A Point to Ponder from Pastor Jim Moss

            I’ve been encouraging people to grow in their relationship with God for twenty-five years now.  In that time I’ve come to the conclusion that the biggest obstacle to continued growth is not a lack of information, but a lack of trust.  Let me explain.

            I recently had a conversation with a young kid I’ve been working on for a while now.  He’s been attending church for some time.  He knows what the faith is all about.  He knows that he needs God in his life.  He wants to be a Christian…but he’s scared.  What’s he scared of?  He’s afraid that his friends won’t understand.  He’s afraid that he might be doomed to a life of poverty.  He’s afraid that God might ask him to do something that he doesn’t want to do.  In short, he’s afraid that if he were to surrender his life to God he would have to give up on all his dreams of the good life.  No more parties, no more exotic vacations, no more sports car, no more condo at the beach, no more fun of any kind.  At least, that’s what he thinks will happen.

            It’s pretty easy to tell what’s running through his mind just from listening to the excuses he gives me.  “I don’t have time to take that class right now.”  That’s what he tells me.  Then as we talk about the things he’s involved in, he’ll mention nights out with his friends and get-togethers to watch football and it’s clear that he has the time to attend a Bible study, he just doesn’t want to make the time.

            This fear I am describing is a common one.  There are a lot of spiritual seekers or ‘wanna-be’ Christians who recognize the value of a relationship with God, but they are reluctant to trust him with their lives because they’re afraid they’ll miss out on the joy of living.

            It makes me wonder, “Do these people even know what God is like?”  The God I read about in the scriptures is a good God.  He is a God who wants to bless his people.  He wants to make it possible for his followers to experience life abundantly, to experience life in all of its fullness.  That means he wants us to have a good time, to enjoy deep meaningful friendships, to have a healthy, satisfying marriage, to find fulfillment at work, to contribute to the greater good by serving others.  In other words, he wants us to enjoy the good life.

            For most of the people I’ve been describing it comes down to a matter of trust.  The reason they hold back is because they’re not convinced that God will bring all these good things into their life.  They know that their life isn’t perfect, but they don’t want it to get any worse.  So they hesitate.

            In the Bible David is described as “a man after God’s own heart.”  I think one of the reasons why he was given that title is because he had an unwavering trust in God.  Just let these words penned by his own hand soak into your spirit.  David says, “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.”  “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.”  “In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.”  “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!  For my soul trusts in You.”  “I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”  David had reached the point where he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God could be trusted.  He had complete faith in him.  He sought out God’s counsel and he followed his advice.  And David certainly lived a full and exciting life.  And, oh, by the way, did I mention that he became the king?

            You may not become a king or a queen if you place your trust in God, but you will certainly have a joyful life, an exciting life, a life worth living…

Upcoming Events …

Just a note about the weather forecasts…we do not cancel services or activities based solely on a forecast.  Sometimes the weather men get it wrong.  One of the primary purposes of this church is to worship and glorify God, and we want to do everything we can to give people the opportunity to worship if it is at all possible.  However, if the weather man gets it right and we do need to cancel an activity or event we will communicate this to you in several ways.  We will send an e-mail to be distributed to the entire mailing list.  We will make phone calls to everyone on our list.  And we will post our cancellation notice on the ABC 27 Snow Watch.
This is the third Sunday of our Spring Spiritual Campaign called “The One Month to Live 30 Day Church Challenge.  Be sure to join one of our small groups on Sunday morning, or on Monday and Thursday evenings.  

Also, we would like to hear your stories from this “One Month to Live Challenge.”  If you have an experience that proves to be a valuable learning experience for you, please call us in the office or write it down so we can share it with others.

The next Women’s Ministry meeting will be held on Monday evening at 7:00 pm in the fellowship hall.

The March Sunseters meeting will be on Tuesday, March 16th at 10:00 am in the fellowship hall.

We can use your help during our Spring Cleaning days on March 20th and 27th.  We will be working between 9:30 am and 2:00 pm.  You can show up any time during those hours to help.  Lunch will be provided for those who can to work.

On March 21st the youth will be going to Twin Ponds West for an afternoon of ice skating.  Please meet in the church parking lot by 1:30 pm.

Don’t forget about our Palm Sunday Celebration.  Join us for a carry-in luncheon in the fellowship hall.  There will be an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids following lunch for kids up to fifth grade.
Financial contributions can be made toward the purchase of new sound-dampening dividers for the fellowship hall.  Please note on the offering envelopes or the memo line of the check that the money is for “Classroom dividers.”

You may have heard about the Bible Study on Monday nights at Mike & Pam Shradley’s house beginning at 6:30 pm.  Things have gone so well the group will now be meeting each Monday evening.  If you’re looking for a small group experience be sure to check it out!

We are attempting to grow our building fund.  You can make a contribution without ever writing a check by volunteering to work at Hershey Park.  Your wages will be paid to the church and on most days you will receive free passes to the park.  To schedule a time to work please contact Dottie Clark at 774-2051.

You may have noticed in the pews some new Building Fund envelopes.  If you would like to make a donation you can use those envelopes and place them in the offering plate with your regular gifts.