Southland Christian Church

Of all the installments in our series, “So You Think You Can Dance?” you won’t want to miss this weekend! From the music, to the message, to the videos that have been created, we are going to have so much fun as we unpack Acts 3!!! And there is a special Dollar Club project to unveil that will blow your doors off! Please bring a one dollar bill and a few friends and tell each of them to bring a dollar bill and I promise you, the Dollar Club project alone is worth your time and attention. I can’t wait to worship and study and hang out with you…26 hours and counting. You are loved and you are in my prayers!

“Delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, find your joy in him at all times.” (Philippians 4:4 JBPV)

19 Southland members recently returned from Haiti and as I was reading their reports and as I was praying for the people of Haiti, this verse came to mind from Isaiah 54:10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (NIV)

I’m scheduled to fly into Haiti in a month with another team to assess Southland’s efforts in Port-au-Prince and to assess the opportunities available to us as a church family to continue to meet the needs of the people who have been transported to the Northwest part of the island where our major mission partners live and serve. So please pray that we have wisdom as we seek God’s leading and pray that we have an extra abundance of compassion as we love the beautiful people of Haiti in the name of Jesus.

The singer's name is Eduard Khil and from what I can gather, this was a popular style or Russian music in the late 60's and 70's. All I know is it made me laugh! Enjoy...

One of our volunteers at Southland shared with me that this past weekend (Easter) he overheard a disgruntled small group of people say, “Jon and his team really know how to ruin a holiday!” Honestly, considering the source of the statement, I’m genuinely flattered! To receive a compliment from that group would mean I wasn’t listening to the Spirit anymore! He was referencing the less than traditional weekend experience our team pulled off in which 16,000 other people were challenged to help us buy a wheelchair accessible van for a family in our community (which we did) and 150 other people who surrendered their lives to Christ and were baptized in our pond. So if that is what they mean by “Jon and his team really know how to ruin a holiday,” than I say, “Let’s ruin some more!” Watch out Valentine’s Day here we come! You’ve got a target on your back Labor Day!

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Hey, if you thought Easter was a lot of fun, do not miss this weekend’s service! Plan on being in the auditorium before the service begins because you do not want to miss the opening dance number!!! Bring a friend and a Bible and a heart that is ready to learn and celebrate the life we have in Jesus! I’ve been praying for you and I can’t wait to see you!

Fishing is something I enjoy filling a day with. Its more than a diversion for me, it’s a connection to my childhood, a “sabbath” rest, and a healthy challenge all wrapped up in one. And if the truth be known, I’m a bit envious of the person who on their W-2 form can write the word “fisherman” under the word “occupation.” Peter fell into that category.

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General Wellington commanded the victorious forces at the great battle of Waterloo that effectively ended the reign of Napoleon. The story has been told that when the final battle was over, General Wellington sent the great news of his victory to England. A series of stations, one within sight of the next, had been established to between England and the European continent where the war was being fought. The message to be sent that day was “Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.” Meanwhile a fog set in and interrupted the message sending process. As a result, the messengers read and relayed a message that read, “Wellington defeated…” People in England were worried, scared, and saddened by the news. Later that day the fog cleared and the full message finally arrived. The response was overwhelming, the relief apparent, and the celebrations plentiful. The full message changed the mood of an entire nation and forever changed the course of European history.

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Spring…I know it’s a bit premature, but what a great season of the year! Coats are traded for jackets, sweaters are packed away and short-sleeves are unfolded, boots become sandals, blankets thin to sheets, red noses tan, shivers become sighs, curtains are pulled back and windows lifted as the dormant heart of nature beats once again. Cold winds are replaced with warm breezes, snow and ice turn to gentle rains, long hours of darkness are hidden by the light of the sun, grey skies turn blue, trees don their finest attire, flowers show off their splendor, birds return to their singing ways, and the contagious enthusiasm of spring cannot be contained!   Martin Luther once wrote, “God has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf of springtime.” 

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Archbishop Oscar Romero wrote, “The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.  We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificant enterprise that is God’s work.  Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.  No statement says all that could be said.  No prayer fully expresses our faith.  No confession brings perfection.  No pastoral visit brings wholeness.  No program accomplishes the church’s mission.  No set of goals and objectives includes everything.  This is what we are about.  We plant the seeds that one day will grow.  We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.  We lay foundations that will need further development.  We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.  We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.  This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.  It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.  We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.  We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.  We are prophets of a future not our own.”

Thanks for your partnership in loving this city.  A lot has been done and a lot more is yet to come!
 

In our elder’s meeting last night we talked about Ephesians 5:15 which says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (NIV) It is so easy to get distracted by things that don’t matter and miss the things that do matter in life. Distractions like materialism, greed, pride, lust, selfishness, jealousy, gossip, and anger to name a few. And those distractions can keep us from living the “wise” life Jesus has called us to live. Take a look at this clip and take a few moments to think about the things you are missing in your relationship with Jesus because you are focused on the wrong things in life.