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!!

Update on Amy

Let me give you a quick update on Amy and then move on to other news.
Amy is doing very much better. She is still having some issues with her eyes and ear, but the doctors assure us that the hormones that she is taking will remedy these problems. She does not recommend viral meningitis. She said it was no fun!! We thank you so much for your prayers. I am sure that you will see her on Sunday. She is looking forward to seeing all of you.

Things are really getting ready to get cranked up around here. If you are not in a small group I really want to encourage you to find one. To help you find one we are going to offer a small group “meet and greet” on Sunday October 7th. This will be an opportunity for you to talk to small group leaders about the texture of their group and when and where they meet.

40 Days of Purpose begins on Sunday October 14th and I must tell you that you will enjoy the six weeks of study much more if you participate with a small group. We will kick off the campaign with Communion in both of our services and we will end the campaign with baptism in the worship center on November 18th between services. If you would like to be baptized on 11/18/07 just check the box on the back of your response card this Sunday.

I am starting a brand new small group just for men! It begins tonight. We are going to meet in the coffee bar at the church at 7:00 PM. If you are a guy who is looking for a group this is a fine opportunity for you. Just drop by and check it out.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I would love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week as you enjoy the crisp fall air.

Exciting Stuff on the Horizon

It is another day and tomorrow will make 3 weeks and Amy is still not feeling well. She has an appointment with an ear, nose, & throat specialist tomorrow. She will also be seeing an ophthalmologist at some point. Please continue to pray for her. We thank you for your prayers.

There are some exciting events coming up in the next few weeks.
I encourage you to make plans and be a part of the excitement.

Some of the stuff coming up…

Message Series: Power, Money & Sex begins this Sunday. Be here Sunday at 9:00 or 10:45 and bring somebody with you.

Small Group Fair: Sunday October 7th between services. If you are not in a small group…this is an opportunity for you to explore your small group options. We have many outstanding groups and you can meet the leaders, find out when they meet, and ask questions about each group.

40 Days of Purpose: God has created each one of us for His five unique purposes. In this campaign we will discover God’s plan for our lives and how to live for His glory everyday. The campaign begins on Sunday October 14th. To enhance your campaign experience I recommend attending a small group and reading along with us in Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life.

Make your plans to be involved. I pray that God will bless your week. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Ten Things I Think

1. I think that Amy is going to make it. She is doing better…little by little. Please continue to pray for her. Her headache is gone, but her fever tends to pop up in the afternoons.

2. I think that a great time was had by all at our Men’s Ministry Road Trip. Our speaker, Hatch, spoke on the topic of being “Beefy T-Men”. He encouraged us to be strong spiritual men. There were no catastrophes on the lake. We ate steak every night. It was truly a men’s trip. Thanks to Brad Jensen for planning and pulling off another great trip. Thanks to Daniel Nehrig for running our kitchen.


3. I think that if the Dallas Cowboys continue to play games this season like they played on Sunday night that I will not make it through the season. I will be like Fred Sanford. I will be having the big one (the big heart attack). “I’m coming to see you Elizabeth!”

4. I think that the series that we will begin on Sunday September 23rd (Power, Money, & Sex) will provide a great opportunity for you to invite somebody to church. Everybody is interested in those three topics.

5. I think that if you are not in a small group you should get in a small group. This is a great time to join.

6. I think that we will learn a lot from our 40 Days of Purpose Campaign. It begins on Sunday October 14th. We will observe communion that day. We will end the campaign on Sunday November 18th with baptism in the Worship Center.

7. I think that seeing a football player lie motionless on the ground is one of the scariest things that I have ever seen. Every football player knows that it can happen and that they may not get up, but yet, they still muster up the courage and/or stupidity to run into each other anyway. It looks like Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills will walk again, but we should pray for him and his family.

8. I think that in a matter of months our Youth Ministry will be healthier than it has been in years. They had 18 in attendance on Sunday night.

9. I think that there is a lot of excitement surrounding the pennant races and Major League Baseball, however I don’t know who it is that is excited.

10. I think my plan to work on my tan on the ski trip went very well. I rode in the boat a lot. I am an excellent flag man.

Hatch In the House

I am looking forward to Sunday. My friend Robert Hatch is going to be here to speak to us. We have been friends for 23 years. We went to Bible College together. He has been in ministry over 15 years. And…he is preacher’s kid just like me. I am sure that he will have a good message and you can be sure that he will have some seriously funny stuff to show and tell on me. You guys that are going on the road trip will really enjoy getting to know him better.