REAL CHRISTIANITY!

I am thankful for our church family, and how we are expressing real Christianity to people. We had a young person who died this past week of cancer. Chris was only 39 years old, and battled cancer for the last two years. I had the privilege of praying with Chris to accept Christ into his heart. Chris was a great young man who never lost faith even with his sickness.

Chris was a part of the Men's Monday night Bible Study, with his dad. Last night at the viewing, I am so thankful that a bus load of the men from the Bible study walked in together to minister to the family! The family was so impressed and overwhelmed by the love of the men. That is real Christianity!

I am proud of these examples of real Christianity by the people of our church! Job well Done!

I love and appreciate you for living the Gospel out in the real world!

Missions 101

I am looking forward to our trip this week to the Dominican Republic. It is a great week that has so many blessings that you can only realize when you go on a trip like this.

I am thankful for the relationships that are built over 7 days of being with other believers! Real friendships develop over one week, and that is a blessing from the Lord.

I am thankful that we will be investing in God's kingdom for the next 7 days, and that we are building not only a building but investing in the next generation!

I am thankful that we will be able to encourage the missionaries and leaders of the church, and to minister to the people of San Fransico de Marcoris.

I am thankful for a week of warm weather!

I am thankful for a week of totally giving ourselves to His Kingdom!

I want to encourage you to get involved in missions and think about going on an upcoming trip!

Missions is the Heartbeat of God!

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND!

During the month of February I have been preaching on one verse that really boils down what Christianity is basically all about. Jesus gave us one command - "To Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." We will be looking at Loving God with all of our minds tomorrow."

Someone has said - "The mind is a wonderful thing to waste." I am thankful that I can love God with my mind. I never want to stop growing in my knowledge and understanding of our great God.

I want to encourage you to be with us tomorrow, and invite someone to come with you to God's House. I am amazed at what God is doing in our church! See you tomorrow!

LIFE GROUPS

This week we kicked off the Home (LIFE) Groups and we are having great feedback from those who are connecting in this way. I am thankful for all of the group leaders and those who have opened their homes. God is going to use this to help people connect with one another.

I deeply appreciate the leadership that Ruthann DeLong as given to this ministry and people will be discipled in this ministry.

I want to encourage you if you are not a part of a home group, to get connected and see how your spiritual life will grow in this small group setting!

GOD WILL BRING YOU THROUGH!

I am thankful for God's Promises! One of them is that God will bring you through situations in life that you think you will not survive, or that you feel like you are stuck in something that will not change. But in those situations, God can make us comfortable in uncomfortable situations, and give us a peace in the midst of crisis times in our lives. That we can live not knowing what tomorrow holds in store for us, but be confident that God has our tomorrows all planned for us. I am thankful that our tomorrows are in God's hands, not in All States!

Just because things may not look clear today, does not mean that God is not leading you. Read this verse when you feel you cannot make it through another day!

Isaiah 42:16 NKJV
"I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them."

Times and seasons may change, but not God! God will bring you through! I pray that these words will encourage you today!

What Do You Do When You Do Not Know What To Do?

Today is one of those days for me, when I am asking the Lord what do you do when you do not know what to do? Have you ever had those kind of days? I know what the Word of God says, but at times in life you have some real questions, doubts and even fears.
I had to deal with a difficult issue and the outcome was not what I expected or could even imagine. So what do I do when I do not know what to do!

I am reminded of these verses: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

I am glad God knows what to do even when I do not. So Lord I am going to trust in You and Your Word!

LEARNING TO LIVE LIKE JESUS!

Learning to live like Jesus, is a life long process and not always easy to do. When I look at the life of Jesus, He has a real man with real issues. He had to deal with everyday issues that we have to deal with. Jesus lived a simple life, but he still had to take care of people, support his disciples. He had people who were upset and angry with Him. No matter what was going on in Jesus life, He never became stressed out, fearful or worried.

Jesus was always in tune with His Heavenly Father. That is a secret that we need to learn as well if we want to live like Jesus in our daily lives. Someone said it this way - "Stress is brought on by our need to know everything ahead of time - and to be in control." That is why Jesus teaches us this simple principle in Matthew 6:33 - "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."

Let's make it our goal to live like Jesus today!!!

LEARNING TO LIVE LIKE JESUS!

LIFE IN THE TIGHT PLACES!

How many have difficulty when they are in tight places? Like going for an MRI, or fitting into a crowded elevator, or being in a tight cave, or even in tight clothes that no longer fit. How do you feel when things are tight?

Life is like this at many times, but I am thankful for the help that the Lord gives in tight times. Psalm 46:1 tells us - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble."

We never know what is going to happen from moment to moment. In the last 24 hours, my wife went to the doctor and will most likely need surgery. On top of that her car is in the garage and needs extensive work on it, and other issues that happen because we live in this world.

But God's Word says that "He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the times of trouble."

In the NAV - "God is abundantly available for help in the tight places." When we are in a tight spot, God is available to help us!" I want to encourage you today, that God is the God of the tight places! Keep looking and trusting in Him."

GETTING YOUR HEART IN SHAPE!

For the month of February I will be focusing on Getting our Heart in Shape. If you want to get into shape, you cannot just lift weights, but you have to do cardio. In the spiritual sense if we want to get in total shape - I think it begins with one verse, that I am going to look at - "Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul, mind and strength."

I am looking forward to our services tomorrow, and very thankful that we are missing out on the monster snow storm in the Mid Atlantic states!

Please pray for our services tomorrow, that God will visit us in a very special way as we open our hearts to Him!

HEALTHY SELF-CARE

I am coming to learn as I get older, that I need to take care of myself. As a pastor who loves people, and wants to help people, I have a tendency to forget about taking care of myself. I am really working on that this coming year. Because I will not be good to anyone else, if I do not take care of myself.

I want to encourage you to take care of yourself this year, so that you can be healthy in every area of your life.

What are some ways that you can get healthy this year?

#1. DO YOU REALLY ENJOY GOD AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, OR IS IT MORE OF A ROUTINE?
God wants to be enjoyed by His people, not endured by His people! We were created for His pleasure. Our relationship should be one that blesses both sides. We read in Revelation 4:11 - "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and power; for thou hast created all things (you and me), and for thy pleasure they are created."

#2. AM I FULFILLING GOD'S PURPOSE AND PLAN FOR MY LIFE?
When I stop to realize that God has a good plan for my life, I will not worry and fret but will be able to trust in His will for my life. His Word tells us - "I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans to give you hope and not to harm you."

#3. REFUSE TO LIVE WITH DREAD, DESPAIR AND DISTRACTIONS THIS COMING YEAR!
Matthew 6:33 - "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."

I want to encourage you to get spiritually healthy, and start that process today!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

MONDAY MORNING HIGHLIGHTS

Another Monday, a time to reflect and review about the past weekend. Here are just some random thoughts.

1. It is always amazing to lead people to the Lord, and I am so thankful for the 6 people that asked the Lord into their hearts yesterday.

2. I am so thankful for the many people that are involved in ministry in our church. I appreciate Ruthann DeLong and the leadership that she is giving to our Home Life Groups, that are starting the week of February 15th. If you have not signed up for a group, you can still do it this coming Sunday.

3. We are still looking for some home group leaders, and we are looking for someone in the Cranston, Warwick area. As well as in the Providence area. If you are interested, please let us know this week.

4. I am looking forward to our upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic, and seeing our friends and ministering to the people. It is also a great time to develop relationships and friendships in a small group. I am also looking forward to the nice warm weather.

5. I am also thankful for Pastor Mike and the great job he did last night sharing the Word of God. Even if he is a Colts fan!

Lastly, I am just thankful for the Cross, and the love that God gives to us through His Son Jesus Christ!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron