPE to serve in ministry.
• Forsake a particular sin that you struggle with.
• Set aside a bad habit.
• Break free from addiction.
• Love God more.
• Love people more.

Spring Cleaning

March of 2008 is an interesting time. It is our first foray into starting daylight savings time one month earlier. Don’t forget to “spring forward” on Saturday night. You don’t want to be late for church. It is traditionally the month to go fly a kite, the month when grown men head to Florida and Arizona to play a kid’s game called baseball and it ushers in the freshness and beauty of spring. March is a time for planting gardens and new beginnings. It is a time for spring cleaning and golf!

The freshness of March should also signal a time of spiritual refreshment. The opportunity appears to be even keener this year with Easter arriving so early. Easter is earlier this year than it has been since 1818 and even most, if not all, of our grandchildren will never see it this early again. March and Easter is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts with God. It is a time for each one of us to be refreshed and it is a time for us to share Jesus Christ with those who need a new heart and fresh start with God.

This passage of Scripture continues to resurface in my study of Scripture. It has sprung forth in my personal time with God, in our small group study that centers on John 3:16, and in my message study as we head to the season of Christ’s passion. It is the truth that changed my life. It is the life-changing truth that is available to you and to your friends and loved ones.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

In this one verse we see the entire picture of Christ’s coming and Christ’s passion. Our hearts are deceitful and sinful and we are at odds with God. Jesus came to make us right with God. Jesus, the Holy Son of God, the One who knew nothing of sin, became sin for us. He literally became the offering and sacrifice for our sin. When we come to Christ by faith we are made right with God the Father. It is the essence of our faith and it is the message to be shared.

When you clean out that closet or sweep out the garage let the truth of who Jesus is sweep out your heart. Let the Holy Spirit remind you of what Jesus has done for you and then tell somebody. Invite somebody to the Good Friday service or one of our Easter services. They might need a fresh start or a spiritual spring cleaning.

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.

Storm Watch

As I am sure you know we are on “Storm Watch”. I hope that you are prepared. Things could get dicey. We may even get, like ½ inch of rain! I hope that you have a great week as you make the best of the weather.

There is a lot going on here at Venice. I want to encourage you to be involved.
This Saturday is CLASS 101: Discovering Membership. It is not too late to sign up. If you have not completed this class and you are interested in becoming a member I would love to have you join me Saturday morning at 9:00 AM. If you would like to attend and you have not signed up, please respond to this email and I will put you on the list.

Sunday evening at 6:00 PM is our Annual Business Meeting. We will review 2007 and look forward to 2008. I hope to see you then.

Sign Up

You are going to continue to hear about taking your next step with God and for some of you there is a tremendous next step opportunity coming up on Saturday January 26th.
Some of you have not committed to membership here at Venice. You have attended for quite a while and it may be time for you to take that next step. You know that God is leading you to join with us here at Venice. If that is you, please make plans to attend CLASS 101: Discovering Membership on the 26th. Some of you have friends and acquaintances who have been attending and they have not committed to membership to this point. Your next step may be to encourage them to attend CLASS 101. You may even want to attend with them to support them in their next step.

So here are the vitals.
CLASS 101: Discovering Membership

Saturday January 26th – 9:00 AM to Noon.

Continental breakfast will be served.

There is an event taking place at Mark Twain Middle School on that morning as well. Parking may be at a premium. We will have one of the back gates of the parking lot open for your convenience.

Please sign up by responding to this email or just mark the 101 box on the back of your response card this Sunday. I will see you there.

Resolve

Happy New Year!

I trust that your holidays were grand. I enjoyed being off last week, but I am looking forward to being with all of you again on Sunday. I need a Sunday off every once in a while, but for me, there is nothing like Sunday mornings at Venice. That is as good as it gets for me.

I am sure that all of your resolutions are in place for 2008 and I hope that three days in you are still on the wagon. I feel better after just three days of sane eating! I am sure that you made many good resolutions, however I want to encourage you to focus your resolve on Christ in 2008. My desire is that each one of us would love God more, know Christ more, worship Christ more, love our brothers and sisters in Christ more, and love our seeking friends more. I want us to be used by God more as individuals and as a church.

Middle Age

The average life span of an American male is 75.2 years. For my money that is long enough. I would rather have 75 good years than 83 with the last three years spent in a bib and a diaper. When you hit 45, like I did today, you may think about your life expectancy occasionally, but you don’t really think about it that often. Expiration is still too far away. There is still a sense of invincibility. I probably should think about it more often, because when you stop and think about being 45 you do realize that you are past middle aged. I hear people talk about middle age beginning like at 50 or something. If our life expectancy is 75.2 that means that middle age begins at 37.6. That was a long time ago now. Let’s be real. For an American male, whose dietary pyramid consists of bacon and eggs, In N Out Burger, Tito’s Tacos, and Cold Stone Creamery, 50 is near death. When you tack on being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys you can mark off a few more years. It is hard on the heart.

The weird thing is that I don’t feel 45. I certainly do not act 45 most days…more like 12! (I got Guitar Hero III for my birthday with the KISS faceplate.) I am enjoying life. When you think about the alternatives why would you be miserable? Life is too short. I plan to enjoy the rest of my “past middle aged” years with my “past middle aged” wife. (A woman’s life expectancy in America is 80.1!) She is a young 45. I can barely keep up with the pace that she is setting. God is good…especially at 45.

Take It All In

There are twelve shopping days left until Christmas. I hope that your shopping and preparations are going well. There are two more “Christmas” Sunday services to invite a loved one to. There is one more Christmas Eve service to invite a friend to. You might want to put that on your list. Whatever you do in the next two weeks…stop long enough to take it all in.

I say this all of the time and it just rings truer and truer. The older I get the less magical Christmas becomes. I don’t think that I am a Scrooge or anything I just think the older you get the less the hoopla impacts you. You know what I am talking about. When you are a kid you cannot wait for Christmas. It seems like it will never get here. I remember the Christmas in 1976 when I knew that I was going to get at least one G.I. Joe with lifelike hair, kung fu grip, and “eagle eye” vision. The anticipation was palpable. The excitement continued for me well into the 90’s and even 2000’s. It is exciting to see the kids open the Super Nintendo or the Sony Playstation 1 or 2. There is nothing like taking your nine year old to the woodshed in Madden! The only thing that will come close is if I can find my way to one of those Nintendo Wii systems this year. That would bring the excitement back. If I can get my hands on one I may think about starting my own bowling league!

Anyway…take it all in. Enjoy it.
And do this for me. In preparation for Sunday’s message I want you to think about your best Christmas ever. Remember it. Reminisce. Enjoy the memories and then come back and live in this moment.

Upcoming Events:
One Service @ 10:00 AM – Sunday 12/23 & 12/30.
Christmas Eve Service – Monday December 24th @ 6:00 PM.
Guest Speaker - Missionary Isaac Basilio – Sunday December 30th.

Peace On Earth

Christmas is the time when we celebrate the coming of Christ. There are many reasons that Jesus came. He came to show us how to live. First and foremost He came to pay for our sins. We talked last Sunday about the fact that Jesus came to give us rest. This Sunday we are going to focus on another benefit of knowing Christ. Peace. Peace is one of the reasons that Jesus came.

In today’s Touching Base I would like to ask you to do something that we do not do often. I want you to pour over the following passage in preparation for Sunday’s message. I want the God of peace to be with you this Christmas. Read this passage. Meditate on this passage. Pray over this passage between now and Sunday.

Philippians 4:8-9

And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. [9] Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.

When you come on Sunday we will pray together as we pursue the peace that only God can give.
Have a wonderful week. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Enjoy!

We are right in the middle of the holiday season now and let me encourage you to enjoy it. Make the most of it. Enjoy your family. Enjoy the giving. Enjoy the receiving. (I know you do!!) Enjoy the lights. Enjoy the parties. And…enjoy Your Savior. Perhaps at no other time are we more keenly aware that God has visited us…personally. Jesus came for you and for me. We are the only reason that He came. He came to save us from our sins. He came because we were helpless. He came because we needed Him more than we have ever needed anything else. The cool thing is that we have an entire month to bathe in that wonderful truth. God came and visited us for the express purpose of loving us and forgiving us and making atonement, payment for our sin.

Now, it may be very true that by the end of December we will be so over the shopping, cooking, eating, drinking, partying, giving, receiving and all, but what would it be like if we never got over the fact that God came to us? What would our lives be like, what would our walk with Christ be like if every morning when we woke up we acknowledged God’s wonderful and undeserved work in our lives? What if every morning, not just in December, but every morning we thanked God for the gift of His Son? What if we enjoyed our salvation every day? What if every day in 2008 started with a prayer of thanks for God’s visit to us realizing, all the while, that we have the opportunity to meet with Him and have community with Him that day?

I think that we ought to enjoy this Christmas. I want you to enjoy this Christmas. Enjoy your Savior this Christmas.

Let's Wrap It Up

This is an exciting time of year.
Thanksgiving is upon us.

We are wrapping up our 40 Days of Purpose campaign.
There is just one and ½ weeks remaining. Hang in there. Be diligent. Read the book. Memorize your memory verse. It is worth it. It will pay dividends. You will continue to grow to be the person that God has created you to be.

We will move closer to being the church that God has called us to be.


Upcoming Events:
Women’s Ministry – Saturday November 17th @ 9:00 AM.

Baptism – Sunday @ 10:40 AM.

Thanksgiving Testimonies – Sunday November 25th in both services.

Christmas Decorating – Sunday November 25th @ 2:00 PM.

Women’s Christmas Party – Saturday December 1st @ 6:00 PM.

Men’s Ministry – Saturday December 8th @ 10:00 AM.

Feeding the Homeless & Hurting – December 15th.

Christmas Eve Service – Monday December 24th @ 6:00 PM.

Your Story

We are well past the half-way point of 40 Days of Purpose and it is my prayer that you have been encouraged and renewed and revived in your walk with Christ. I trust that you are keeping up with your reading. I know that if you are...you are being challenged by Rick’s book. I want to encourage you to hang in there and stay with it all the way to the end. It will make a difference in your life and it will make a difference in our church and ultimately it will make a difference in our community as we share God’s purposes with our friends, loved ones, and acquaintances.

The stories of life change are already pouring in. I received an email from a lady this week who visited Venice for the first time just two weeks before we began the campaign. She decided to return and experience the 40 days with us. She has been in the services and joined herself to a small group. She emailed me this week to tell me about a breakthrough that she has experienced in her life. This week’s lesson on Created to Be Like Christ really hit home and God’s Spirit has taught her that her problems have a purpose. Glory to God!

I know that there will be many other stories. You will have story. I would love for you to share your story with me. If God has taught you something during the campaign, if you have had a breakthrough, if you have taken a “next step” with God, even if it was a baby step, would you tell me about it? Send me an email and share your story with me. I would love to praise God with you for His marvelous work in your life.

Time Change

This week begins the busy push to the end of the year so let me encourage you to enjoy the holidays and all that goes with them and please, be safe.

The next few weeks are going to be quite busy here at Venice so let me encourage you to continue to make time for your church family. Come and enjoy our Sunday Worship Services. Enjoy your small group. Take satisfaction in serving in your ministry.

There are many opportunities over the next few weeks so let me give you some announcements.

Men’s Ministry – Saturday @ 10:00 AM.

Daylight Savings Time Ends – Saturday. Set your clocks back one hour on Saturday night.

Shockwave Student Ministry Parent’s Night – Sunday evening at 6:00.

Parents are invited to discover our new and improved teen ministry.

Recovery Ministry – Thursday November 8th @ 7:00 PM.

Feeding the Homeless – Saturday November 10th.

Women’s Ministry – Saturday November 17th.

Thanksgiving Testimonies – Sunday November 25th in both services.

We are still looking for two women and one other man to share their testimony of thanks to God. If I don’t get any volunteers I am going to start recruiting!! Please, let me hear from you.

Fire

The fires of this week have been startling and heart wrenching. So many people who are living the American dream and more specifically California dreamin’ were asked, then ordered, and then forced to leave their homes. Some of them return to find their world spared and virtually unscathed. Some, when they are allowed to return, will find that their home and their world is literally…gone.

It is impossible to watch this type of devastation without turning immediately to God. We may come at God with questions. God…why? Why this neighborhood? Why did this home burn and the neighbor’s did not? Why now? God…are you trying to get our attention? Is there something that You want us to learn?

Ultimately we are left with truth. God created this place. God is the Sustainer of this place. God is God and therefore may do whatever it is that pleases Him. We may not understand it all, but we can accept it. Accepting that God is in control does not mean that it does not hurt. Knowing that God has our best interest at heart may provide some perspective but it cannot erase the sense of loss. In the end God is good. He will provide.

Our job as Christ followers during a time like this is to pray. Pray for the people who have been most profoundly affected. Pray that God’s will is done and that He would be known and glorified. We can pray and then we can love and give when and where it is necessary. As the great preacher S.M. Lockridge would say, “Put some feet to our prayers.”

At the end of the day and at the end of a week like this there are two things that I know for sure.
God’s people will step and represent Jesus Christ well.
God will do His thing…because He is God.
This passage says it all.
Psalm 46:1-11
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. [2] So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. [3] Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
[4] A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. [5] God himself lives in that city; it cannot be destroyed. God will protect it at the break of day. [6] The nations are in an uproar, and kingdoms crumble! God thunders, and the earth melts! [7] The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
[8] Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world [9] and causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; he burns the shields with fire. [10] "Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." [11] The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Service

Over the last couple of weeks, you have heard me say a bit about taking your next step and today I would like to be a bit more specific. Our desire is to have everybody attend a service on Sunday morning, participate in a small group during the week, and serve others through one of our ministries. These three elements make up the process that will produce a life that is lived for God’s purposes and His glory.

All three elements are very important in our development as Christ followers and as a church; however the missing element for many is the element of service. It just may be that the service element will put our church over the hump where growth is concerned.

So, if you are not serving in a ministry, let me encourage you to consider that next step. You may be wondering…where can I serve? What are my options? Where is there a need?

Here are some ideas. There is room for you to serve on Sunday mornings in our nursery. Contact Amy Henson for more information. You can serve in our Rockstars Childrens Ministry. Contact Jennifer Villaryo for more information. We need singers and musicians in our worship music ministry. We are looking for singers, guitar players, and drummers. Contact me if you would like to use your musical talent for God. (You can find our contact information at venicechurch.com)
You could serve in our coffee bar. Drop in and see Lynn for more information. We take food to the needy once a month. They can always use another set of hands. See Adam for more information about that ministry.

Those are just a few. There are many more opportunities. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Are You Ready?

Are you ready??
Are you ready to take your next step with God?
That is what we want you to do over the next 40 days. Just take your next step with God. For some that will mean to take Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. For some it will be to be baptized. For some the next step will be to get in a small group. For some it will be to begin serving in ministry. Over the next 40 days we want you to prepare yourself to take your next step.

In the days that follow the campaign we are going to give you an opportunity to get into action. We are going to roll out some new opportunities for you to live out God’s five purposes for your life. We have set a goal to see the attendance of Venice Church double in the next 12-15 months. It can happen with God’s help. It can happen as we get busy living out His purposes.

So…if you are ready…pray with me this week that God would do something great, even miraculous in our church and in our lives. He is worthy of our devotion, praise, and service. Are you ready? Let’s get ready. Right now!

Let's Do This!

I am excited about the coming days and weeks. I believe that God is going to do something great in our midst. In recent days and weeks I have talked with many of you and I sense your excitement and desire to be used of God for His Kingdom and glory.

God uses people. That is what this is all about. People. The church is about people. When God’s people in His church get excited about what God can do He begins to work among them. As God works in the lives of His people we see more people come to Christ and grow in Christ and serve Christ and others. And we see God’s people meet together in loving fellowship and most of all God is worshipped more fervently.

It has not been our best year here at Venice, yet I sense that the Holy Spirit is stirring among us. I believe that God is calling us to a greater vision, passion, enthusiasm, and determination in seeing His will done through this church. I believe that God wants Venice to be a church that is making a difference and Kingdom impact in this community. I believe that you want to be a part of it! Let’s do this. Let’s go with God.

We have an opportunity to get revved up during our 40 Days of Purpose Campaign that begins on October 14th. Engage. Participate. Pray. Anticipate. Love. Serve. Worship. Fellowship. Grow. Share.

This is it! This why we are here. Let’s do this. Let’s do it together.


News of Note…

* Don’t forget about the small group meet and greet on Sunday between services in the breezeway. If you are not in a small group you will have an opportunity to meet the leaders and ask questions.

* If you haven’t noticed…we need a drummer. If you are interested in serving God in our music ministry and you can play drums or acoustic guitar we would love for you to audition. Please contact me if you are interested.

* And…this is big news…Alex & Christy Sears are the proud parents of Colton Alexander Sears!! He was born at 12:30 this morning by c-section. He is 8 pounds and 14 ounces and 20 ½ inches long. Mom and baby are doing well. Congratulations Alex & Christy!!