Sunday Summary

I told you previously that people wait with great anticipation to see what God is going to do in the services of Emmanuel. Today was another good reminder and it really is hard to believe that any church in such a small town can have so many exciting things happening on a regular basis. Let me share a few with you...

• This week, we had 2 people saved and both plan to be baptized next Sunday.

• We also have a family that recently moved to our area that will be baptized next Sunday and they plan to make EBC their church home.

• Tonight, a young boy walked up to me and handed me a note. It said, "I want to be baptized." We talked about baptism and I introduced him to our Children's Pastor, who also talked to him. It's exciting to see children taking spiritual steps. David also focused the Children's Church message on explaining why we give an invitation. Many children responded and some godly adults were there to deal with each need.

• I continued the sermon series on Worship and pointed out how many people have started worshipping worship, rather than worshipping God. Too often, it is the "style" of worship that divides a church. People argue over songs with Christ-centered lyrics, then get in the car and listen to Country, Hip-Hop, etc. That's ridiculous! Church-goers argue over what they like and don't like in church, then go watch some movie with profanity, vulgarity, nudity, and alot of other "tease"' in there. It's no wonder the unsaved world thinks we're crazy. Some in our churches are!

• Just before this entry, I posted an article I wrote back in Feb. 2003, entitled, "What Type of Worship Does God Prefer?" I encourage you to read it slowly and carefully. At the end, you might want to join Matt Redmon in saying, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship... I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it... It's all about you, Jesus!"

• Lori showed a great video clip on worship. You can view it at http://www.tangle.com/ and it's entitled "The Gift of Worship."

• This afternoon, our adult basketball league started with 31 adults showing up and several others that plan to join in, but could not be here today. Thanks to Justin for coordinating this effort.

• Tonight, we hosted a "Night of Praise," which is a musical worship experience that included instrumentalists, soloists, groups, our adult choir, children's choirs, and congregational singing. It was a great way to culminate a day focused on worship. Thanks to everyone for the time you spent preparing.

• Thanks to Paul for sharing his testimony with our church. Paul was a flight mechanic, living in Texas, and running from God. He was riding a motorcycle, but not wearing a helmet when he hit a deer. That accident changed his life forever. Paul was in a coma for six months and God spared his life. Paul sings in our choir and is looking for how God might use his painful experience to encourage others. Paul has a great sense of humor and never meets a stranger. If you know of any person or group that Paul might be able to help, or if you know of an opportunity for him to share his testimony with others, please contact our church office and we'll link you to Paul. He wants God to use him!

• Finally, Emmanuel Christian School is also experiencing God's blessings. Our basketball teams will be heading to the playoffs, our drama department is preparing the spring play, our fine arts department is preparing for ECS Day on March 8, and our enrollment keeps climbing and is way ahead of years past -- in spite of the recession. It's good to see that families are committed to Christian education.