|
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 |
 |
 |
|
To my Grove family,
Yay! This Sunday is Daylight Saving Time, my favorite day of the year. Even though we lose an hour of sleep for one day we now have light when we get home from work. Yes, this is a great day indeed! Now the only thing we need to remember is we lose an hour of sleep on Saturday night so we need to set our clocks ahead so we will be at church on time this coming Sunday. I can see all of you smiling and nodding your heads in agreement with me; it will be a great day!
Weekend Message
This weekend my message from Romans 15 is, “Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.” I want you to read the entire chapter but I am going to focus on the first nine verses. In these verses we can really see how God shaped the heart of Paul and how important unity was to him and is for the church. I love this chapter and think we can all learn a lot from our study of this passage.
Attention Walkers and Runners
It’s bigger and better than before and can include everyone…that means you, too! It’s also for men and women. The 10-week Walking to Running program will begin again on April 6, but this time it includes more groups of people than before. It will include: 1) those wanting to do the 10-week progressive program that takes someone from walking to running, 2) those wanting to walk for about 30 minutes with other people, and 3) those that are already runners and want to run with someone for about 30 minutes.
There were 30 people involved in the last program that started in January. If you want to be a part of this group, meet at The Grove office entrance at the back of the church on Saturday, April 6 by 8:00 a.m. If you want more information, please e-mail Sandy Wible at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Youth Auction
Mark your calendars! On the weekend of May 18 and 19, the High School and Jr. High departments will be hosting a silent auction, and all proceeds will go toward scholarships for our students attending summer camp. Many great items will be up for bid this year as we receive many donations from large businesses in our area. But we also need your help! If you have a package, tickets, valuable item, or service that you would like to donate to help send our students to camp and truly help the youth ministry, please contact Kelsey at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Donations are still needed for this Jr. High and High School Youth Auction.
Grove Report Card
Each month I am still including the report card (http://www.thegrove.cc/f1/tomsweekly/GroveHealthTest.pdf) we filled out for ourselves at the beginning of the year to see how we’re improving. I pray the answers to these questions are still “Yes.”
1. God gave you a unique and wonderful story (your testimony), have you shared it with others?
2. Is church attendance optional or a priority with you and your family?
3. Do you trust God enough to give generously and to enjoy Sabbath Rest?
See you all this weekend,
|
|
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
Changes Due to the Rummage Sale
Many rooms at The Grove are full to the brim anticipating the annual Grove Rummage Sale this Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Because of the sale preparation going on this week we will not be having men’s and women’s Bible study and here are the changes for the youth: The High School group will be meeting in the Chapel and the Jr. High group will be meeting in B-100 tonight, Wednesday, February 27. They will be back in their normal rooms (High School in C-100 and Jr. High in C-200) on Sunday, March 3.
Volunteers Needed After the Rummage Sale
Talking about the Rummage Sale, we could really use 150 guys, some with trucks or vans, to help haul away all that is left over after the sale is over. We really need many hands so we can turn all the class rooms over and get them ready for our weekend services. This is an intensive time of work from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, and if you come and help it would really make a huge difference. Thanks for everything you do to make this sale a success. A big Thank You to Jennifer Reed and her incredible team of volunteers! We have had over 100 volunteers down here all week long getting ready for the rummage sale. We plan to buy another van for the church and additional church equipment that is desperately needed. Every item you buy from this sale will help us reach our goal of $50,000 this year.
Weekend Message
This weekend I am back in the pulpit and my message is called, “When the Bible Doesn’t Speak,” from Romans 14. Please read all of chapter 14 to be ready for the message. We will be taking communion this weekend, as well as sharing a thought on the spiritual discipline of “Journaling.” I hope you are keeping up with all of the new spiritual disciplines we are learning. We also will have a video from the great trip our guys took to Chile and Peru as they went to serve others because of their love for “all people.”
April Message Series on Marriage
The weekend after Easter I am beginning a four-week series on marriage that I will be calling, “Why Band-Aids Do Not Work.” I am going to take my 39 years of counseling experience and try to show how often we cover things up in marriage or try different ways to fix our problems rather than dealing with the real issues that need far more than a Band-Aid. The Bible has a lot to say about marriage and honesty, so I want to take the month of April to share these truths from God’s Word. Please pray for me as I work on these sermon outlines in the next few weeks.
See you this weekend, first at the Rummage Sale and then at the services.
|
|
Saturday, February 23, 2013 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
I know this is late but I have been sick in bed the last two days and I want to remind you of two things before this weekend’s services.
Rummage Sale
The Grove’s Rummage Sale is upon us and this coming Monday we need as many Grovites as possible to help us unload the bins and put things in the gym and C-100. If we have 500 volunteers for this it would not be too many. If you can help we would really love to see you here. We begin at 9 a.m. and hope to be done by 1 p.m. (sooner the more volunteers we have). If you want to bring a dolly or a wagon that would be good but what we really need is you and all your friends. Please help us and the day will go so much smoother. Thanks!
Officer Mike Crain’s Service
Because so many have asked to view to the funeral of officer Mike Crain we have posted it on our website (front page of www.thegrove.cc). We are only going to leave it up through Wednesday so it’s available for those who want to view the service. Please keep praying for the family and the Riverside Police Department.
See you all this weekend,
|
|
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 |
|
|
|
Hear ye! Hear ye!
Two really important matters:
1. Since we are hosting the funeral on Wednesday for the fallen police officer we have had to make some adjustments in every area of the church as we are expecting 10,000 here for that service. After the service we are going to host a reception for the family and officers as well. Because of that we will need to cancel one of our ministries and I asked the Men’s Study if they could skip one night of their study in order to love on the Riverside Police and Officer Crain’s family. Pastor Mike graciously agreed which will allow the High School group to move to the Chapel and their reception will be in C-100. Thank you, men! I know you understand it is “The Grove being The Grove” again and that is what I love about this church. ALL OTHER MINISTRIES AND CLASSES WILL GO ON AS NORMAL; ONLY THE MEN’S STUDY HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
2. The Annual Business Meeting will be held this Sunday, February 17 at 4 p.m. in the Chapel and should last less than an hour. Official members will also be voting after all the services this weekend. It is very important that all members vote, so please make sure to be here this weekend and cast your ballot. You will be voting to ratify two board members, Brian Jaramillo and Ron Chitwood for four-year terms, and Kevin O’Neill as treasurer for a one-year term. Please, if you are an official member, be here this weekend to vote. If for some reason you can’t be here you can come to the church office during the week and pick up an absentee ballot.
Weekend Message
This weekend we will be looking at Romans 13 so please read ahead and be ready when you come to dig in as we study together.
Spiritual Discipline
Each week after the welcome video we have a 30-second video about a particular Spiritual Discipline. This week Adam will be sharing about the discipline of Contemplation. Hundreds of us are going through the book entitled, “Spiritual Disciplines Handbook” by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. Our hope is that as we study one new discipline a week that we will discover 5-10 new disciplines that really fit our personality and will be something we use the rest of our life in our walk with God. You can buy this book from The Grove Bookstore and study along with us each week – you will be glad you did.
Grove Fitness
It is never too late to join in with our Grove Exercise Group either. Many of us have been “at it” since January and have really been having fun getting in better shape. Many of us are also approaching the 10 pounds lost category which is really nice. If you want to know more about Grove Fitness and how you can join in, contact Kathleen Strebel at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
and she will send you all the past information about the group. We are a happy group as we weigh less now than we did in January. We are also going to split a dessert on Valentine’s Day; we are indeed a disciplined group! A new walk to jog group will start up in April. If you are interested, please let us know.
The Grove Being The Grove
I can’t begin to tell you how great our staff and volunteers are and how they love on people in our church and in this city. This past week has been incredibly busy getting ready for this funeral service and our team has risen to new heights of service and hospitality. I stand back and am amazed at all that has happened. I am equally impressed with the RPD as they are a wonderfully close knit and supportive family. It has been a very hectic week but one that has me smiling to see God working through the folks at The Grove as always. Never stop being The Grove – you are the best!
New Grove Additions
The staff has experienced growth again. A couple weeks ago, Johnny Bishop joined Pastor Daniel’s family and this week we are very pleased to welcome Pastor Matt Furby’s little Lydia into their family. The pastoral team is growing!
Grove Report Card
Here is the report card (http://www.thegrove.cc/f1/tomsweekly/GroveHealthTest.pdf) we need to keep filling out for ourselves to see how we’re improving. I will end my emails with the three questions I asked in my “Grove Health” sermon. I pray this for all of us:
1. God gave you a unique and wonderful story (your testimony), have you shared it with others?
2. Is church attendance optional or a priority with you and your family?
3. Do you trust God enough to give generously and to enjoy Sabbath Rest?
See you all this weekend. Remember we are ON with everything except Men’s group this Wednesday night and ALL MEMBERS need to vote this weekend.
|
|
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
Tonight
Don’t forget “Wednesday Night at The Grove” tonight as both the men and women begin the book of 2 Corinthians. Wednesday Night has something for everyone so I hope you can come. Read 2 Corinthians 1 before you come and you will be ready.
This Weekend
This week I am preaching from Romans 12, (please read that chapter before coming this weekend) and as most of you know we are now beginning the “application” part of Romans. We have studied diligently Romans 1-11 and now we will see how to make it all work in our day-to-day lives. This is a wonderful chapter to reflect on and ask yourself if you are living out what God is calling you to do through His word. I hope you enjoy your own personal study of chapter 12 and I will have a few quizzes for us this weekend in church that may help as well. We are going to do the service a bit differently this week; two songs then I will preach and then we will end the service with two more songs.
Food Pantry – Immediate Need!
We need some immediate help with our food pantry which we stock to feed the homeless here in Riverside. This link (http://www.thegrove.cc/pdf/outreach/Donation_Items_Needed.pdf) will let you know what is needed. We certainly don’t expect anyone to buy all of these things but maybe some of us could buy one or two of these items each when we go shopping for our families. Right now what is needed most is:
· Canned Pinto Beans (6 lbs. can size)
· Chili Con Carne (6 lbs. can size)
· Crushed Tomatoes (6 lbs. can size)
· Penne Pasta (1 lb. box size)
· Powdered Drink Mix (makes 32 qrts.)
I am thinking about going back to what we used to do and that is the first weekend of each month asking everyone to bring from home an item or two for the homeless feeding, leave it behind your cars and we will have a team pick the bags up and stock the food pantry. That worked well before and we need to make a change because we are really low right now and we have been just getting by for months. I know The Grove will be The Grove and we all just need a little reminder. Thanks in advance; I know I can count on you!
Go & Serve: A Day of Caring
Saturday, February 16, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. is a great opportunity for families to serve together and get to know others within our church while showing our love and care for those in our city. We will be working in several locations throughout Riverside: picking up trash, removing graffiti, painting, sorting, cleaning, and even doing concrete. There are only 300 spots available so hurry and register today on the Grove website at www.thegrove.cc/outreach or call Stacey at x2174.
Annual Business Meeting
The Annual Business Meeting will be held Sunday, February 17, at 4 p.m. in the Chapel. Official members of The Grove will be voting after each service on both Saturday and Sunday, February 16 and 17, to ratify board members Brian Jaramillo and Ron Chitwood for four-year terms, as well as ratifying treasurer Kevin O’Neill for a one-year term. Absentee ballots may be picked up at the north Welcome Counter this weekend.
Hope you are all having a great day and looking forward to seeing you soon,
|
|
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
Weekend Message
“God’s Count Is the Only One That Matters,” will be the title of my message this weekend. If you will take some time to read and study Romans 11 you will be ready for the sermon. Thanks to Pastor Daniel for his message last weekend. In the main services we had 18 first-time visitors, five people rededicated their lives to Christ, and nine people made first-time decisions to follow Christ as Lord and Personal Savior. This is happening each and every weekend and I just pray that you are as excited about what God is doing as I am. I love it that you are inviting your friends, “the Precious,” to church and making a difference through your life and conversations right where God has placed you…at work, in your neighborhoods, and in the community. Thanks for being The Grove all over Riverside. You are making an eternal difference!
Pastor Daniel Says:
Invite some friends and join us this Sunday as we watch the Super Bowl in the Worship Center. Doors open at 3 p.m. We will have All-You-Can-Eat Nachos and Carne Asada Tacos for $5, and kids 12 and under eat for free! We will have the gym open and some fun activities in the courtyard during halftime. Whether you enjoy football or not, this is a great opportunity for fellowship, friends, family, and food! This event will be in place of the Sunday Night at The Grove service. If you typically attend this service please consider going to another one of our three weekend services.
Pastor Kendall Says:
We still have room for five more teams in our Monday night bowling league at Universal Strike Lanes, 23750 Alessandro Blvd., Moreno Valley. It is a four-person team/handicap league. We start Monday, February 4, at 6:30 p.m. and play for 15 weeks. The cost is $150 per player and can be paid in three payments of $50. It is a great time of fun and a place to meet others. Sign up with Kendall at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 571-9090 x2145.
Grove App Is Ready
Thanks to the hard work of our communications team our new Grove App is ready to roll out. We will be letting you know about it in the services this weekend so please make sure you are here. Oh yes, we are a happening church – our own app – very cool!
Temporary Placement for Siblings Needed
Safe Families is looking for a temporary placement (a few weeks) for 6- and 8-year-old siblings. The single mom recently was evicted because of mold in their house and is living in her car. She wants a safe place for her children, here in Riverside, so they can stay in the same schools until she can get stable. There are no signs of abuse or neglect. Please let us know if you would be willing to take these two in or know of someone who would like to do this. This would be “The Grove being The Grove”.
Grove Report Card
At the end of each month I will include the report card (http://www.thegrove.cc/f1/tomsweekly/GroveHealthTest.pdf) we filled out for ourselves to see how we’re improving. I am also going to end my emails with the three questions I asked in my “Grove Health” sermon. I pray this for all of us:
1. God gave you a unique and wonderful story (your testimony), have you shared it with others?
2. Is church attendance optional or a priority with you and your family?
3. Do you trust God enough to give generously and to enjoy Sabbath Rest?
See you all this weekend,
|
|
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
Weekend Message
This weekend Pastor Daniel Bishop will be preaching in all the services. Daniel’s message is entitled, “Traffic School,” and his text is from Romans 10. Please take some time to read and study through chapter 10 of Romans before coming to church this weekend.
Walk to Jog Group
If you are getting in shape with The Grove but have not yet taken advantage of our Saturday morning “Walk to Jog” connecting group, you should. Sandy Wible leads this group of Grove exercise enthusiasts and they are having a lot of fun getting in shape together. My Carol is out there every Saturday and is awesome – you should see her jog! I was thinking of joining her but pulled a hamstring on Tuesday. Maybe if I would have been in this class from the beginning that would not have happened. If you want to join, meet in back of the church, in front of the offices, this Saturday at 8 a.m. You won’t be able to keep up with Carol but don’t let that bother you, she is a 61-year-old jogging machine. (You know how much she loves me saying this kind of thing, don’t you?)
Make sure you check our website, www.thegrove.cc, for our spiritual disciplines blog (Click Here), prayer wall (Click Here), job opportunities (Click Here), the Hub menus (Click Here), and everything else that is happening at The Grove.
See you this weekend as Daniel will lead us all through Romans 10. I am sure you will get to see plenty of pictures of their new baby boy, Johnny!
|
|
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
This week I am sharing a message called, “Grove Health Part 2.” If you will read Philippians 1:3-14 you will be ready for the message this weekend. Despite our recent layoffs and financial setbacks I am more excited about The Grove and its future than ever before. Last weekend I talked about being a “mature” Christian. One thing mature Christians know is God is always faithful and often times He allows things to come into our lives to mold us so we will be more effective for Him in the future. The Grove’s future is very bright and I want to share with you why that is true this weekend. I hope to see you all here making the celebration service a priority in your life and never an option.
Wednesday Night at The Grove
Wednesday Night at The Grove is back in full swing tonight at 6:30 p.m. following our Christmas break. This is a great time to join one of our studies and come together as Grove family. Remember we have something for every member of the family.
Spiritual Disciplines
Please Click Here or go to our website, www.thegrove.cc, and on the front page, right-hand side, you will see, “Practice the Right Things.” Click on that box each week and you will see the spiritual discipline we are working on. Becky White has done a great job with “Celebration” this week. When I went through this discipline myself, I realized I connect best with God alone and the question our book asked was what does that tell you about yourself? It has been good for me to think and pray through that and reflect on how I come before God and worship Him. I pray you enjoy this study of the disciplines each week. If you have not purchased the Spiritual Disciplines book it is not too late to do so and join the hundreds of Grovites in this study throughout 2013. The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, by Adele Calhoun, is on sale for $15 in our Bookstore after our weekend services.
Getting Fit in 2013
For those of you in the “Get Fit” exercise program, I want to remind you of the Walk to Run class taught each Saturday morning by Sandy Wible. It begins at 8 a.m. and Carol is part of this group and loves it so it might be worth it just to see if you can keep up with my wife who is an awesome jogger; oh, yes she is! Anyway, all who went last week had a great time and it is open to you as well. Weight Watchers at The Grove is another helpful class which begins with an informational meeting this Thursday at 6 p.m. in C-200. Come and join others from The Grove who want the accountability and great health ideas taught by Weight Watchers.
HATB Trip Meeting
If you are planning on participating in the Men's February HATB Chile Trip there is a meeting this Sunday, at 12:30 p.m. in D-4. The application and trip information can be found online here. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Outreach at x2120.
2013 Challenge
I will be ending each email with these three questions from my sermon last weekend in which I want to challenge us with through 2013:
- God gave you a unique and wonderful story (your testimony), have you shared it with others?
- Is church attendance an option or a priority with you and your family?
- Do you trust God enough to give generously and to enjoy Sabbath Rest?
Baptism
Don’t forget our baptism after the second service on Sunday we’d love to have you come and support those getting baptized.
See you all this weekend,
|
|
Wednesday, December 26, 2012 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
This is not my regular mid-week email but a message from your pastor letting you know what is currently happening at The Grove and some of the changes you will be seeing soon. This year has been a tremendous year regarding people accepting Christ, re-dedicating their lives to our Savior, and being baptized. We have more in every area than any previous year. We have seen an increase in ministry within our church and in our city as The Grove has been The Grove in so many ways. Although we have not grown numerically this past year we have maintained and in so many ways have matured as a church and I thank you for your love and care for The Grove.
Unfortunately, one area where we have struggled in 2012 has been our finances. Over the past six months our total giving has fallen off of last year’s pace by $390,000. Both our general giving and the Love Offering have been down. On the expense side we have been able to control spending within the budget but we were surprised mid-year with $300,000 in fees required to restructure our loan. A combination of the drop in giving and the unexpected fees has resulted in what we anticipate to be a $550,000 loss for the year. This would be the worst financial year for The Grove in recent history.
The Board has made some tough decisions to make sure The Grove is financially healthy in 2013. It is essential for us to live within our means and pare back in many areas.
For the first time in the history of our church we have had to lay off two pastors. We have cut the pay of everyone else on our staff and have cut the budget for our 2013 Outreach Ministry as well. Altogether the 2013 budget has been reduced by $600,000. We will be monitoring our financial position very carefully and pray that we will not have to make further cuts to staff, missionaries, or ministry after the year starts.
Our financial loss for 2012 has also put our loan refinancing strategy in serious jeopardy and makes it all the more important that we have a strong 2013. We have been working closely over the last three months with Strategic Consulting Group from Atlanta, Georgia, to develop an updated plan for capturing the six million dollar principal reduction offered by our current lender. This updated plan will require that we reduce loan principal further by selling our undeveloped land as well as the building on the corner where the Grove Grille and Bookstore were located. The Board is pursuing these possibilities to see if this is part of God’s direction for the future.
For the sake of our future we must do whatever is necessary to reduce our debt and become financially healthy again. I will address all of this in a sermon on the second weekend of January but until then I want you to know what is happening as you will see a difference in our staff and some of our ministries right away. We have been through tough times before and God has shown His love and care for us when things were not always clear.
I ask you to pray for us, for our two pastors who will leave our staff on December 31, for the rest of our staff and missionaries who will be receiving lower pay and support, and for the changes we now face with budget cuts and adjustments in assignments. God will see us through as He always has and I am sure He will continue to give us tremendous opportunities to serve Him and make an eternal difference in the lives of people.
I love you all and ask you to seek God’s face for The Grove and what is happening currently. You are a great church and I know with God’s help together we will make it through and be better.
|
|
|
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
This Weekend’s Message
This weather is perfect for Christmas; crisp, cool, a bit rainy and the mountains are covered with snow! Can Riverside get any better? This weekend I am calling my message, “Four Reminders from the Angels.” Why don’t you read Luke 2:8-15, and see if you can come up with the four reminders even before you get to church this weekend.
Tacking on Jesus this Christmas
Last week I talked about not “tacking” Jesus on to Christmas. Have you given that any thought yet? If we don’t plan to make Jesus primary He will easily become secondary. For all of us to know in our hearts when the tree comes down and all the lights are put away that Jesus was lifted up and worshiped in every one of our homes this Christmas would be a great feeling. If you are all alone this Christmas, or as one of my friends told me today they will be having 31 grandkids over Christmas morning, each and every one of us can do something this season that will bring a smile to the face of God.
Get Fit Grove
We had a great response to our “Get Fit Grove” program. You still have time in the next two weeks to buy “The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook” and be a part of our journey in 2013 to a more intimate walk with Christ. This was a really good study for me and it has made a difference in my personal walk with Jesus, I pray it will do the same for you. The pastors will be leading you on this journey in 2013, we are looking forward to see what happens.
The exercise program should be fun as well. We will track pounds, inches, and times to see how many “pounds” waste away, how many “inches” we lose, and how many times a week we exercise. We also have two programs beginning that would fit perfect with our getting fit Grove program. There will be a Weight Watchers program here at church and a walk-to-jog program as well. When you sign up for the exercise program you will get an email from me every Thursday explaining what is happening, testimonies from those in the program, eating tips, exercise options, and much more. I am hunting for my old coaching whistle so I can encourage us along this year. The Grove could possibly lose 15,000 pounds this year; just think how much longer our chairs will last if we do. This should be fun but I would encourage you if you are going to do this not to wait until January 1 to begin giving this some thought. Begin to stretch and move around a bit more than normal, park a little further out in the parking lot, and start thinking of the “new you” in 2013!
Christmas Eve Services
Don’t forget our Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion services at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. It will be a special service where we will be remembering that everything points to Jesus. He is our focal point! We have childcare through pre-kindergarten for the 5 p.m. service and no childcare at the 7 p.m. service. We look forward to seeing your family and friends at one of these special services.
New Year’s Eve for Singles
On December 31 at 8 p.m. you singles won’t want to miss out on a great night filled with fun, activities, and meeting new people. Join the Singles New Year’s Eve Dance Party. Don’t spend the night alone but come on out and dance the night away. Click on the following link to get more information or to buy your tickets: http://newyearsevedanceparty.eventbrite.com/.
See you all this weekend,
|
|
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 |
|
|
|
To my Grove family,
Christmas Encounter
Don’t forget only two more nights of A Christmas Encounter, tonight and tomorrow from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Last night was fantastic and we had great crowds throughout the night. Remember this is for the entire family so make sure to be here tonight or tomorrow and bring a friend, I know they will love it.
This Weekend’s Message
This week I will be speaking from Luke 2:1-20 and 41-46 for a message I am calling, “God Can Use the Craziness of Christmas.” I am really excited about this message and all the possible applications it can have for our lives this season. One of my points is, “He Was Nailed to a Cross, He Doesn’t Need to Be Tacked Onto Christmas.” You might want to think about that for a bit before you come this weekend. At the end of the service as you leave we will have sugar cookies for each one of you from all of our Grove Cookie Bakers, and you know they will be delicious. I hope you enjoyed the hot apple cider last week as well. We will try and have some little goodie for you each week during the Christmas season just to let you know you are loved and appreciated. Pastor Matt Furby will be preaching at the Sunday Night Service and his message is called, “Hope Arrived,” and his text is Luke 2:8-20.
Getting “Ripped” Two Ways in 2013
One of the last classes I took this year was a class called “Prayer and Scripture” and it was fantastic. One of the four books we read for the class was called “The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook” by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. I have always enjoyed practicing spiritual disciplines but I was only familiar with about six or seven of them. In this book we went over 65 spiritual disciplines, each one different and each one very unique. It was a wonderful class and I came away from the class with about 10 additional spiritual disciplines that fit my personality and spiritual life. It has been great to put them into practice. I have asked the pastoral team to join me this coming year in sharing one new spiritual discipline or “practice” with the you (The Grove) each week in an effort to allow you to experience 52 different “practices” in 2013. Our goal in doing this is just to expose you to these different disciplines/practices and hopefully, like me, you will find several that “fit you” and become something you can incorporate into your life in the future. Each week someone from the pastoral team will blog on The Grove website their experience with that week’s particular practice and the thoughts they have. We will also share one minute each week through video right after the welcome video on some aspect of that week’s discipline/practice. Becky White is putting together a journal for each and we will pass them out the last weekend of December so you can journal your own experiences. Beginning this weekend we also will have on sale the book that I pray all of you will buy to read and experience with us 52 new spiritual disciplines this coming year. 2013 could be a great year for you spiritually if you would commit to this study. We will make it a priority and hope you do as well. The book will be on sale at the bookstore through the end of December for $15 including tax.
Getting Ripped, Way Number Two
This year I want to lead The Grove (I am one of the most needy for this) in a program through 2013 to lose 15,000 pounds as a church. We can do it! This will be a very practical effort for all of us to get healthier and in shape by concentrating on two simple thoughts: exercise more and make healthy food choices. This is a no gimmick kind of thing and will hopefully lead to permanent healthy lifestyle changes. Here is how it works – remember everything of value costs something and so does “The Grove Healthy Lifestyle Exercise Program.” Everyone will pick the number of pounds they want to lose and that will be your target for your year-end reward. Oh yes, where there is “cost” there is also “reward” for those who succeed. The cost of the program is $25 and the reward will be for those who hit their target by December 2013 a very cool Grove t-shirt personalized for you. If your target weight is 20 pounds and you make and maintain it through December of 2013 you will receive a high quality Grove t-shirt with our name (The Grove) on the left chest and right under that your number, in this case 20. Everyone who sees you will know you are a champion and reached your goal. On the right sleeve it will have the combined total weight loss of all The Grove which will lead to a ton of great witnessing opportunities. I know what you are thinking, $25 dollars for a t-shirt, that seems a bit much! So first let me remind you this will be a “quality” t-shirt. Secondly, I am going to coach you, now that has to be worth something, right? You know I used to be a coach, right? Don’t let my present physical condition fool you. I will send out each week (Thursday) by email or video a coaching tip from one of our many Grove physical trainers, or a menu or diet tip from one of our Grove dieticians, doctors, or nurses. I will use one of our coaches, trainers, or physical therapists to show you new and great exercises that can help you accomplish your goal. Each week for 52 weeks we will bring right to your computer or smart phone super insights that will help you reach your goal. I might even send you a video of me counting out 50 pushups for Carol to do so you can cheer her on and at the same time do them yourself. After the first year is over we will do this again for those who want to join for 2014, but I will have a special new reward for those who can maintain in 2014 what they accomplished in 2013. Of course there will be a cost for that Grove hoodie in 2014, but the art work on it will be over the top and you won’t mind the cost as it will be one of your most prized possessions. Don’t you want to be healthy in 2013, and then just live healthy from that point forward? That is what we can do together. My personal goal is 30 pounds. Yes, if your chubby pastor loses 30 pounds I will just dip under 200 by a few pounds. Yes, that is how serious my need is! Don’t you love your chubby pastor? Don’t you want him to get in shape? Wouldn’t it be worth $25 to encourage him and do it together. I am trying to convince Carol to do a before and after picture that we can share with you but right now I am getting a little kick back from her on the before picture. That picture of me alone on your refrigerator would guarantee you couldn’t eat and for sure would lose weight. Anyway, you know this is me just having fun with you, but it will be a good fundraiser for The Grove and it could get us all in shape; so are you with me? Come on now – let’s do this together. This weekend if you want to join The Grove fitness club you need to do two things. Get an envelope and on the outside write your name and email plus the number of pounds you want to lose. (If you lose that number you will get a t-shirt.) Then number two you write a check to The Grove for $25 and put it in the envelope including your email address and give it to the person behind one of the welcome counters or to me or Carol and you are an official member of the club and your emails will start arriving weekly. Just think, not only can you get in shape in 2013, but your chubby pastor will be super motivated and have to do the same. If you care about my health you will join (that was sad, wasn’t it?). Come on, it will be fun.
I hope more people will join the Spiritual Practices team than the Weight Loss team, but I am hoping that hundreds will join both and we will get “ripped” spiritually and physically in 2013.
See you tonight and this weekend,
Tom (chubby hopefully no longer) Lance
|
|
|