Dear Church Family,
Today is garbage day at my place. So too, a different truck drives by to pick up our yard waste. I counted 4 cans and 7 bags of yard waste. My wife has spent a few hours most days pulling weeds. My kids have pitched in; I’ve pulled a weed or two. Still you might drive by and say, “It’s a jungle out there.”
Sometimes life is like my yard. We identify weedy areas and pull out the junk, but there’s still so many weeds. Or we remove a nasty patch in our soul, only to have a different ugly thing take root and sprout.
Reading and studying the Proverbs has had a humbling effect on me this summer. The Proverb paints what a life of wisdom can really look like. God has a masterpiece in mind for us. Nonetheless, the lusts of the flesh, the lies of the enemy, and the allure of the world sow seeds of destruction. You may be tempted to give up. You might think it’s not worth working on your life if other weeds remain.
Let me offer 2 reasons to keep engaging with God on the weeds in your life:
Reason #1: God sent His Son to save us from our sin and sins. Jesus died to remove the debt of sin we owed to God. Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all sin. In addition, He seeks to purify us from all sins. Every little spiritual victory is joy for us and honoring to God. The Spirit of the Son never gives up, working to make us good and to heal us from evil.
Reason #2: Our good works lead others to turn and glorify God. Yes, we will not ever be perfect. You know that; God knows that; your neighbor knows that. But your neighbor notices those little transformations. She observes her girlfriend no longer gossipping. He notices that his buddy no longer speaks ill of his wife. They remember when you send encouraging text messages. They treasure your birthday notes and gifts.
Carrie and I worked together last night to get the final bags to the curb for pick up. Despite feeling pretty defeated that our yard is still a sanctuary for weeds, our neighbor spied us and said, “Wow, you’ve done a lot of work this week.”
Other Church Items:
A new video encouragement was uploaded today: https://youtu.be/73y5Ep38cAM
August 8th Membership Class (12-3:30/4PM) – Please let Pastor Gary know if you will join this class. Lunch is provided. This is the first step toward membership at Cornerstone Church.
ReviveCR (August 14-22) – Will you serve your city? Our regional coalition of churches, Serve the City, in partnership with Eight Days of Hope have teamed up to serve city parks, and families still in need from the Derecho. Here are a few details to put on your family calendar (this is for people of ALL ages)…
Saturday Aug 14: ALL DAY – Go serve the city…We’ll start at St. Mark’s Lutheran at 7AM and for the die-hards, you can go all day, and eat supper together at 6PM. YOU MUST SIGN UP HERE: https://eightdaysofhope.com/registration?ev=42
August 15-21 – You can go back any and all days to continue to serve.
August 22 @7PM – City-wide ReviveCR Worship at the NewBo Market Amphitheatre. Food trucks 5-7PM, more info @ https://www.revivecr.info/
Love ya lots,
Pastor Matt
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