The Journey

The Journey Letter

Communion Sunday

In the symbolic act of eating the bread and drinking the wine we remember the fellowship we have with God and with others. Come and celebrate this 'connection' you have between God and others this Sunday.

Some scriptures that will prepare your mind and heart to receive are: I Corinthians 10:14-22 and 11:17-34; Acts 2:46; Exodus 12:43-51; and Mark 14:12-26.

This week let us pay careful attention to John 13:8 where Jesus tells Peter "If I do not wash you, you have no part of me", as well as John 13:14 where Jesus tells the disciples "You also ought to wash one another's feet".

While preparing for communion this Sunday please consider what our culture's equivalence of feet washing would be and how YOU can implement it as we gather together. It may look like paying someone else's bills. It may mean watching their child so they can have a break. It may mean fixing a fence for them. What do you think it means?

CHILD CARE
Are you interested in helping develop and minister to our youngest members? E-mail Les at LesAboutYou@Yahoo.com if you want more information.

CALENDAR
→ Resurrection Sunday at the Reid House—same times as services

→ Huntsville Camping Trip—Service Sunday morning at the campground; two shelters remain plus some camping sites. Don't camp? Consider getting a hotel for Saturday night so you can hang out with us around the campfire.

→ Mexico Mission's Trip Coming in June—SIGN UP NOW

→ Regular service begins again on Sunday, April 22nd @ 10:10 AM

→ Youth Bible Study each Wednesday night. Contact Zeke, Fiona, or Jessica for more details and locations.

→ Child Care Coming Soon

Finding God

John 1:47-49 says "When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body". Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.” Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”

As intelligent and modern thinking people we often think that we have 'found God when in reality He found us. It is similar to Columbus 'discovering' a land that would become to be known as America; the land mass of America was already here and populated by many nations of peoples. Columbus simply found something that he was looking for yet had never before seen.

In the same way a baby 'discovers' their feet. Their feet were always there and their parents placed socks and shoes on them and cut their toenails. But one day, several months into life, the baby stretches out their arms and grabs onto something new and fun that they never before knew existed.

Discovering God is very similar to this. Our journey in life is one constant search for the One Who Was and Is and Always Will Be: God. He exists and has always existed.

We search for Him and 'discover' Him and yet never know the fullness of Him because He is so immense.

Jesus knew Nathanael long before Nathanael was introduced to Jesus and 'found' Him to be the Son of God and the King of Israel.

Our journey is made more joyful in the discovering of who God is. We are created to look for God, find God, and know God.

So, even as we have 'found' God He was never lost and in the larger reality 'found' us.

Like a parent that plays hide and seek, the pleasure for the seeker is in the discovery of Him; the looking around each corner, the anticipation of something good at the end of the search, and the enjoyment of looking together for the One Who is Hidden.

Yet, like a little child playing the game we are not really very good at seeking so God comes and finds us and places Himself in front of us so that He may be found. God takes great joy in being found and loves to watch us as we discover Him.

In hide and seek finding the 'hidden' individual ends the game. This is not so in our journey with God where finding God is not the end of the game; it is just the beginning.

Finding God is the beginning of reality and not the end of reality; in fact, finding God moves us into His eternal plan for us as He is the greatest reality ever and the foundation for all that is real.

In John, Chapter One Jesus is found by two of John's disciples. That same day one of those disciples, Andrew, goes and gets Simon Peter and introduces him to Jesus. The very next day Jesus 'found' Philip who promptly went and got Nathanael who then 'found' Jesus.

God is found everywhere and in everything. There is nothing good or beautiful of kind that does not contain God. Jesus came to earth to be 'found' by mankind in a new and intimate way that was originally intended in the Garden of Eden.

Jesus came to earth to be found and so that a heavenly life here on earth could be found; a life where we have the potential to be in constant companionship with God.

Jesus is FOUND:

a. In the TEMPLE (Mark 1:21)
b. In our HOMES (Mark 1:29)
c. At PARTIES (John 2:2)
d. Along the STREETS and PATHS (Mark 1:16
e. In the FIELDS (Luke 6:1)
f. WHEREVER 2 or 3 ARE GATHERED in HIS NAME (Matthew 18:20)
g. WHEREVER YOU ARE (I Corinthians 3:16)

As Jesus was found in these practical places so can God be found today.

Join me as we 'find' God in all the right places and even in some very interesting and unchurchy, non-religious places.

Do You Remember When?

Do you remember when flip flops were meant just for the beach and not for everyday wear? Do you remember when only girls used mousse and hair gel for their hair?

Do you remember when tattoos were only for bikers? Do you remember when white suits were considered cool? Do you remember when rap did not exist?

Do you remember the first kiss you had? Do you remember the first time you drove? Do you remember the first paycheck you received?
Do you remember the first time you were sent to the principal's office?

Do you remember where you were when 9/11 happened?
Do you remember who won the Super Bowl in the year 2000?

Do you remember when you were first called to follow Jesus? Jesus calls us into a relationship with God and says that we must follow Him in order to get close to God.

Jesus told Philip to follow Him (John 1:43). This idea of following Jesus is the foundation for moving into a deeper and more fulfilling relationship with God. Following Jesus is simple Christianity.

When we follow Jesus all other things will be fulfilled. We will gather together as Believers, we will pray and study our Word, we will disciple others, we will reach out to the spiritually lost, we will seek to give to the least of these, and on and on and on.

When we follow the basic of following Jesus we will get everything else right.

Do you remember when you were first called to follow Jesus? If you don't remember an exact date why not think back and set a date and a year of when you knew that you knew you were a follower of His?

I can remember several times of 'conversion' where I got SAVED from hell during a hellfire and brimstone message and literally ran to the altar scared (and scarred!) to death.

Yet, I've chose the date in my little blue Baptist baptism Bible from California as the day I decided to become a follower of Jesus. It is solid and it probably explains why my path followed a quite drastically different path then my brothers.

Remember by writing the date in your Bible as well as writing the physical location, the city and state, and the 'witnesses' to your decision to follow Jesus.

Remembering when we decided to follow Jesus (or when Jesus decided to call us?) will help us remember that God found us and invited us into a relationship with Him; an invitation into a family, a party, and a dance instead of an invitation into an exclusive and boring club with strict dress codes.

Church Plant Happenings

This Friday Night: Girl's Night Pajama Party!
You won't want to miss out on this PARTY at Martha DelGiorno's house. This Friday night, March 23rd @ 7:00 PM is sure to be a blast.

All ladies and girls are invited! There will be games, food, and prizes. Come wearing your favorite PJ's and slippers. Be sure to invite a friend.

Call Martha at 281.246.4270 or just mapquest their address at 14211 Ashland Landing Drive, Cypress, TX (off of 249).

This Sunday's Gathering
Come prepared this Sunday. Come prepared to give relationally, financially, in worship, and in your ministry gifts. Come prepared to be stretched, to grow closer to God and others, and to enjoy the presence of God and His children.

Come prepared to minister one to another and come prepared in the presence of God.

God willing our discussion will be from John, chapter one, verses 35-51. Go ahead and read these verses and around these verses and allow God's Spirit to teach you BEFORE the 'teaching' begins!

This Easter Sunday We Are Leaving the Building
During the beginning stage of our development as a people we are trying to keep our focus on doing church in a more organic fashion. This past Sunday we saw that when we left the building and had crawdads and bbq at the Ulrich Home. Easter Sunday we are going to celebrate together at the Reid Home. We will gather together for prayer at 9:00 AM, coffee and donuts at 9:30 AM, and worship and learn together at 10:10 in the morning.

PRAYER REQUEST:
Remember to continue to pray for the development of the vision and heart of this Church Plant. We have moved out in faith and are expecting God to do great things. Specifically, pray that God's presence will be thick in the midst of everything we do and that God's favor will be upon us.

As we announced several weeks ago, we are in the process of looking for a house/building that will serve as the ministry offices, training center, and a basic meeting place for us as we continue to meet on Sunday's at Main Street Crossing. Please dedicate some time to prayer in regards to our first purchase as we desire that our 'property' reflect God's desire for us to be a church in the midst of the community.