It's Wednesday - which means I am finishing up this week's bulletin, the bulletin insert, and the Mini-News Brief for this week as well... All are crucial ways to communicate as a church family.
But I'm a little "informationed-out"...

Middle School kids have their first face-to-face class this week with Mr. Barry at the helm... High schoolers are STRONGLY encouraged to enter into the experience of worship - seeing it as a part of their overall development in discipleship.

Also - I am a bit challenged technically - so I would ask that you connect with Mrs. Allen to get a better idea how to write comments about our Online Discipleship Classes....

More later.... pax......

Today is a BIG day!!!!! I have emailed the first online lesson to the kids and parents at CCC. We will only be as good as the extent to which everyone gets involved...

The first lesson deals with developing character through victory and defeat - looking at the life of the disciple Peter. Peter is great because he is so genuine and honest...

If you'd like a copy of the lesson material, contact me and I will see that you are added to the list.

More later....

The second picture on this blog site is from Athens, Greece. Deborah and I were there a few years ago and enjoyed it immensely! In the picture I am standing on Mars Hill (Acts 17) the site of the Aereapogas - a gathering point for philosophers and others who discussed and debated ideas. This is the place where Paul spoke about the Grecian statue to "the Unknown God" and used it as an opportunity to speak of the reality of Christ. The Acropolis, the epitome of Greek cultural and political power, is immediately in the background. Could there have been any more poignant place for Paul to have said what he did? What's amazing is that Mars Hill is not designated on any of the tourist maps in Athens. It's displayed as an elevated area on the maps. But the plaques make it very clear what this hill is and what it represents. In the picture, my Bible is opened to Acts 17. I found this to be one of the most moving personal experiences of our trip.

The picture of the flowers is from the front steps of Chiltonville Cong'l Church. They seeded themselves from the flower pots on the steps and came up this past Spring. It was amazing to see the flowers come up - working against such incredible odds - the weather, the pavement, the tiny crack between the steps and the ground.

THOUGHT: So much of what we do in ministry is so much "seed-planting". Our task is to plant the seeds (as in the parable of the Sower), but it is God's job to cause those seeds to grow. But it all requires faithfulness on OUR part in the planting of seed.

It's hard... Often we plant seeds and they seem to do nothing - for a long, long time. It's hard to be faithful when we have nothing to show for our efforts. All-the-same --- there is ALWAYS more going on than what we can see. God is working in ways greater than we can imagine or know - working his will and way in the world...

As our new church year begins this month, let's take heart, do our part, and trust God to bring the growth that will result in the fruit that He desires (see John 15:1-8)...

faithfully forward -- ><> Pastor Bill Fillebrown