- Amazing anyone was around last weekend since no one in my small group, including Lois, had been able to make it to the service. I gave them a 5-minute version of my message.
- Someone wrote on the Communication Card: "Henry, I love to see you all nerd-excited about the story of God." I was. Doing the set up to the Transfiguration by tracing its themes through the Story of God made it come alive for me.
- Response time was awesome! Several of the themes in the songs tied so closely with the message in ways we didn't plan. And my favorite Communion weekends are the ones where our small group leaders hold the elements and preach the gospel to everyone as they receive them. It doesn't get old.
- Given the subject of the message, I spent some extra time reviewing why we do Response worship and stations. I've never experienced worship in a way that called for more participation and engagement. Prayer is at the center of our services like never before.
- This weekend we start a new series called "First Things First," continuing in Luke. The hodgepodge of stories told at the end of Luke 9 come together beautifully under the theme "mistakes disciples are prone to make." We'll look at five. The fifth one is POWERFUL. Learn from the disciples' mistakes. Better yet, learn from your own mistakes as you reflect on your mistakes in light of their mistakes.
- New small group Bible study is being started at Park High School by some Five Oaks students. Check it out here. Did you know some of our students have also started Bible studies at East Ridge and Math & Science Academy? I didn't until yesterday. I love it!
- Also on the Student Ministries front: We have 90 active high schoolers in small groups! And did you know that many of the leaders in our weekend Sunday school class for kids with disabilities (the Retreat) are youth? Did you know we had the Retreat ministry going? Just met two families over the last two weeks in 10-Minute Connect that have come because of the Retreat.
- This weekend is week 6 in our Story of God small group for the fall. We'll do it again come January. Is there someone you could invite to get the bigger picture, to learn how to better understand the Bible, to hear the message of our rescue and redemption?
- The Five Oaks Christmas album is coming together well. Five songs. Great invitiation tool. You'll here more later.
i am greatly enjoying the study of Luke and Pastor Henry & Co are doing a great job with it! mainly, i think, because you can't help but focusing on the Gospel message when studying the Gospel. also, while other topics can be exasperated, the encouraging news of the Gospel never gets old, because it is the thing which is under the most severe attack in our minds and in this entire world!
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Posted by: Chris | October 31, 2011 at 10:33 AM