Welcome to the Church!
by Jess O Malley
Wendie Bartelt, 57, and Chris Packard, 54 Wendie and Chris were members of Community of Life Church in Oregon, before it closed in May. Leaving one church and developing another community has been challenging. Your home church, Wendie said, “is kind of your family. You grew up with them, raised your kids together, did life group together, did...
Preschool is Loving the Fall!
by Jess O Malley
Our Preschool has been loving the fall! The preschoolers enjoyed a beautiful day at Schuster's Pumpkin Farm last week. We enjoyed a hayride, corn maize and of course picking out a pumpkin. And at the end of the month, we’ll trick-or-treat through the staff offices upstairs.
It’s All A Gift From God
by Jess O Malley
“What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?”
And here is how the same verse reads in The Message (MSG): “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing?” We ask these 3 questions when we get together after reading a chapter from God’s word.- Jesus where are you speaking to me? And what are you saying?
- Holy Spirit, what response are you forming in me?
- Father, what promise covers my next step?
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”
Join me in giving thanks that God has given us all things and asked us to take good care of them and be generous with them. May we be thankful people filled with joy so the world will want to know more about our Father in heaven.During my 1:1 meeting last week we looked at 1 Corinthians 4. We were pleasantly surprised to see the verses that lined up with our October theme of Stewardship. Here is what verse 7 says in the New Living Translation (NLT): “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a...
Revival: Stewardship
by Jess O Malley
‘And this I remember of Boromir as a boy, when we together learned the tale of our sires and the history of our city, that always it displeased him that his father was not king. ‘‘How many hundreds of years needs it to make a steward a king, if the king returns not?’’ he asked. ‘‘Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty,’’ my father answered. ‘‘In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice.’’ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings #2)
Starting with “Stewardship” it took a couple of transitions to get to a word where I only thought partially about money.Stewardship -> Good Steward -> Steward
And then another before I thought only about managing, and being a caretaker.Stewardship -> Good Steward -> Steward -> Steward of Gondor
But Merriam-Webster’s definition of Steward looks like this: steward noun1: one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (such as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)
And concludes with5: one who actively directs affairs : MANAGER
So it does more mimic the idea of steward that I understood from reading The Lord of the Rings, even though it misses the idea of managing in place of the king, until the king’s return. And in Tolkien’s tale, we meet the familiar experience of wanting to be kings ourselves, to own the things ourselves, and to not have to relinquish our position when the master returns. But that is contrary to the core of stewardship. This October we are unpacking the Biblical teaching that we are stewards for God, including:- What we manage belongs to God, and we manage it for Him
- Faithful stewards are always prepared for their master to return
- Faithful stewards use their blessings to benefit others and make friends
- Faithful stewards will be blessed with even more to manage and use
- Faithful stewards share generously with those who are in need
“Come, Lord Jesus, revive our stewardship of your blessings. Everything we have is yours, and we manage it while we wait for you to return. You provide, you give it to us to share, to help and to have fun, and you promise to give even more when we faithfully manage it as you want. Come, Lord Jesus, quickly. And help us to live as if you are returning quickly. Revive our stewardship of your blessings so that our household WELLs actually share with those in need, have fun and make friends, and connect more people to life in Jesus. Amen”
‘And this I remember of Boromir as a boy, when we together learned the tale of our sires and the history of our city, that always it displeased him that his father was not king. ‘‘How many hundreds of years needs it to make a steward a king, if the king returns not?’’ he asked. ‘‘Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty,’’ my father...
What God is Doing Here
by Jess O Malley
This is part of an ongoing series that celebrates how families from the Church are living out their calling as Household Wells. This month’s focus is Work. My son Charlie didn’t wake up Wednesday thinking, “I’m going to do God’s work!” He just wanted to make some eggs. But his little sister, Susannah, was awake, too, so … “Mommy, Charlie asked me...
Following God’s Path Wherever It Goes
by Jess O Malley
Does what we do even matter? I’ve been pondering that a lot these last few weeks. This month’s Revival theme, Work, is impressively on point at my house. In one week, I’m starting a new job at the Wisconsin State Journal, the first time since 2013 that I’ll be working full-time outside the home. It’s a big change, and before accepting the...
Give God Your All — Volunteer!
by Jess O Malley
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. – 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6
We’ve spoken a lot about generosity so far this year, and we’ll continue to do so. But I think it’s important that you hear this very clearly on behalf of the Board and other leaders at the Church: Generosity isn’t just about finances. Yes, money plays a vital role in our operations and mission work of connecting people to life in Jesus. While still vital, let’s maintain a perspective that allows us to see it as one of a variety of ways to worship and display our gratitude. God doesn’t just want one facet of us; He wants all of us – our time, our skills and our resources. Knowing that, allow me to recommend an excellent way to combine all three: Volunteering. The great thing about volunteering is that the possibilities are almost boundless. There’s no age limit. There’s no time limit. It can happen within the four walls of the Church, in your own neighborhood, or anywhere in between. It allows you to use a skill you’ve already mastered, or branch out to try something you’ve never done. Of course, we always have reasons not to do something. Summer’s over. The kids are back in school (congrats, kids!). Work schedules are rough. But what if … we stopped thinking about how we can’t and started thinking about how we can? Many volunteer opportunities can be a one-time event rather than a recurring commitment. There’s never a shortage of opportunities throughout the year. Maybe you’re lucky to work for an employer who gives you time off to volunteer each year. You can use it as a method to find solitude and rest. Volunteering is also a great way to bond as a family, lifeGroup, friend group, etc. Remember that meaningful service can actually be fun! At the heart of all this is the fact that we are reaching out into our communities to serve, to make connections, to strengthen bonds and to become a visible reflection of Christ. With repetition, we’ll see good, healthy habits form. We see that our view is no longer that we “have to” serve; we now “get to” serve. And with that attitude shift, we can see a culture of generosity form and work its magic throughout our neighborhoods and beyond. How can you get started? Here are a few ideas:- The Church has a great list of community partners on our website, along with internal opportunities: https://livelifetogether.com/lifeserve/
- Read the Weekly Bulletin. Items like our work with Leopold Elementary pop up all the time.
- Your workplace may have connections or partnerships to pursue.
- Not every opportunity to volunteer is a formal one! Maybe a neighbor needs help with the lawn. Or someone could use your expertise at woodworking. Or a couple sure could use help watching the kids while they go on their first date in 18 months. You get the idea.
- Remember that line about volunteering being boundless? Get creative!
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. – 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 We’ve spoken a lot about generosity so far this year, and we’ll continue to do so. But...
Finding Rest with the Enrights
by Jess O Malley
This is part of an ongoing series that celebrates how families from the Church are living out their calling as Household Wells. This month’s focus is Rest.On paper at least, Chad and Becky Enright’s life together has been full of stressors. The Enrights have, over the last four years, gotten married, had three kids, quit two high-stress jobs, and...
Rest
by Jess O Malley
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and...
Generosity
by Jess O Malley
Definitions are funny things. On the one hand, they’re complete, offering the full meaning, every use, of a given word.
On the other hand, definitions leave so much out.
Take the word “generous”:
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “generous” as
- Liberal in giving
- Marked by abundance or ample proportions
- Characterized by a noble or kindly spirit
The word is rooted in the Latin word “generosus”, meaning noble or magnanimus. “Magnanimus” has its roots in the Latin words “magnus',' meaning great, and “animus”, meaning soul.
That’s all true, visible and accessible to anyone with an internet connection or dictionary.
But those definitions don’t truly reflect their common theme: Generosity and its roots all reflect the outward expression of your internal soul, a visible representation of your internal faith.
Generosity, your generosity – at home, at church, in your neighborhoods – is a key component of acting out the Church’s vision of Household Wells. Sustained by the Living Water, our homes should be places that connect people to life in Jesus, where we actively demonstrate the Fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control.
Generosity is a reaching out, a giving, to others. And in reaching out, in giving God’s love for all people to all people, we spread the joy of living in Christ.
So much of connecting people to life in Jesus is rooted in generosity – with your thoughts, with your time, with your finances, with your energy.
Financial giving, yes, is part of that. The Church’s financial challenges are well-documented at this point, and the reality is that the Church needs you, each of you, to give a bit more. But you don’t have to give beyond your abilities, and please don’t give out of a sense of obligation or guilt.
The Church staff and board are simply asking you to consider how you can be a bit more generous, and then act upon the impulse God lays on your heart.
That may be financial. It may be signing up for one of the volunteering opportunities at Leopold Elementary School. Perhaps God will move you to invite your neighbors over for s’mores.
God wants you to be generous. But how He moves you to do so is between the two of you. God will bless the world through all your gifts.
An act of generosity enriches the life of both the giver and receiver, and encourages others who hear to be more generous themselves. As we are reminded in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 –
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
That’s so much more than a mere definition.
Generosity can take many forms, thoughts, words, money, time, things, influence, attention.
But each act, given freely, is an opportunity to demonstrate and communicate your faith in Jesus and bring God’s kingdom to your neighborhood while making this world a more generous place.
Definitions are funny things. On the one hand, they’re complete, offering the full meaning, every use, of a given word. On the other hand, definitions leave so much out. Take the word “generous”: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “generous” as Liberal in giving Marked by abundance or ample proportions Characterized by a noble or...
Spiel: Pray to Listen
by ChurchMarketing.is Team
This is part of an ongoing series that celebrates how families from the Church are living out their calling as Household Wells. This month’s focus is Praying. Every month, our sermon series look at a particular aspect of “Revival”-- “Compassion” in January, “Witness” in February … . But while we switch themes, month to month, they never stand...
Household Wells: Awareness
by ChurchMarketing.is Team
By Kirsten Adshead Photo credit: Charlie Adshead A guy bikes past the picnic shelter; a grandfather plays catch nearby; a family enjoys a meal two tables away. And Arik and Tina Johnson, sitting down for an interview at McKee Farms Park on a warm, breezy Friday, are certain that it’s all part of God’s plan. “If everything’s just random, then God...