A GraceKids Update

“The God of angel armies is always by my side…”

What a joy it was to hear our GraceKids singing with their whole heart during the Christmas program this past week. This program is such an important piece of our advent season, providing a sweet testament to the work God is doing in our youngest churchgoers.

This Sunday caps off a successful fall for GraceKids in Sunday school and this Wednesday, December 18, is the last night for our Awana clubs. It takes many dedicated volunteers to help things run smoothly. Our volunteers spend hours preparing, teaching, and leading our children and I am so grateful for the time each one invests in this important Kingdom work.

If you are the parent or grandparent of a GraceKid, would you let their teachers know how much you appreciate them?

Our goal in GraceKids is to raise up children to love God, love people, and lead others to do the same. I want to share with you some of the other ways that we are working towards that goal.

Kid’s worship team – This team consists of 4th- 6th graders that lead our younger children during Sunday school in music and motion that is engaging and meaningful. The kids on the worship team commit extra time to learning and practicing music and learning how to lead worship.

Kid’s worship with the congregation – Each month we have kids from 3 years old through 6th grade join us in the worship center to participate in corporate worship through song. We are joyfully committed to intergenerational worship that spans the ages and hope that you are blessed by the kids on these mornings.

Route 56 – Kids in Route 56 have the opportunity to gain leadership skills and put faith into action by exploring service opportunities throughout the church. They work under the direction of a variety of servant leaders in our church. You may see them in their Route 56 t-shirts each Sunday serving coffee, ushering, greeting, or running tech equipment.

Coming soon, there will be an opportunity for our 7th and 8th graders to join in a leadership program like Route 56 called I-78. Would you join us in praying that God will raise up volunteers to help these leaders grow?

5/6 Fellowship – New this year, this is intentional time to help our 5th and 6th graders develop Godly friendships through devotionals and fun, team-building activities.

It has been exciting to see our youngest kids stepping into leadership roles and discovering their God-given gifts.

Please join us in praying that all of our GraceKids will learn who they are in Christ as they grow and then boldly share their faith throughout their lives.

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Join us this next Sunday for the 3rd week of Advent as Pastor Steve helps us explore the mystery of the Incarnation.

-Casey Teater

Uncomfortable Christmas

I bombed my intro!

Being a new missionary still in language school and trying to be culturally relevant with my first Christmas talk in Japanese at a church Christmas outreach event, I began with a comment about the month of December being an unusually busy one.

I had done some research for my talk and gleaned an expression from my Japanese dictionary that said December was a “Teachers Run” month. Picture an oriental sage, normally composed and dignified, picking up his robes and scurrying about due to the increased social obligations of the season.

Without consulting anyone beforehand, I attempted to use the expression in the introduction of my talk and only got blank stares. Puzzled, I didn’t understand until afterwards, when someone graciously clued me in. I learned that I had botched the pronunciation of “Teachers Run,” and that no one had known what I was referring to!

This humbling moment only added to my stress and reinforced the realization that I was out of my comfort zone!

As I remembered this incident and the emotions of shame that went along with it, it occurs to me now that Christmas and discomfort are actually pretty good friends!

My missionary parents arrived in Japan with my older sister and me in March of 1951. Our family’s first Christmas in our new country that year came with the huge crisis of my younger brother’s death two hours after birth on December 16, followed by a subsequent raging infection that almost cost my mother her life and kept her in the hospital over Christmas.

Fast-forwarding to the present, my father-in-law will be spending his first Christmas away from his familiar and comfortable surroundings, ensconced in his nursing home room, unable to walk and struggling under the humbling process of recovery from an accidental fall.

Christmas can be a hard season for us, depending on what challenges we find swirling around us.

Perhaps you are being pushed outside of your comfort zone this Christmas. Whether it’s financial, physical, relational, or emotional distress, the season seems to specialize in highlighting our inadequacies and humbling us into realizing how desperately we need Jesus!

I am so grateful that He understands the duress of our journey.

For Jesus, Christmas meant an unbelievably lowly entry into our world as a helpless infant, born miles from home to a woman under stress and laid in a feeding trough, surrounded by the smells and sounds of nearby animals. I love that Jesus took on our humanity so that he could bear our sins and griefs and lead us to true life with God our Father.

Willingly stepping way outside his comfort zone, Jesus came to draw us into the comforting embrace of a secure and loving attachment with the God who made us to know and experience his love in the middle of our pain!

Whatever the source of our discomfort this season, Christmas means that Jesus loves and holds us, shares his heart, and makes his home in the messes of our distresses. He’ll do so until the day he calls us home to the true and eternal comfort zone of the universe—his very own house!

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday when Dave Reimer will be pinch-hitting for Pastor Jack (on a tour to Israel), and our Sunday School and nursery children will be blessing us with some special Christmas music.

Pastor Steve

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

O God of gods and Lord of lords,

Thank you for who you are:

for your perfect love which casts out fear;
for your goodness which gives me confidence;
for your never-changing character which gives me peace;
for your justice which gives me hope;
for your holiness which stirs my heart to praise;
for your omnipresence which gives me comfort;
for your unending grace which humbles me.

Thank you for what you have done:

for crafting creation to sing the beauty of your glory;
for opening my eyes to the truth of my need for you;
for making a way for my sinful soul to be reconciled to you;
for giving me victory over the sting of death;
for humbling yourself to dwell with me;
for giving me the local church where I can be motivated, encouraged, united, and equipped;
for sending me out into the world to be salt & light and to make disciples.

May thanksgiving and praise be ever in my heart and on my lips:

when I sit in my house and when I walk by the way;
when I lie down and when I rise;
when I feel near to your heart and when I feel distant;
when peace comes naturally and when peace is a struggle;
when I am walking on the mountaintop and when I am walking in the valley of the shadow of death;
when I am standing on the rock and when I am in the miry bog;
when your love for me is obvious and when I am caught in despair.

You are good and your steadfast love endures forever.

To you be the glory and honor forever and ever,

Amen.

Choosing Gratitude

Thanksgiving is next week! Or maybe it’s more like, Thanksgiving is next week. Either way, the holiday season is upon us.

Can I ask where you are at in your excitement and readiness to celebrate?

Anne and I have felt the waves of stress and the waves of excitement sweep over us as we prepare to enter into times with family, eating delicious food, and giving thanks. 

Our desire has been to be more intentional with the holidays. We have had discussion after discussion on what is really important during this time and how we can slow down and not let the holidays go by in a blur of busyness and chaos.

Historically this time of year has revealed that we often seem like we are just surviving, and when I feel like I’m just trying to survive, I whine. Yet, I know the truth is that these holidays offer a unique opportunity to worship. 

So Thanksgiving is next week, and I’ve been working on choosing gratitude.

Giving thanks doesn’t seem to be encouraged by the pace and cultural focus of the holiday season. I mean, the department stores move straight from Halloween to Christmas. But cultivating gratitude could arguably be one of the most important activities to engage in, not only for physical and emotional health but especially in our walk with God.

Check out what 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says:

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

As you may have guessed, God’s will is a big deal, and for the Scriptures to tie His will to our gratitude is insightful and inspiring.

It seems like every year when November hits and Thanksgiving celebrations are near I’m reminded that I have much to be thankful for and I also realize I can be one big whiner. While there is much to give thanks for I can get wrapped up in complaining. The grumbling and ungratefulness doesn’t always voice itself audibly but it is very loud in my heart.

All too often giving thanks is short circuited; I don’t spend the time needed in order to really let gratitude refresh my own soul. 

This Thanksgiving I’m choosing to focus on the “in Christ Jesus for you” part of that verse.

What do I have “in Christ Jesus?”

In short, undeserved grace in the face of undeniable guilt.

I’m soaking in that undeserved grace, and then add in the many good gifts which God has given, and I find smiling comes a little quicker, and that my soul is being refreshed. 

So as you celebrate next week may you “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Grace and peace,
Pastor Loren

PS. As I’ve been making my own preparations to be grateful this holiday season I’ve ran across some helpful resources.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s book “Choosing Gratitude” has given me a greater appreciation for pursuing the choice of giving thanks, and the significance that true gratitude is wrapped up in the heart of God. She does a great job of highlighting the spiritual significance of giving thanks.

I also ran across some online scientific articles that have helped me connect the dots on gratitude and the design of our physical bodies and emotional health. Our ability to cultivate and grow in gratitude plays a key role in our mental health which influences much of our lives.

Here are some links for your own study into the science of gratitude. 

(Disclaimer: Please keep in mind these online posts are written from a scientific perspective; they are not written from a solely biblical perspective. As Christians who hold a high view of Scripture we understand that gratitude has its roots in the heart of God, so the science of gratitude will only take you so far. But it is wonderful to see that God’s heart and design can be seen, studied, and celebrated from a scientific perspective. Ultimate and true gratitude is experienced as we find our deepest expressions of thankfulness directed toward who God is and what Christ has done.)

And could this be the happiest woman on the planet? 

What are we doing with our influence?

I’ve been reading through John’s Gospel the last couple weeks, and I wanted to share something that I absolutely love.

John the Baptist was somewhat of a celebrity. News about him spread, and people traveled to see him. He gained followers and the scripture tells us that he had disciples. But when it came down to it, John used His influence to point people to Jesus.

In John 1:35-37 we get a quick glimpse of what it’s like to use our influence to help people follow Jesus:

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

I wonder how John felt when his disciples immediately left him to follow Jesus?

If I put myself in his shoes I can feel my flesh react. “Don’t leave me! Don’t you want to follow me?!”

I wonder how long John’s disciples were with him? Did John wrestle with his emotions at how quickly his disciples left him to follow Jesus? Was there any feeling of betrayal or loss or jealousy? These are things my flesh thinks about.

However, when I read these verses my soul rejoices!

I’m inspired at John’s example of humility and His understanding of his own role! He didn’t hold onto his followers, but as soon as he had the chance he pointed his disciples to the one worth following!

I see the role of worship leader in a similar light. I don’t want people to follow me. I don’t want people to praise the worship team. I want people to behold the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, our glorious Savior Jesus Christ! I rejoice when I see the church beholding Jesus as we worship through song, it’s one of the greatest experiences in life!

All of us have our circles of influence where we can lead others to follow Jesus. So what are we doing with that influence?

Am I trying to get people to follow Kyle, or am I leading others to follow Jesus? Are you trying to get your own followers, or are you leading people to follow Jesus?

Don’t underestimate your influence and how God can use you to lead others to follow Jesus!

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My RightNow Media pick of the month is a sermon series from Matt Chandler that can supplement what we’ve been learning on Sunday mornings about the gifts of the Spirit.

Looking forward to Sunday!

- Pastor Kyle

"All-In"

"All-In"

Have you been noticing those words popping up at church more? We sure hope so!

As a staff we've been working hard toward advanced planning, as well as creating a rhythm of ministry from year to year—a pattern of larger ministry efforts that the church can count on, look forward to, and plan to participate in.

We affectionately call all-ins our "big rocks".

All-ins are designed to be intentional church-wide initiatives that align with our mission to love God, love people and lead others to do the same.

Here’s a look at the rhythm for all-ins as it stands now:

• January: a focus on spiritual disciplines called “Habits of Grace”

• Summer: a focus on reaching our neighbors with the Gospel through Summer Quest

• Fall: a Fall Family Focus, alternating between a marriage emphasis one year and a parenting emphasis the next

As we grow and develop a rhythm that works well we'll also include other events like the Community Thanksgiving, First Responders Appreciation, or church-wide service days.

"All-in" really describes both how we approach these events and how we want you, the church body, to think of them.

Our desire is that these events will help to unify our body as we learn and serve together. We are one body and we need each other to grow well and minister effectively! We hope you will begin to look forward to all-in events with anticipation and a heart to join us in what God is doing here at Grace.

So when you hear "all-in" the next time, perk up your ears! Think about how you can join in, whether that be by attending, participating, or volunteering in some way. Let's look forward to seeking and serving the Lord together.

Our next all-in is coming January 2019! For this year’s Habits of Grace, we'll place a month-long emphasis on evangelism and discipleship. This includes not only a sermon series throughout the month, but also meaningful testimonies, weekly suggested activities to help you grow in your ability to make disciples in the home and beyond, access to valuable resources for all ages, and more.

Be looking for ways you can be a part of this important all-in event, and please be praying that God will equip our church to "be the church" in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools.

Juli Dirks
Executive Director of Ministries

Father, Lord, and Friend

About 5 or 6 times I wanted to close my tablet and walk off the stage. I felt as if I were just reading words off a page, emotionally discouraged and wanting to quit.

“God, how can this be real? I know you’ve called me to preach...”

This isn’t a recollection from years ago... I’ve just described what happened a couple of months ago.

The first service went really well, and I was able to preach with an open and clear heart. We had “amens” from the congregation and people walked up to me to share that God had spoken through the passage. What a blessing from God.

But the next service was the opposite. I bounced around in my notes and had a hard time knowing what I was supposed to say next. I lost my place and skipped a page. My countenance had “fallen,” and I was ready to just go home. A lady even came up to me after the second service to say she was worried, and that I seemed off.

I’m not sharing this for pity, or to scare you, or to turn preaching into a man-centered task for attention. I’m sharing this to be open and honest. I love you all and want to share my life with you... not just a fake presentation of what I wish were true.

Preaching is my heart’s desire, my calling, and my vocation. I know you have callings and vocations that are important to you, and that’s our connection.

Have you ever been discouraged from how life was going, upset at your failure or bad performance?

That is a weakness in my flesh. I find myself tempted to find value in what I do and how good or bad I do it. And, even though I don’t want to voice it, my greatest insecurities surround my abilities to preach and make disciples. (Could a lead pastor have a more inconvenient weakness?!) 

Yet, God is so close to me in those moments. After I went home that afternoon and went to Him in prayer, He graciously reminded me of the truth: “It’s not about you; it’s not about you; it’s not about you. Your identity is not found in your performance or perception.”

He used my recent reading in Colossians to affirm these truths. My identity is in Christ... not my abilities or failures. What I do matters; but it doesn’t determine my relationship with Him.

He’s the Father I always needed. The Lord I could never deserve. The Friend who comforts and empowers me to believe and pursue the truth.

He speaks to me through His Word, and He speaks to my heart without words (Romans 8:26). He’s even humorous sometimes... I think it’s because He knows how much I enjoy laughter. 

This Sunday we will continue our study in 1 Corinthians 12. God designed us to work together, and I pray that He fills our hearts with joy as we receive His Word.

I love you, Grace.
Pastor Jack

Seeing the Full Picture

I came home after a busy day with dinner preparations on my mind. Instead, I walked into my kitchen in a state of upheaval.

We had purchased a new faucet to replace a leaky one that was past its prime. In the busyness of our days there just hadn’t been time to get it installed. My husband, Troy, had decided that he would make time to get it done. He had gotten about halfway done and had to leave for soccer practice. 

I love predictability and when my schedule changes, I have a hard time adjusting. This is definitely an area of much needed growth for me. 

Needless to say that when I saw my kitchen in a mess, I did not react well. With a terrible attitude I went to work making a meal, the trips to my bathroom faucet to fill a pan with water and wash my hands only made it worse! 

After Troy returned home, he quickly ate his meal and went back to work on the faucet. He did not finish until 11:00 pm that night. What I didn’t know was that he had come home earlier that afternoon hoping to install this faucet and had planned to surprise me when I had gotten home. 

Obviously things hadn’t gone as planned. 

What a humbling experience to have my heart called into question! 

During the situation I could only see how this was affecting me and it clouded my ability to see the full picture. God is good at lovingly convicting me just when I need it. 

This verse has been running through my mind from Colossians 3:12-14:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” 

I am so thankful for God’s grace in the times I fail to react with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. I desperately need it every day. If you take a step back, can you see a situation where God is offering His grace by opening your eyes to your own short-sightedness?

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Join us this Sunday as we continue on in the FAQ sermon series; we will be taking another look at prophecy—this time at how prophecy looked in the time of the apostles.

Casey Teater
Children’s Ministry Director

Elder Connection: A Letter From Our Elders (October 2019)

[Editor’s Note: This is a special-edition Staff Journal written by David Landis, one of our Governing Elders. This letter from David is the third in a series of quarterly updates from the elders as a way to create an open line of communication from the hearts and minds of the elders to you, the church.]

Greetings Grace Community!

On behalf of the elders, I am excited to write and update you concerning the happenings at Grace Community Church. It is rewarding to be a part of an elder board that is comprised of men who love the gospel, God’s truth, and our church!

I’d like to share a few highlights of what has recently happened or is upcoming at Grace:

• Our annual baptism celebration was held July 21 at the Newton Pool. Praise the Lord that nineteen people were baptized that night!

• The annual FEC Conference took place July 25–27 in Peoria, Illinois. Dave and Marilyn Reimer, Gene and Miriam Pankratz, Pastor Jack and family, Pastor Kyle and family, and Pastor Steve and Bobbie Friesen were able to attend. 

• The Marriage Conference with Bruce and Julie Boyd will be held Saturday, October 19 from 8:15am to 12:30pm in the Worship Center. Please make plans to attend if you can!

• Our Amigo 21 team is taking shape and will be in Reynosa, Mexico from Feb. 29– Mar. 7, 2020. Please see Pastor Steve if you are interested.

As someone who has spent his career in education, I am happy that our pastors are “lifelong learners” and are taking steps to continue their education in ways that will bless our church. Many of you may not know that Pastor Kyle is pursuing a certificate of theology, a 27-hour program recognized by the FEC. Kyle has completed three classes and is currently enrolled in his fourth, Apologetics and Ethics, through Denver Seminary. 

In addition, the elders are excited that Pastor Jack and Courtney will be able to travel to Israel on a Holy Lands tour with a group called Imagine Tours. They will be traveling with a group of pastors and their spouses from around the country from December 3–13, 2019. Please pray for Jack and Courtney that this will be a faith-building experience that bears fruit in their lives and in their ministry to Grace.

As our congregation knows, Pastor Steve Friesen will be retiring in about a year (August 2020). Pastor Steve has faithfully served Grace Community Church for 22 years and, in many ways, cannot be replaced. His unique giftings of communication, teaching, creativity, counseling, and passion for missions will be missed by all of us. The church is currently putting together a job description for a new Pastor of Counseling and Care that will post soon. The hope is that the new pastor will start July 2020, giving a chance for him to work and communicate with Steve for a month before Steve officially retires.

Finally, I wanted to remind you that Grace is part of a group of churches that support church planting called Synergy Kansas. Synergy Kansas has been meeting with a church planting candidate named Caleb Barrows who currently resides in Sterling. I have met Caleb and heard him preach and he is “the real deal” as a believer and brother in Christ. Please pray for God’s direction for Caleb and whatever part Grace Community Church will play in supporting this new church plant. 

David Landis

Transition----!!

Do you remember the song?

“Tradition----!!”

Just hearing the word awakens in me the musical memory of the 1971 movie version of the Broadway hit, “Fiddler on the Roof,” where Jewish dairyman and father of five eligible daughters, Tevye, belts out his one word answer to the question, “How do you hang on to your balance in a shaky world?” Tevye backs up his answer with the observation, “Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof!”

I’ve been thinking (and singing) that theme song word a lot these days, but making my own edit to reflect where I am in my journey. The word I’m singing and substituting for “Tradition!” is “Transition----!!” and I’m singing it to myself like Tevye did in the movie.

We’re wired to want stability and anchors in our lives because, as Tevye puts it, traditions help us know who we are and what God expects us to do. For him and his family that included things like how to sleep, how to eat, how to work, what to wear, who to marry, and how to worship.

I have enjoyed the incredible blessing of being part of this church family as a member of the pastoral team for the past 22 years, and I have been blessed by Jesus with the privilege of loving, learning, growing, serving and processing life and life-giving “traditions” together with you all. But, as I announced on Sunday, September 22, my heart has been stirred by God to release my responsibilities and retire from my present capacity as Pastor of Counseling and Discipleship by the end of August next year.

What happens next?

We have recently started the process of looking for another pastor whom, God-willing, we will hire to replace me and call Pastor of Counseling and Care. Our target start date for him is currently July 1, 2020. During the next ten months of transition, I am looking forward to seeing how the Lord directs in our search process. Thank you so much for yours prayers for this!

The most frequently asked question I get is “What do you plan to do after you retire?”

My simple answer is, “Keep following Jesus!”

I honestly don’t know any specifics. We don’t intend to move, though I understand the wisdom of a few months of overlap with the new pastor (July and August), and then a period of giving him space to connect and build his ministry.

When I was praying about what to focus on next, five words came to mind that form the acronym “WAGES.” Whatever else the Lord has for me, I’m sensing a deep desire to spend some extended time with my WIFE, our AGING PARENTS (we are the sole care-givers for Bobbie’s father, Al Platt, 92; my mother, Millie Friesen, is 94), GRANDKIDS (we have six, and half of them live far away), EXTENDED FAMILY, and SIBLINGS.

In the meantime, I am very excited to see how the Lord is working among us as a church family with so many ministry opportunities locally, domestically, and globally.

Our Amigo 21 Adult and Family Mexico Mission Trip (Feb 29-Mar 7, 2020) team is forming as we speak (with a registration deadline of October 27), and I’m looking forward to leading this trip to serve at Children’s Haven International’s children’s home in Reynosa. This adventure has been such a strong “Tradition!” at Grace, but it will be my last trip to lead. “Transition!”

I am so thankful that as Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Always there in the transitions of our lives, calling our names and shepherding us closer to his heart.

I’m resting in the comfort that the Good Shepherd knows where to lead his sheep, and I’m content that he knows what’s ahead for us and for me.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday when we get to celebrate communion together and continue our study on the “Gifts of Grace.”

Pastor Steve

Grace Resources

Here at Grace we exist to love God, love people, and lead others to do the same. (Maybe you have heard us say that?)

A big part of what we do happens on Sunday mornings—that is the special time set apart for us to come together as a church family, as one body, to worship God together and to be motivated, united, encouraged, and equipped.

But it doesn’t stop there.

We believe that the church isn’t this building where we gather. The church is a people; you are the church.

And that is why another big part of what we do is offer resources to help you to grow in your love for God, love for people, and ability to lead others to do the same during the week.

We want to equip you to go be the church.

So, now, I present to you a list of the resources we currently have available:

Sermon Outline and ‘What’s Real?’ Questions

So, let’s say you had to take a quick bathroom break during the sermon and you missed one of the blanks.

Good news: we post each sermon’s outline (with the blanks filled in) on our website!

Then, let’s say your Community Life Group is discussing the previous sermon but you could really use a discussion guide.

Good news: each sermon outline is accompanied by What’s Real? questions that help you and your group explore if what is true in the Bible is also true in your life.

[PS, let’s say you are loving this FAQ sermon series but wish you had someone you could talk to about it. We would love to get you connected to one of our Community Life Groups! Fill out the Connect With Us form and say you’re interested in joining a Community Life Group.]

Next Step: Download the sermon outline and What’s Real? questions on the Sermons page of our website.

Sermon Audio and Video Recordings

Whether you are home with a sick kiddo or traveling or whatever the reason you may miss a Sunday morning service, we have you covered!

If you are not here but within reach of a smartphone or computer, you can join us on Facebook Live for the 10:30am service.

If you miss Sunday all together, you can find both audio and video recordings of each service on the Sermons page of our website. Or, if you a podcast junkie (like me), you can find our podcast feed in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify by searching for “GCC Newton”.

Next Step: Tune into video or audio recordings of our sermons on our website or through your podcast provider.

‘Is there HOPE for the Truth?’ Apologetics Class Recordings

This fall, we are excited to be offering an apologetics Sunday school class aimed at equipping you to “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

We also know that so many of you serve during one of the two service times and attend the service during the other, and are thus unable to attend the class.

Well, more good news: we have both audio and video recordings of each session of this class available!

Next Step: You can find both on the Resources page of our website, or a podcast feed of the audio on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (we hope to have Google Podcasts live soon) by searching “Grace Resources”.

Worship Playlists

Listening to worship music rich in biblical theology is a great way to stay grounded in truth while connecting with God’s heart. Our worship council puts a great deal of prayer into choosing the songs that we sing, making sure they point us toward God and keep His Word on our lips and in our hearts.

As a resource to you, we have compiled a playlist of all the songs in our Sunday morning worship repertoire on Spotify and YouTube!

Next Step:

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It is our joy to serve and equip you as you seek to love God, love people, and lead others to do the same in your daily life. It is our prayer that these resources would be a small help toward that end.

Now, after all of this talk of how you can stay connected to what God is doing here at Grace throughout the week, I have to say that I can’t wait to worship with you as we gather together this Sunday!

I love you, Church!
Nathan Ehresman

Jesus Shouting Match

It was past bedtime, but our evening had been full of activity and hanging out with family. So bedtime wasn’t going as I had hoped.

My hope was to get home, take baths, flush and brush, and go to bed. Our kiddos had too much energy remaining. I don’t know how, but they did.

Their plan was to run around, mostly naked, make all kinds of noise and get upset with one another. And then a profound realization came to Max, our oldest: he had left his bike at his cousin’s house. Now he was really upset. 

What is a tired parent to do in this situation? Make a deal, of course. (I say that tongue-in-cheek.)

But we came to an agreement: we’ll go get the bike, but only after a bath and after he brushes his teeth.

Ok, that settled him down, but our youngest Will overheard our conversation and now he wanted to go too! The look in his eyes made me know he was very committed to joining us. Ok, Will can come too, why not. 

Secretly, I was thinking and praying they would fall asleep during the truck ride. 

We go get the bike, but my prayer wasn’t being answered. The boys’ energy levels were not becoming sluggish and sleepy. How can I help them calm down?

Then the brilliant idea of listening to hymns came to mind. Yes! I had recently been listening to a great hymns album. So I said, “Boys, no more talking, you need to calm down! We are going to listen to some music…” I proceeded to play the Hymns (Live) album by Shane & Shane. 

The first hymn on the album is actually a newer one that Andrew Peterson wrote but has been picked up by Shane & Shane and other worship artists. It is so good. The title is Is He Worthy?

As the song played the boys quieted. I thought, “It’s working; they’ll be asleep in no time.” But then I would have never anticipated what happened next. 

The next song came on which was Tis So Sweet.

The song opens up with Shane & Shane just belting out the name of Jesus over and over.

Then to my surprise, I hear little Will join them at the top of his lungs in the back of the truck. He began singing and shouting Jesus’s name in a remarkably loud yet also slightly slurred baby voice. Max, at this point, is filled with delight, begins laughing almost uncontrollably, and joins him.

I hope you can picture the scene. The boys are in the back just giggling, singing and shouting Jesus’s name back and forth to one another.

A breakthrough happened for me: rather than scold, which I wanted to do for a split second, I smiled. God was answering a different prayer.

We pray fairly often that our kiddos will love and delight in Jesus. God has used this episode several times since to encourage my heart to be eager to respond to and lift up the name of Jesus in my own life.

We’ve recently studied through the first part of John 4 with the middle school and high school students and Jesus says in John 4:24,

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I was reminded of the joyful Jesus shouting match my sons had. We can worship anywhere, and our worship is true when Jesus is lifted up and made much of. 

Grace and peace,

Pastor Loren

Walking in the Spirit

This week I’ve been praying for all the believers at Grace Community Church.

I’ve been praying that each one would be using their spiritual gift to build up the church.

I’ve led plenty of discussions about spiritual gifts over the years and I know that many people struggle to identify how God is gifting them. You are not alone.

In the weeks to come, through the preaching of God’s word, I believe we will all have more understanding of the variety of gifts. I’m praying that God would reveal to each and every one of us how He is manifesting Himself through us for building up the Church.

I think one of the reasons some of us aren’t experiencing manifestations of God’s Spirit through us is that we first need to allow the Spirit’s work in our own lives.

If we are grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) can we really expect manifestations of the Holy Spirit through us?

Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us (John 16:8) and lead us to repentance?

Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us (2 Corinthians 3:18)?

Are we being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)?

Are we walking in the Spirit as Paul describes in Galatians 5:16-26 or are we walking in the flesh?

We must live in the power of the Holy Spirit and respond to His nudging in our hearts. If the Spirit isn’t free to work in our own hearts, I don’t think we can expect Him to work through us to build up the church around us.

Maybe before we pursue understanding our giftedness and serving supernaturally in the Spirit’s power, we need to step back and ask if we have grieved the Holy Spirit, if we are allowing the Spirit’s work in our own hearts, and if we are walking in the Spirit.

To help supplement your study of the Spiritual gifts I offer up this, my RightNow Media pick of the month!

Looking forward to Sunday!

- Pastor Kyle

Pursuing Peace

What has God been laying on your heart?

Lately, as I've spent time with the Lord, I've felt him encouraging me to be a peacemaker.

I was struck several times over the course of last week that the enemy has been busy causing strife in relationships all around me - strife in marriages, families, friendships, ministry teams, and church relationships.

People who love and care about each other are struggling to be at peace with each other. This strife is disrupting the good work God wants to do in and through these marriages, families, friendships and our church.

The more I looked the more I saw this to be true.

And what is to be my part in it? God showed me that I needed to be a messenger of peace - to pray for peace and to seek ways to gently and kindly speak truth, directing others toward peace so that the Gospel of Peace won't be tarnished, distorted, or silenced.

Do you want to take a wild guess at what I've struggled the most with personally and spiritually this week?

You guessed it . . . peace.

I have been tested greatly, and failed often, with peace in my body and spirit, in my home, at work, and really everywhere else. Ugh!

I want to be frustrated by my own failings in this area, but I must confess them and then choose to let the struggle confirm that peacemaking for the sake of God's kingdom is such important work. I must let the struggle spur me on to keep trying.

Romans 14:19 says, "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."

Ephesians 4:3-6 says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

So, I'm praying for God's strength to continue my efforts to lead with a peaceful, kind attitude at home, to encourage others to extend grace and understanding to those they are frustrated with or hurt by, and to point myself and others towards our common goal of sharing the Gospel by our words and the way we treat each other.

Where do you see the enemy working to create strife in the relationships around you? What can you do to pursue peace in your sphere of influence?

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Join us this Sunday as we turn our attention in this Frequently Asked Questions series to 1 Corinthians 12–14 and a discussion of the Spirit and spiritual gifts!

Juli Dirks
Executive Director of Ministries

Life in the Woods

I was on vacation last month in low humidity and high altitude Colorado, savoring the pristine beauty of the Sangre de Christos south of Westcliffe!

Trees around me, towering mountain peaks in front of me, soft earth, flowers and lichen-covered rocks at my feet, I was sitting quietly in the woods for a couple of hours on a deep blue sky day. Wow! It felt good not just to get away, but to get into God’s creation and let it channel my Savior’s glory and peace deep into my heart!

As I rested there, juggling binoculars, Bible and journal, I thanked God for the gift of seeing and hearing, and I began noticing sounds and sights around me in a way that I don’t usually appreciate them.

I savored the whistle of the wind in the tree tops, the distant ripple of the Colony Creeks, and the chirping, chattering and calling of Stellar Jays, Clark’s Nutcrackers, and Mountain Chickadees. All of this graced by the curious and incessant buzzing of flies and bees around me.

The realization hit me that I wasn’t hearing any human sounds except for the occasional dull drone of a transcontinental jet leaving its vapor trail high above me. I noticed that long after the plane was gone, the white trail morphed into a long cloud that slowly slid over a faint crescent moon, still visible in the morning sky. I smiled.

I looked around and studied the trees whose scent I love—ponderosa pines, blue spruces and firs—and I noticed the hub and refuge they create for things that fly and even for a nearby squirrel that spent five minutes “yelling” at me from his perch.

I saw trees in all stages of life, some just “newborns” a couple of feet tall, others in their growth spurt, pushing ten and twenty—and many in their maturity—thirty, even forty feet tall. Some were beautifully formed with all their branches and needles in order and loaded with pine cones. They were obviously brimming with life.

As I continued to ponder, I spotted others—“senior citizens” of the forest—trees which had seen a few storms and taken some hits. One conifer nearby was missing the top third of its trunk and half of its branches were dead. Hmmm! At this stage of my life, I’m identifying more with these weathered warriors of the woods. But as I pondered what I was seeing and feeling, I sensed a beauty in those older trees which exhibit signs of wear and tear. Yes, they have dead branches galore, but they also have plenty of living ones and they’re still producing cones and seeds!

‘That’s the way I want to be,’ I tell Jesus! And I thanked Him for his faithfulness to me over these almost 69 years of my “life in the woods” and for this very special day of vacation.

There’s nothing like getting away for a body, soul, and perspective refresher!

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” (Is 46:3-4)

I love knowing, loving, and serving this God with all of you!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Steve

Change is Hard; God Will Never Change

We recently moved our second oldest daughter, Hannah, to college. I managed to hold it together until the moment that my husband and I began to pray over her. 

Change is hard even if you are expecting it. 

She is only 35 minutes from us but the hardest part is knowing that life as we know it will never be the same again. They grow up in the blink of an eye and then they are off to bigger adventures.  

Our family dynamic has changed over the past few years as we have gone from a close, young family to one where we are all going different directions and are rarely all in one place at the same time. In order to preserve our precious family time, we have had to change how we spend time together. Daily family meals have been replaced with a treasured, weekly family meal. Although I am thankful for the time we get, I struggle with the changes.

It is comforting to know that when life is uncertain, God will never change. 

Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” We can depend on Him regardless of what happens in life. He knows what the future looks like. 

Often I reminisce about when my children were smaller and how I wish that I could go back, but then I realize that the best part is yet to come. I look forward to seeing how each of my children uses the gifts that God has given them as they move into the next chapter of their stories.  

Lately I have had the lyrics running through my mind from the song “God of All My Days” by Casting Crowns: 

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same 
You’re the God of all my days 

I will rest in God’s constant presence and trust the journeys that lie ahead.    

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See you Sunday as we start the FAQ sermon series. I am looking forward to hearing what the Bible says about women in the church.

-Casey Teater
Children’s Ministry Director

You can't "one another" unless you get together

One of my personal goals is to strengthen how we build relationships in our church. How can we be more thoughtful and helpful to the people in our community who need Christian brothers and sisters?

Jesus left us three sources of help when He established the church: the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and one another. These are our comfort, power, guidance, instructions, and support for the Christian life. We need all three in every season of life.

Last year I suggested the book Sticky Church to one of the members of the Community Life Group Council, and our staff has read part of the book together, reflecting on one chapter a week. It opened my eyes to how important close Christian friends and “small groups” are in a church.

Think about all the “one another” passages in the Bible (there are between 46-55, depending on how you count them). In John 13:34-35 it says:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

We just memorized these two verses this summer!

So let me ask you, can we accomplish that on a Sunday morning within a one-hour service?

Paul told us to be devoted to one another, and honor one another (Romans 12:10). Can you do that without knowing each other?

Peter says to live in harmony with one another (1 Peter 3:8) and to offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9). This means pursuing peace, hosting, and serving one another. 

In Romans 14 and 15, Paul tells us to welcome and accept one another, yet still instruct one another. To the Corinthians, he encouraged them to wait for one another before they eat (1 Corinthians 11:33). To the Galatians, he urged them to serve one another (Gal. 5:13) and carry one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). In 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, Paul inspires them to encourage one another. All throughout the New Testament we are commanded to forgive one another.

We just finished our James series; didn’t he prompt us to confess our sins with one another and then pray for one another? How can we do that with strangers? Don’t we have to become close enough to understand and love one another, including our faults?

The point is, you can’t “one another” unless you get together in smaller, more relational groups or settings. Community Life Groups are not the ONLY way to do that, but they are Grace’s standard method of helping those within our church body connect with other believers in a closer way.

[Editor’s note: If you are interested in joining a Community Life Group, come to Grouplink this Sunday at noon in the Fireside Room!]

We can’t be the church God designed us to be without real community. I encourage you to develop more intimate relationships with other believers in the church. Ask God to help you identify and maintain godly friendships. How can you be a good friend to others?

This Sunday Pastor Dave will be preaching on 2 Timothy 3. He, Jeff Reimer, and Ricki Greer are gearing up to teach an apologetics class at Grace on Sunday mornings this fall (I wish I could attend also!). 

I am praying for you, dear church. I’m glad to be brothers and sisters in Christ, uniting together for the same purpose: to love God, love people, and lead others to do the same.

Lovingly,
Pastor Jack

Schedule Your Margin

Fall is exciting.

And yes, I get excited about fall partly because I enjoy football and flannel shirts and cool weather (but I’ll pass on the pumpkin spice-flavored everything).

Fall is also exciting because it is a new season - and I’m not just talking the position of the earth relative to the sun. Fall is exciting because there is so much momentum that comes with a new year of school, a new season of activities, a new time of ministry.

There is a lot of excitement here in the halls of the Grace Community Church facility with ministries ramping up after the slower summer season (check out the Upcoming Events page to sign up for things like Awana, Grouplink, and women’s Bible studies).

After taking the summer off from my seminary studies, my next class starts on Monday and I’m so excited that I have already started working on my first assignment. (Yes, I’m that student…)

I have already felt, however, how fast all of that excitement can translate into busyness overload.

There are so many things to be excited about and that means so many things to say ‘yes’ to and that means so much to fill the schedule.

But, if we’re not careful, all that busyness can get in the way of responding to God’s leading.

If every night of the week is accounted for, will you be able to take the time when your neighbor obviously needs a compassionate listening ear? If you are so busy that the minute you slow down you fall asleep, will you be able to muster the energy to get alone with God?

That’s a good thing about margin: it’s there for when something unexpected happens. Which is good, because God operates on his own schedule.

So how can we counteract the busyness of a new season and create margin?

A number of times I have heard the advice to “schedule your margin.”

I have to admit that, at first, I thought it sounded ridiculous. How can it be down time if you scheduled it?! But I have learned (the hard way) how good and necessary that advice is.

“Free time” doesn’t seem to stay free for long. It’s as if all the things vying for my time look at that unclaimed block of time and say ‘Oh, he’s not doing anything… Dibs! I get to fill that time!’

It takes intention to claim that open slot in the schedule for margin.

Maybe this looks like getting up a little extra early to start your day with Bible reading and prayer because you know the day will be too busy to fit it in later (pro tip: put your alarm clock across the room so you can’t turn it off and fall back to sleep). Maybe this looks like protecting your lunch break to be time to get outside and talk to God. Maybe this looks like limiting activities to only a couple nights a week so you can be free for spontaneous family and friend time.

Whatever it looks like for you, I want to challenge you to make scheduling margin a priority as you set your routine for this new season.

Be still. Savor the calm. And keep your eyes open for how God might drop into your lap opportunities to love the people around you.

I love you, Church!
Nathan Ehresman

Summer Reflections & Fall Excitment

How has your summer been? Are you ready for fall?

In answering those questions I would say, “Summer has been good, but busy. And fall is coming, ready or not!” 

If you bear with me, I’d like to share a couple of summer highlights and something I’m looking forward to as fall approaches.

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The first is about our Igniter trips, one to LifeChange Camp with our middle school students and the other a mission trip to Children’s Haven International with our high school students. 

The lingering reflection I have from middle school camp is a statement our speaker Daniel Yoder said in one of his messages about being “Set Free,” which was our theme for the week. He said, “Don't tell your problems to God, but tell your problems about our God.”

In the context of the talk he wasn’t saying we shouldn’t pray and present our petitions to God, but he was encouraging us to take the next step of knowing who God is and why knowing him can change our perspective on the problems we face, freeing us to face challenges with hope and trust in God. This was especially impactful as Daniel and his family have been in the middle of a family crisis for almost a year.

Daniel’s son, who was at camp as a camper, has been diagnosed with an inoperable and incurable brain tumor. As he shared the story it was evident that Daniel and his family had been living what he was teaching us.

This has been a summer practice for me, personally. As I encounter a challenge or problem, not only do I speak to God about what is happening, but I also have changed how I reengage the problem by asking God to show me how he sees my challenges. It is amazing how seemingly big challenges shrink when engaging a most holy, powerful, and loving God. 

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The second summer highlight was our Reynosa Trip with the high school students. As a team of 28 we went to bless our friends at Children’s Haven through our presence and service.

It was an amazing trip to be a part of. The students worked so hard on different service projects we were given to do, and they served with gladness and joy. And then every afternoon, even when they were tired, they would play in the pool with the children.

The thing I’m still wrestling with and praying about is something Betsy Chacon said to our group as she was giving us a tour of the facility. She was talking about how the support base for Children’s Haven is aging and many have already gone to be with Jesus, and she challenged our group by saying, “They were known as the greatest generation because of their sacrifices and generosity, what kind of generation will you be?”

That has stuck with me because she was articulating a need and challenging our students to consider what they will be known for.

Since our trip I’ve been praying the next generation, and our students specifically, might desire to join God, not only in what He is doing in their own lives, but how they might come alongside the ministry of Children’s Haven in support of what God is doing there. 

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For the fall, I’m looking forward to launching back into a new semester and season of Igniter this coming Sunday!

As I think and plan ahead for this next season I’m reminded once again how important Jesus is. I’m excited to see how God will continue to point people to him so they might receive and believe in his name and be given eternal life. I’m grateful I get to join God in doing that. 

Grace and peace,
Pastor Loren

Represent

A couple weeks ago I shared some original songs at our night of “Stories and Songs”. For this Staff Journal I wanted to share about one of those songs.

“Represent” is a song about our need to be witnesses. It’s a reminder that as Christians we wear the name of Christ wherever we go. In the past, when Mary or I have had jobs within the secular workforce, we would tell each other to “represent” before leaving for work. It was a reminder of the powerful witness we have not just through our words but also through our actions.

The idea for this song was inspired by several scripture passages. Here are some of them:

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12)

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

“To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” (Hebrews 6:6)

Here are the my lyrics to the song “Represent”:

He chose to wear Your name, but unaware of the implications
Cause everywhere he turns, there’s a watchful eye from the unbelievers
Does he realized every move he makes is analyzed and they’re just waiting for him to fall
In this moment if they see a fake it may destroy their chances of redemption

So we need to represent. We need to live such good lives
So that the effort spent, will help the others glorify Your name

A believer all his life, but finding out it’s not cool
To wear the name of Christ, and try to fit in at school
Do we realize we’ve been called to be light in this world showing them the way
And if we are ashamed of him he will ashamed of us on judgment day 

So we need to represent. We need to live such good lives
So that the effort spent, will help the others glorify Your name

You wear the name, but you put it to shame
It’s recrucifixion and you’re stuck with the blame
Freedom you claim, but sin you can’t tame
Don’t mock his mercy, cause life ain’t a game

The idea of this song is similar to our “sending” that we use most Sundays. God is sending us out in the world to represent Him as witnesses.

As many of you head to your jobs this week, I pray that God would empower you to represent Him in your actions and your love for the people around you. May we be boldly unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ as we represent Him in our schools, jobs, and neighborhoods!

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My RightNow Media pick of the month is Marriage Night 2019. This is a great one to watch with your spouse and strengthen your marriage!

 See you Sunday!
-Pastor Kyle