Hello Friends!

What a spectacular day for our Country Fair last Saturday! Besides some gusty breeze (hey, we do live in Miami!) the weather was great. We had more vendors than ever before (almost 60). Families of all kinds roamed our property enjoying the activities and food. A BIG THANK YOU to all those volunteers who made the Country Fair happen… all the way from those who ordered BBQ dinner tickets to those who cleaned up at the end of the day and everyone in between. This Sunday we continue in the series “A Reason For Living” when we’ll talk about “Who Am I Trying to Be?” It’s far too easy to conform our character and habits to the world around us. But God’s purpose is that we should become like Christ. Don’t forget to read to the bottom of this page for a number of announcements!

Before church begins at about 10:24am, I am in the choir room praying with the choir and the Liturgist for the worship service. I thank God for the opportunity to worship and for those who are giving their gifts, time, and heart for sake of bringing glory and praise to God. Also, I usually pray for those struggling to get to church that morning. As a parent of young children, I know how much can go wrong on your way out the door to church. When you have “one of those mornings” you feel lucky if you’re only delayed by a few minutes, but usually I find my attitude has gotten so sour that I don’t even want to go. I’m sure you’ve felt that way at one time or another for whatever reason—illness, despondency, household distractions. Indeed, the devil would love to discourage us from coming to worship God and/or coming with a good attitude and open heart.

One of the best things you can do to “get more out of worship” is to come prepared in your heart. Realistically, that may not happen until you get into the sanctuary and sit down. Take a moment to breathe deeply. Be still. Give thanks to God for getting you there. During college, I attended a service occasionally where the Pastor would begin with a moment of silence inviting us to “transition from getting there to being there in the presence of God.” But I have to say that coming to worship with the right spirit is more important than just for the sake of what we get out of it as worshippers. It’s what God deserves! Think about it this way, if friends decide to throw you a party, but then the host is a terrible mood or several of the guests grumble about having to be there, it might make you wonder why they had the party at all. Worship is our celebration of God and what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 29:13 says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” A thankful heart is an act of worship more than empty motions. It does not excuse us from coming to worship services (especially if you’re in a chronic bad mood) but compels us to come in a spirit worthy to glorify and please God.  When the Family of God is enthusiastic and sincere in its worship, it’s a witness to the world that our God really is worth celebrating. And when it comes to parties…the more the merrier! See you Sunday.

Peace,

Pastor Amber

In our prayers, we give thanks for all Veterans and pray especially for the families of the victims at Ft. Hood.