TN Mission Trip Interest Meeting This Sunday!

Interested in going on the MSM Mission Trip to Tennessee? There will be an Interest Meeting this Sunday after 2nd Worship in the Student Center for parents and students. Come hear more information about the trip and how you can take part in this awesome opportunity! 

Steady.

You want to know what one of my favorite things about God is?

The fact that He’s consistent. He's constant. He's steady. He’ll never change – He will always be the same.

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the Heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." - James 1:17

No one else is like this.

Friends may adore you one day, but be gossiping about you the next.

Boyfriends/girlfriends may “love” you today, but will have moved on by tomorrow.

You and your siblings may be close one minute, and tearing each other’s hair out the next.

But not God.

He is always the same.

You’ll never catch Him in a bad mood. He’ll never lie to you and never go back on His promises. He’s never stressed out or exhausted.

In a world of unpredictability and drama, rest in this truth:

His strength and truth and love and mercy never change. He is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Easter.

We all know the effects of sin right?

Shame.

Guilt.

Worry.

Anxiety.

But Jesus, in His perfection and purity, had never known these things. Because He was sinless, He never knew the aftermath of sin, that is, until He became sin for us. And when Hechose to take our punishment for sin, all the emotional turmoil of our sin came along with it. On that cross, He felt anxious, guilty, and alone. Hear the heaviness of His heart in His prayer:

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" - Matthew 27:46

Christ was feeling the distance from God that sin brings. But God never abandoned Jesus. He sent His precious Son to do what had to be done in order to give us life. Christ paid the price for our sin and bore the full wrath of God on the cross - the judgement due your sin and my sin - and said, "IT IS FINISHED." And 3 days later, when God raised His Son from the dead, He declared His power over death and His victory over sin.

And the beauty of it all is that He did it FOR YOU. He went through all of this for one reason: because God truly, madly, deeply loves you. Don't miss this. Don't be distracted by egg dying, chocolate bunnies, or easter baskets. Remember the hope and unconditional love this holiday represents and share that love with others!

This Sunday, we will not be having our usual Sunday morning youth services. We want you to spend this Holiday with your family at church, worshipping together and remembering the sacrifice of our loving Savior. Enjoy the day with your family, and we'll see you next week!

The Ultimate Gift Giver

I love giving gifts to the people I care about.

It's one of the ways I express love.

I love seeing the look on their faces when they unwrap an unexpected present or a desired gift.

If we give gifts to show our love, how much more or better would God give?

Think about it.

If we greedy humans love to give gifts, how much more does God, who is pure and perfect, enjoy giving gifts to us?

Jesus asked, "If you hardhearted, sinful men know ho two give good gifts to your children, won't your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask for them?" - Matthew 7:11 (The Living Bible)

God's gifts reveal to us His good and generous heart.

The colors He paints for us in the sunset.

The cooling breeze blowing through the trees.

His power echoed in a thunderclap or a lightning bolt.

The warm embrace of someone we love.

A kind smile from a friend.

Every gift shines a spotlight on God's love, but no gift reveals His love more than the gift of the cross - The gift wrapped in His passion, mercy, and love.

God is so excited to shower you with gifts and sit back to watch your reaction. Look for His gifts and blessings this week, and praise our generous God!