I Am A Chair

I am a chair from buckheadchurch on Vimeo.

Don't look at an empty chair in church the same way again.

Help for Haiti - Some Suggestions...

Probably most of us have seen pictures of the devastation in Haiti. Many of these precious people have suffered extreme poverty and now severe loss. If you desire to be able to provide some financial help for these dear people, below are some links to organizations that are legitimate. There will of course be many, who tragically, attempt to take advantage of this disaster for their own financial benefit. The ones listed below are organizations that can be trusted.

Compassion International
Colorado Springs, CO 80997
1-800-336-7676
www.compassion.com

Mercy Ships
P.O. Box 2020
Garden Valley, TX 75771-2020
1-903-939-7000
www.mercyships.org

Samaritan's Purse
P.O. Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
1-800-567-8121
www.samaritanspurse.org

World Vision
P.O. Box 9716, Dept. W
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
1-888-562-4453
www.worldvision.org

Let's pray that God might use this tragic situation to bring people to himself, pray for the believers working among these devastated people.

Where are YOU Headed?

In order to arrive at one's destination, there are two critical factors. First, an individual needs to decide where they want to go. But that is not enough. There is a second critical factor, and that is direction. Just knowing where you want to go is not enough to get you there. You must choose to follow the proper directions to get there. I would encourage each of us to decide where it is we want to go. Do we have a Life Plan that covers our spiritual journey, family, health, finances, education, profession -- in fact, every dimension of life. This is important for every single person, regardless of age. If you have never thought through a Life Plan, HERE is a good post to help you with that process. Everyone of us needs to work this through, and if we are married, we need to work through some of these areas with our spouse.

But a Life Plan is not enough. We also need to ask the question, when faced with decisions, "where is this decision going to lead?" "Where will this decision take me?" Every decision we make in life moves us in one direction or another.

We see this truth played out around us on a regular basis. People have arrived at places they did not want to be because of decisions (choices) which they have made. We have arrived at places we did not want to be because of choices which we have made. May God grant us His grace to understand that every decision we make is taking us someplace.

Christmas Thoughts Wrap-up

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you who were involved in the Christmas events here at Valley Grace. There was a great deal of time and effort put into the events and outreach. Please continue to pray for God to use these events in the lives of those who attended.

• The Christmas program was well done and good responses to it on December 13.
• Christmas Eve service
  
• Thanks to the choir for their music on December 27 & also for the testimonies for baptism.
  
• Thank you for your involvement in the Christmas project with helping to provide Christmas gifts for some families outside of our church. The tags went very quickly.
• Others of you were involved in some very creative ways of sharing Christ through Christmas with school students, and other families who had needs.
• The shoeboxes were sent earlier, and there was very good participation.
• The special Christmas offering is going to be sent to the Happy Church in Jackson, KY and will be approximately $1,500 -- shhhh, don't tell them, it is on the way.
• Thanks to those who helped with clean up of snow and ice to make it possible to hold the services.
• Thanks to those of you whom I missed! I'm sure there are some.
  

Well done, church!

I read of a creative outreach that a church in Seattle had done which might be food for thought. The ladies of the church selected Christmas gifts and wrapped them, and took them down the prostitutes in a section of their city.

Thanks for a Great Sunday!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all who were involved in helping to make this past Sunday a great Sunday for our Lord. There were those who helped to get the facilities ready by taking care of the ice situation, those who helped with costumes, who were involved in helping with the Toddlers and musical, ushering, music, etc. Thanks to the two young ladies above who served as greeters for awhile. We pray that the story of Christ's coming to earth and the reason for that journey, was made meaningful. We hope to have a DVD available for those of you who were not able to attend.

Do You Know What You Believe and Why?

In a recent report, USA Today report (here) Americans and Christians are mixing religious beliefs. Here are some of the reported findings:

• Even though Americans' overwhelmingly claim allegiance to someone they call God (92%), 70% said "many religions can lead to eternal life" and 68% said "there's more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion."
• The percentage of people who call themselves some type of Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation, and so many have moved into the "None" category for religion that it is now at 15%, the third highest "religious" category after Catholics and Baptists.
• Reincarnation: 24% of Americans believe that they will be reborn in this world again, and 22% of those who call themselves Christians believe the same
• 29% of Americans believe that they can get in touch with the dead, and 29% of those calling themselves Christians believed the same thing.
• 26% of Americans believe the could get "spiritual energy" in trees, etc., and 23% of those calling themselves Christian believed the same thing.
• 18% of Americans had a ghostly experience, and 17% of those calling themselves Christian had the same experience.
• 15% of Americans have consulted a psychic and 14% of those calling themselves Christian also had the same experience.

Our goal here at Valley Grace is to help you understand God's truth and be firmly grounded in it so that you can respond to the errors and lies set forth by the enemy of our souls. We encourage you to be part of Sunday School, the Grace Institute (meets Wednesday evening), and other opportunities to learn and grow.

Jessica Semler & Paul Veen Engagement

Jeff and Kerri Semler of Clear Spring announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica Semler, to Paul Veen of Michigan. Jess and Paul are planning a June 12, 2010 wedding.