Jesus and Pancakes

Tomorrow (August 22) we officially kick off our fall semester of college ministry at WFBC. As we kick off the year we are going to feature two of my favorite things. First, Jesus! We start our new series "The Gospel of Mark" in College Bible Study tomorrow morning @ 9:30am in the basement. I am excited about this study because we will get up close and personal with Jesus. We will walk with him as he heals the sick, calms storms, casts out demons, feeds thousands and teaches like no one else ever has. We will also walk beside him as he is betrayed by a best friend, delivered over to be beaten, and crucified for us. And finally we will be there when the women discover that the tomb is empty and that death has been defeated. Yeah I'm pretty stoked about Mark because Mark is all about JESUS.

The second thing that happens tomorrow is we're gonna feed you all the pancakes you can eat for free! Every year we have a "back to school" meal. Some years it has been a breakfast and some years it has been a lunch this year we've combined the two: BREAKFAST FOR LUNCH. We will serve a lunch of pancakes and bacon along with juice and coffee immediately following the 11:00am worship service. The great news is that you don't have to sign up to eat. Just show up and we'll feed you.

At the lunch we will tell you all the ways you can plug in at WFBC. We'll have small group sign-ups and information relating to guy's and girl's Bible studies as well as info on retreats and mission trips we will take this year. This is a huge day for us so plan on being there and bring a friend for Jesus and pancakes!

Fall 2010

Wow! What an amazing day with students back in town. College Bible Study was standing room only today as we wrapped up our study through Titus. I want to encourage you if you are a student or you know a College student, to get involved with a small group and plug into a local church as soon as possible.

I want to remind of three things that will happen next week:

1. College Bible Study @ 9:30 in the basement. We will begin a new study through the Gospel of Mark. Bring your bible and a friend.

2. FREE LUNCH- Breakfast for lunch next Sunday following the 11:00 AM worship service-- you can sign up HERE on our college facebook page.

3. We will launch 3 new small groups next Sunday night. These groups will provide you with an opportunity to meet students and to connect with a family in our church. Space is limited so if you want to be part of a small group e-mail Pastor Vic: vicdoss@gmail.com or shoot him a text 706-202-1764

Begins August 22nd @ 9:30 AM

INTEGRITY

Check out Pastor Vic's discussion of integrity here.

Titus 1

This week we continued our journey through Titus. A few observations from our text this week:

1. God takes the qualifications for elders seriously

2. Because God takes it seriously so should we

3. To figure out whether a guy is above reproach we need to observe his life in two areas: Family and overall character

4. An elder/pastor has two main jobs: here I'll quote Calvin--"A Pastor has two voices one for gathering sheep one for driving away wolves and thieves"

Next week we will continue to our journey through Titus--let me encourage you to read through this short letter during the week.

Beautiful Noise

It has been said that every generation can be defined by the music they listen to and the songs they sing. We all know how powerful songs can be. Songs can carry deep emotions from joy to sorrow. We often connect certain songs to different experiences in our life. How many of us can sing songs we learned when we were small children?

With the powerful impact that songs and music can have on us as humans it should not surprise us that God has given us and entire collection of "songs" in his book. You may know them better as the Psalms. In the Psalms we find the lyrics to 150 songs that show us the majesty of our great God and the messiness of our lives intertwined. We hear the pain, and sorrow of people who feel distant from God. We hear the hope filled celebration of people who know what it means to be delivered and find grace instead of judgement. We hear what it means to love God and be loved by him. So join us over the next few weeks as we see what it means to make a beautiful noise to our God who is the rock of our salvation.

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!" (Psalm 95:1-2)

The Cross Matters

Between now and Easter Sunday our worship services will focus on the cross and the substitutionary death of Jesus for our sins. In light of that I wanted to share the following from Chris Tomlinson:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2010/02/15/why-the-cross-matters/

Repentance

"Repentance is not an emotion. It is not feeling sorry for your sins. It is a decision. It is deciding that you have been wrong in supposing that you could, manage your own life and be your own god; it is deciding that you were wrong in thinking that you had, or could get, the strength, education and training to make it on your own; it is deciding that you have been told a pack of lies about yourself and your neighbors and your world. And it is deciding that God in Jesus Christ is telling you the truth. Repentance is the realization that what God wants from you and what you want from God are not going to be achieved by doing the same old things, thinking the same old thoughts. Repentance is a decision to follow Jesus Christ and become is pilgrim in the path of peace."--Eugene Peterson

New Series Starts February 7

You may not realize this, but the minute you became a believer, God began to change the way you think about everything. Before you put your faith in Christ, you lived to please yourself, you were unwilling to ignore the desires of your flesh, and you weren’t bothered by your sin. That’s how the world is wired. But thanks to Jesus you’ve been rewired. You have a new desire to do what is right, but desire alone isn’t enough.

Thankfully, God has given you everything you need to function with this new mind-set. This month we’re going to look at how this rewiring works in us through God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.

If you haven’t been coming to College Bible study I want to encourage you to give it a shot this week. See you Sunday.

Vic

Treasure Principle--week 2

God owns everything. I'm His money manager.

Most of us are materialist. Our trouble is that we don't realize it. We live in a culture that continually bombards us with the mantra that "we can have it all". As you move through your week this week I want to challenge you to hold your possessions with an open hand.

When we get this truth that God owns it all into our hearts it makes it easier for us to use our stuff for his kingdom. Paul told the church in Corinth, "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor 9:7). This does not mean we should only give when we are happy. Often the "cheer" comes as we submit to God's gracious reign in our lives and obey when he prompts us to give.

Here's a question for you to think about tis week:

When was the last time you gave yourself a chance to experience the fulfillment that comes with generous giving?