Glorifying God and Enjoying Him Forever

I am most certainly not prepared to say that I have acted, or even, am now acting, up to my own principles; still, I am not bragging in saying that I have probably felt their value more than many people nearer to genius than I am. —Ernest Dimnet

Something I learned, or, I should say; God taught me, about six months ago was the importance of discovering my compassion. What I first was enlightened with was the importance of finding ones God-given compassion. When God created each of us, he implanted a unique, yet, dormant fire in our very essence. This fire, this uniqueness is our compassion, expressed in our God-given talents. Just as our individual DNA is unique to us and us alone, so our compassions are singular in that while two persons might share a similar compassion, the compassion is uniquely expressed in each individual.

Secondly, I came to see that compassion is something that each of us has to discover. God does not give us any predetermined idea as to what compassion he has given us. He leaves finding our compassion up to us. Besides, that is what the mystery of life is all about. Some are perplexed as to what man’s destiny and his purposes are. I believe the Westminster Catechism poses the question best in its first Catechism: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer given is that man’s chief end is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Wonderful, isn’t it? That says absolutely everything by telling us absolutely nothing. It gives us an answer without giving us any way as how to actually accomplish that goal, that singular purpose. I see this answer as an open door. An opportunity blown wide open to interpretation. For the sake of this piece, I would argue that each individual’s way of “glorifying God and enjoying him forever” is to find out what his compassion is. Follow my logic. God created everyone with a hidden compassion. Now wouldn’t it be glorifying God the most if we each sought, out with all our might, that individual compassion that he has given us? If we pursue, with everything we have, to find what he created us to be; wouldn’t that be glorifying to God, wouldn’t that be enjoying him and our God-given purpose?

I believe that this is exactly what we as Christians need to do. We need to re-evaluate where we are in this life. How many of us are truly happy? If you are not happy then evaluate where you are in life; and even those of us who believe we are happy…should ask ourselves questions like:

• Did I go to college because that is where God called me?
• Or did I go because my parents said that is the only place where you will make something out of yourself.
• Or did I go because society conditioned me to be complacent, maybe it was a comfortable job with a nice salary.

The conclusion I came to is if we do not discover our compassions then we are missing the many opportunities that God has given us to bless others with our compassions and gifts.

Thank You! From Pregnancy Care Center

Pastor Lane & LifePoint Church Family,

Thank you for your recent investment of time to work at our new Primrose property. The response was amazing! The cleaning work you did is invaluable and prepared us for the big move. Pregnancy Care Center stands because of the dedication of our volunteers and the support of this community.

Because of your hard work, Pregnancy Care Center will be able to meet the needs of more young women and families in the community. May you be richly blessed for the blessing you have been to the clients of PCC.

Sincerely,
Cindi Boston
Executive Director

P.S. Our ribbon cutting ceremony with the chamber of commerce is scheduled for October 17, from 11 AM to 2 PM. Please be sure to mark your calendars for this exciting event.

A Life Saved at Pregnancy Care Center’s New Primrose Facility

LifePoint received this update from the Pregnancy Care Center this week:

As the apostle Paul began his letters in thanksgiving, I want to thank you for your unwavering faithfulness to God’s work at Pregnancy Care Center in Springfield and Aurora. You have made it possible to purchase the Primrose property, and you have invested in the long-term impact on lives, eternity, and our community as a whole.

As God knits us together in the womb, he also orders the steps of young women to our center. Before we opened our doors to this new facility, we saw a young Christian student. In the midst of her crisis, she wanted to terminate her pregnancy. The giver of life had different plans. She has chosen life for her baby and is not on a course in harmony with her faith.

Thank you to all who faithfully help us in the mission of the Center. We are still getting settled in to our new offices and seeing many clients who enjoy their new surroundings.

In his service,
Cindi Boston
Executive Director

LifePoint partners with Pregnancy Care Center and will be participating in PCC’s Walk for Life on Saturday, October 4, at 10 AM, in Jordan Valley Park.

10 Ways to Serve Your Neighbors This Summer

You know it’s summer when LifePoint gets in a tizzy about serving. As a church this month, we’re collecting food, giving blood, and serving the city of Ozark, but the serving doesn’t have to stop there. With a little creativity, we can all serve our neighbors this summer, and here are ten ways you can start:

1. Babysit your neighbors’ kids
2. Mow your neighbors’ yards
3. Offer to check your neighbors’ houses (feed pets, water plants, get mail, etc.) while they’re on vacation
4. Visit with elderly or home bound neighbors
5. Support your neighbors’ garage sales by stopping by, browsing, and maybe buying something
6. Share flowers and vegetables from your garden with your neighbors
7. Bring housewarming gifts (baked goods, plants, etc.) to neighbors who’ve just moved in
8. Invite your neighbors over for dinner
9. Volunteer at your neighborhood’s polling place
10. Sponsor a neighborhood fireworks party

For me, it’s easier to start a conversation and build a relationship when I have something in my hands or have something to do, which is why many of the items on the list above involve a gift or an activity. Did I miss anything? What are you doing to serve your neighbors this summer?

Humility Prepares LifePointers for July Servant Emphasis

Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog?” True enough, sometimes smaller is better, but I was still reluctant to pick up C.J. Mahaney‘s book Humility: True Greatness, June’s book of the month. Maybe I have an aversion to the pint-sized Michael W. Smith books I read when I was a teenager. Maybe I have a superiority complex about the size of the books I read. Who knows.

In his book, Mahaney discusses what it means to be truly great. In our world, greatness is often defined by business savvy and athletic skills, but when God looks for greatness, he looks for humble hearts. In the first two sections, Mahaney defines pride and explains God’s opposition to it, and he redefines humility using Christ’s example. Much of what he said was old hat to me, but one thing resonated: Pride is our greatest enemy. Humility is our greatest friend.

Mahaney uses the third section to encourage us to practice humility in our lives by identifying evidences of grace, encouraging others, inviting and pursuing correction, and responding humbly to trials. He also stocks one chapter full of ways he strives to practice humility every day. This one caught me by surprise: Before going to sleep, receive the gift of sleep from God and acknowledge his purpose for sleep. Sleep is a reminder to us that we need to be refreshed every day, that we are not the independent, autonomous creatures we like to think we are, and that for our lives to be sustained we must rely on God.

Chris Bryant’s sermon this Sunday and LifePoint’s July servant emphasis bookend Humility perfectly. CB spoke of getting to know God, and many of the love languages we can use to know God can also be used to practice humility. Acts of service is one of those love languages, and that’s our focus as a church next month. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Humility yet, it’s not too late. Good things come in small packages indeed.

Whom Do You Serve?

by Donovan Dobbs

Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” —Matthew 25: 34–40

God has really been challenging me with this verse for about three months. It all began in the fall issue of Leadership Journal (published by Christianity Today). The entire issue was on churches and ministries that are reaching the “least of these.” These churches were not serving the people as a “people group” to be reached nor as “souls to be saved” but as people created by God who needed to be ministered to for no other reason than serving Christ. The articles were filled with just ministries. No programs. No how to make your church grow. No fluff but only serving Christ!

Am I any different than any other group helping others this time of year? During the “holidays” many groups are helping the less fortunate or those in need. Everyone from bikers to the local schools. Even my community group helped a lady named Barbie with Thanksgiving dinner. There is nothing wrong with helping someone this time of year. However, the question that keeps coming to mind is “How am I serving the rest of the year?” Do I help or serve those in need January through October? Do I make the sacrifices that I so easily make during this time of year? Am I willing to buy someone shorts for the summer when I bought them a coat at winter? How would you answer these questions?

So do we just keep on doing what were doing or do we allow Christ to change us? Christ does call us to serve for the sake of serving (Matt. 6:1–4). When we serve people for his sake, we will be blessed (Luke 14:12–14). After the hype and good cheer of Christmas are gone, let us be different from the world. In January, let’s bring warmth to someone. In February, share Christ’s heart with someone. In March, let your actions thaw a person’s heart that is cold because of this cynical wold. In April, spring to action by planting flowers in someone’s yard. In May, as the sun stays out longer buy shorts for a family. In June, teach a kid to swim. In July, celebrate your independence from sin by sharing Christ over a hot dog. In August, work on providing school supplies to those in need. In September, help those in need prepare for the coming winter. In October, scare away depression by spending time with someone simply because they are there.

Even after the holidays are over and we slip into the new year, keep your heart open to serving those around you all year long.

Five Thousand Pounds of Potatoes

Editor’s Note: Victory Mission will need volunteers on Saturday, 15 December, from 8–11 AM to deliver Christmas meals to Springfield residents. Stay tuned to E.notes for more details (and be cleaning out your trunk) in the meantime!

by Heather Myer

On an otherwise uneventful Saturday morning, 17 of Life Point’s young adults gathered together in the heart of Springfield. Abandoning much-desired sleep, we shook off drowsiness and bypassed a lazy morning to serve our community. We arrived in carpools from Ozark, Nixa, and the far corners of Springfield for two purposes: to eat chocolate muffins and help with the Victory Mission’s Thanksgiving Drive. VM assists families who have come across difficult times and eases their burden by providing groceries necessary for a holiday feast. We loaded delivery vehicles with food items. FedEx joined families and friends to go on quests through side streets in order to greet families and hand deliver meals. Five hundred families and over 1,500 individuals were blessed by Victory Missions.

We quickly learned that in order to make an impact for our community, we must first serve each other. Traffic cones provided by Matt and Stephen and hand signals by Sarah, clad in a bright orange sweater, directed cars forward. Town Criers such as Amy Hill were necessary to guide Kit, Jeff, and Dallas as they carried large turkeys. Andrea shook open brown paper bags for Heather G. to fill with cartons of eggs. Colby tore open bundles of potatoes for Jon. Courtney and Lyndsey encouraged others with good cheer as they manned the grocery sack pallet. Alison and Kylie told others what was needed to complete orders as they dashed between Fords and Nissans, arms filled with turkey loaves and eggs. Our labor knew no boundaries to height. A petite Katie handed a rather tall Heather M. a low-lying bag of groceries before grabbing one of her own. A moment later, Heather helped Katie hoist her bag in the bed of a large pick-up.

Within a 3 hour time span, our toil was completed. Through a collective group effort we lifted 5,000 lbs of potatoes, carried 6,000 eggs, tossed over 5,000 lbs of turkey, and handed over 500 sacks of dry goods. Our weight-bearing exercises have brought a new meaning to “community.” Several lessons were learned by our labors:

1. Assembly lines work great for playing pass-the-turkey and re-boxing eggs.
2. It is never fun to be too late for the action. If trunk has already been filled, you don’t want to be the one returning a 50 lbs bundle of potatoes to a pallet.
3. Don’t be fooled by appearances. Some large SUVs were only able to take 3 meals. Several 2 door cars held up to 9 meals!
4. It is necessary to start a chilly morning with hot chocolate and a prayer of thanksgiving to our Lord.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. —Ephesians 6:7–8

Too Busy to Serve?

If you’ve ever had a to-do list show up on your refrigerator, you probably thought one of two things: “I wonder how my spouse/parent/roommate lost his/her to-do list and how it ended up on the refrigerator?” (This is what you thought if you were unwittingly on the verge of apartment hunting) or “I’d better chose one of these to work on before someone chooses for me.”

Last weekend, our church published its servant guide again. It’s a brief document that outlines all the fun ways to get involved with the church, like explaining the book of Job to college students or cleaning Saran Wrap and lip gloss off your car. The servant guide is a little subtler, while I am a little more honest. I’m on church service like ants on Pixie Stix (I’m also on Pixie Stix like ants on Pixie Stix). Teaching? Sounds fun! Leading a community group? I’ll help! Writing and recording? I’ll try it! In fact, I’m the worst at overextending myself. But this isn’t about me – it’s about you.

People are busy. At least, American people are. If I ask you what your daily commute to work is and you say “15 or 30 minutes,” you’re probably not that busy. If you say “21 minutes with lights, traffic, cops, and God willing,” you’re a busy person. Most people I know fall into the latter category. And in such a busy culture, a church that actually prints a guide for committing time to service must have some big brass bells in its steeple.

I’ve struggled with the amount of time I give in service to my church, and here’s what I’ve decided. If I don’t want to do it, I’m not going to do it. If I sign up to wrangle preteens for 3 hours a week and I hate it (which I don’t, but we’re speaking hypothetically here), what I’m really doing is contributing to hypocrisy in the church. I’m really building a Kingdom of Kit, not a Kingdom of Heaven. I’m really wasting my time. I think of Jesus saying “Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and still looks back isn’t fit for service in God’s Kingdom.” (Luke 9:62)

But if I agree to teach VBS for four straight nights and I find joy in that, even though I have to inhale dinner and essentially work 12-hour days for 8-hour pay, then I feel like the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. I have a picture from VBS by my work computer right now: Five students, one teacher, and me. In the picture, I’m tired, I’m soaking wet from a water fight, and I’m happy. My life is meaningful in that picture.

If you’re thinking about serving at you’re church, whether that church is LifePoint or First Methodist Kalamazoo, I encourage you to check out Lane’s sermon from August 26 on LifePoint’s website. Consider the cost, consider the value, and act accordingly.

–Kit