Danville Campus Blog

This six week class will feature several books from the Old Testament known as books of the Minor Prophets.  We started out with a study of Haggai led by Rebecca Hatton. 

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We, here at the Danville Campus, have the opportunity to adopt a child through the local Salvation Army's Angel Tree program.  We have the names and wish list for 50 children in the Danville area.  You can pick up a child's tag at Connection Point this Sunday, shop during the week, and return your child's gifts with a label on each, to the Salvation Army by Monday, December 5.  The Salvation Army is located at 519 South Fourth Street.  They're open M-F, 8:30am--Noon and 1--4pm.

Lexington Ave. Baptist Church is hosting a Thanksgiving Feast for individuals and families in need or alone for the holiday.  This will be at their fellowship hall, 339 Lexington Ave., Danville, from 11am -- 2pm on Thanksgiving Day. 

If you can help serve or deliver for an hour or so during that time, please contact Cindy.  This is another great opportunity to serve in our own community.

In Matthew 14, we read about the story of Jesus walking on water.  We also read about Peter getting out of the boat and walking toward Jesus.  But at some point he remembers that the waves are against him and he remembers he shouldn't be able to walk on water and begins to sink.  I know (figuratively), what he feels like.

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Not long after I finished college I wondered if I had plateaued as a Christian--hit the high point of what I would know about God and His Word.  The journey getting to that point was filled with excitement as I turned each page of the Bible and learned something new for the first time.  Each story stirred emotions within my heart.  I was excited as David defeated Goliath by the power of God.  My heart ached as I read through the accounts of the cross for the first time.  I was a little confused as I turned to the last book of the Bible, Revelation, and thought maybe someone a long time ago wanted to add a little science fiction into the Bible (joking--kind of). 

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We all have different interests, talents, abilities,  likes, and dislikes.  Through our local church, we get to utilize a variety of gifts and talents in a lot of different areas.  We just had training for our Children's Ministry Summer Serve volunteers.  Each weekend we see lots of folks on the stage who have outstanding musical talent and abilities to share. 

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What a great weekend...

I've been reading an interesting book, God's Guest List, by Debbie Macomber.  She talks about God putting people in our lives that are gifts to us -- and that many times we refuse to open the gift He's given and we lose out.  She suggests that we make a list of 30 people (no, it's not a magic number -- just somewhere to start), that we would like to meet in the course of our lives and that we keep a Guest List Journal -- of folks who've impacted our lives.

As I've been reading and thinking about her suggestions, I've realized that I'm rich in friends.  I don't dream of meeting celebrities -- authors, sports heroes, movie stars--because God has blessed me with men and women of faith.  What they've shared with me (and continue to share with me) has impacted my life and my ministry.  This includes family members -- Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, In-Laws, Neices, Nephews, and Cousins.  That number alone would make up my 30!  But Christian brothers and sisters from college days, co-workers for the past twenty-five years at Southland, volunteers in lots of different areas, and ministry associations through traveling groups and serving on committees with other organizations, all have impacted me because of these people who were willing to invest in me.

Philippians 1:3--6 expressed Paul's feelings about the folks God put in his life.  "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the fifrst day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." 

So, take time to make a list...even keep a journal...and thank God for His plan to put people in your life that you can continue to learn from and serve with for His glory. Don't leave the gifts unopened!

Cindy Willison, Ministry Services Leader -- Danville Campus

A few weeks ago, Jon walked us through Matt. 8:23—27.  Jesus is asleep in the boat and the waves of the Sea of Galilee begin to rise.  The disciples, also in the boat, begin to worry and fear for their lives believing that surely they will drown.  Jesus, in the meantime, sleeps as if He is back home on His Tempurpedic, the perfect pillow holding His head in place, with the sound machine in the background playing a trickling stream of water. 

The disciples, most of them fisherman, know the power of the storms on this water.  So they wake Jesus saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing” (v.25).  Right here is where I enter the story because I would have been asking the Lord for help as well.  Jesus gets up, questions their faith, and then calms the storm.

There have been many times I have laid awake at night, unable to sleep because I am worried about something.  The stack of bills on the counter, the car that needs many repairs, the house that needs to be worked on, the college fund for the kids (that hasn’t even begun), the reasons why certain things happen— they all keep me awake at night.  I can even hear myself calling out to Jesus, “Save me from this, Lord, or I might die.” 

This story of sleeping made me think to other times in the Bible when sleeping was an issue.  Later in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 26, Jesus goes to pray in Gethsemane and takes the disciples with Him.  Here we see a glimpse of the fully human side of Jesus when He said, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me” (v.38).  So Jesus goes up further and prays but when He returns the disciples had fallen asleep.  Again, put me in this story-- right here.  Jesus questions their faith and tells them again to stay awake and, “watch and pray” (v. 41).

I wonder what it is that I am falling asleep on?  What is Jesus asking me to stay awake for and I have no problem going right off to sleep?  I often find myself thinking that the disciples were ridiculously naive.  They walked with the Son of Man and yet they feared the waves and fell asleep when Jesus asked them not to.  However, I am worse than they were.  I have the whole story held in my hands.  I have the power of the Holy Spirit living in me and yet I still have fears and questions.  I also fall asleep (literally and figuratively) when I shouldn’t.  

As I strive to be more like Jesus, my hope is that the things that are important to Him are what are important to me, and the things I need not worry about don’t make me sleep deprived.

Brian Lucas, Experience Leader

We want to give you an early opportunity to register for our annual Southland Baby Recognition/Parent Commitment Service being held on Sunday, May 15, 2011.

If you're new to Southland or maybe not quite sure what this service is about, it is a time where you have the opportunity to make a declaration and commitment before God, family and friends that you will raise your child in a Christ-centered home.

This service begins at 1pm in our Connection Point Room will last around 40 minutes. You are encouraged to invite immediate family members and invitations will be provided upon request. Childcare will not be provided since this is a family event.

Due to limited space, please register as soon as possible. To register, simply download the registration form, fill it out, and return by April 18 to Lindsey Stich at Southland Christian Church, PO BOX 23338, Lexington, KY 40523.

Each family participating is asked to submit a family photo to be used as part of the service. All photos will need to be e-mailed to Lindsey Stich no later than April 25 or we will not be able to include your photo in the program.

If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to contact Lindsey at (859) 361-7930. We look forward to having you join us for this special event!

This past weekend our high school students had the opportunity to travel up to Bluegrass Christian Camp for our winter retreat. It marked the first of many joint retreats/trips between both Southland campuses. The theme for the retreat was FIVE, taken from Ephesians 4:11 which reads, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers..." Between the two campuses, there were around 90 students and 20 leaders in attendance. 

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Bust out your turtleneck sweater, those oversized ski goggles and get ready to hit the slopes at Perfect North.

On Saturday, March 5, Danville Student Ministries will be going to Perfect North Slopes for a day of skiing, snow boarding, and tubing. We will leave the Danville Campus as 7am on Saturday morning and return at 8pm that evening.

Students interested in participating should fill out the online registration form by March 1. The cost for skiing or snow boarding is $85 and the cost for tubing is $40.

If you have any questions or would like more information, contact Jon Hall.

As we have been going through the book of Matthew as a church, I’ve been taking time each week to focus some of my quiet time on this book. The way that my mind works is, I often get caught up on a word and try to see how often it’s used; when and where, and in what context. A word I decided to trace through Matthew is "Follow." Take a look.

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"Last night I was listening to that song Rainy Night In Georgia. You know that line where he says, 'I feel like it's rainin' all over the world'? I listened to that and I just thought, 'Wow. What can make a brother feel that bad? What can bring a man so low? Just, wow.'" - Arsenio Hall

Apologies to those not old enough to remember the Arsenio Hall Show (no relation to Jon Hall, at least I don't think so). But, I remember when he said the above in an opening monologue once. I was probably in high school. For some reason, what he said struck me and I thought about it a lot. The fact that I recall it now, 20+ years later should indicate how big an impression it left. I love "Rainy Night In Georgia". And every time I hear it I think about this.

Why would this strike me so? Well, I grew up in an environment full of skewed theology, legalistic reasoning and a very strong us-versus-the-world ethos. As a result, I had very little tolerance for beliefs that I had been told were "wrong", and no love for the people who believed other than "we" did. The only kind of consideration "they" were given was when we preached to them to try to convert them. Beyond that, they were valueless, useless, disapproved by us, and therefore by God. The idea of stopping to think about how someone else felt or where their sorrow came from was very foreign to me.

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Jennie Rogers Elementary School is looking for volunteers to participate as guest readers the week of February 22-25. If you would like to volunteer to read a book to a group of students at the school please, contact Lana at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).