New Beginnings and Questions

No time to run today. I was at Millard West shortly after 7:00 this morning and left our small group about 8:00 tonight. It was our first morning at Millard West. What a great morning. We had over 300 adults and over 60 kids present. Mike Jasa was there too. Not sure which category he falls under. This is an incredible space for worship. Here is my column this morning:

New Beginnings

This morning is a morning of new beginnings. After one year we have outgrown our space at Russell Middle School. Our new beginning at Millard West will allow us to do many things different and better. Hopefully some things will stay the same. I am reminded of one of my favorite Bible verses—2 Corinthians 5:17—“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” As it is a new beginning for The Water’s Edge, it can be a new beginning for you as well. It is so exciting to know that a growing relationship with Jesus Christ allows us to learn from our past, accept forgiveness, live with a clean slate, and live with God’s power.

Questions

We begin our new series this morning: Questions for All Your Answers. I’ve learned in life that good questions are just as important as good answers. Maybe they are even more important. When God gets going, He doesn’t come up with answers to our questions, He has questions for our answers:

• And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? –Matthew 16:26
• Am I my brother’s keeper? –Genesis 4:9
• If God is for us, who can be against us? –Romans 8:31
• What must I do to inherit eternal life? –Luke 10:25
• Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness? –Job 38:13

For the next month or so, I invite you to join us for this series that you will hopefully find thought-provoking to our minds, challenging to our habits, and applicable to our everyday lives.

Environment

Our Connection’s Team leaders had an important meeting this week. They met about how we can better welcome guests and create enhanced surroundings for the development of community and spiritual growth. You will see many of the improvements in our environment this morning and look for more in the very near future. Thanks to all who lead in this area and to all those who wear the blue shirts on Sunday mornings. We have more blue shirts coming next week and can’t wait to give them away.

the best is yet to come...

Craig