What's New At Grace
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By Melissa Chapman. So, picture this: I get this text from one of our leaders, sporting these funky post-eye surgery glasses. And what does one of our clubbers say? "Did I forget it was crazy glasses night?" Classic, right? The leader said "No, I had to have work done on my eyes." The sparky then follows it up with, "I'm praying for you, and I love you!" Talk about melting hearts faster than a popsicle on a summer day! Cue the tears of joy! Then there's this other leader, who, let's be real, wasn't exactly jumping for joy about joining Awana. But guess what? He is now itching to dive into a bigger leadership role next year. Who knew hanging out with a bunch of energetic kids could be so addictive? And let's not forget our verse-memorizing adventures. One leader was feeling a bit bummed about a clubber struggling with their verses. But lo and behold, the next morning, she's belting out an Awana song like she's auditioning for "The Voice"! God reminded that leader that there are many ways for clubbers to learn about God, like using catchy tunes! As we gear up to celebrate the end of another wild Awana ride this Tuesday, please be praying. We'll have unchurched families coming in to witness their kids' triumphs, and Pastor Paul will be speaking. Let's believe that his message will be a homerun, and land in the fields of fertile hearts! And before I sign off, let's not forget one of my favorite verses: Mark 10:15 (NIV): "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." So, here's to embracing our inner child, crazy glasses and all! Until next time, keep the faith, keep it fun, and keep those Awana adventures coming! God Bless. ~Melissa Celebration Sunday is Coming!
May 19th will be a Sunday of Celebration! What will we be celebrating? A Good God who does incredible things! We will celebrate with those being Baptized! We will celebrate by voting on new Elders for the Church Elder Board! We will celebrate the many ways God is working in our community and through our missionaries! Do you have something you are celebrating that you want to share with us? We want to hear your testimony of God’s goodness in your life. We want to talk with you about the possibility of being baptized. We want to talk with you about dedicating your kids. We want to help you share your testimony. I am encouraged whenever I experience these things and I know you will be too. If you have questions or want to setup a meeting with one of our pastors, call church office or come and find one of us on a Sunday. This is coming quick, and we don’t want you to miss out. Office Email: frontdesk@gracechurchkesleyville.org Office Phone: (707) 279-8448 Join us for the Twentieth Annual Man Day at Kelseyville Church! It's that time of year again to rise and shine for a day filled with laughter, games, delicious food, and fellowship with other men. Get ready to enjoy hilarious moments, indulge in some friendly competition, and witness brave souls (or perhaps fools) take part in the infamous belly flop contest. Yes, you heard it right! Even Pastor Brent Smith has committed to taking the plunge in the 2024 contest, as captured in the video below by Pastor Josh Bridges. Let's all share a good laugh at his expense, while Pastor Brent contemplates his life choices with a hint of fear! Who's invited to Man Day? Any and every man! It's the perfect opportunity to invite your friends to join in on the fun. What can you expect at Man Day? A feast awaits, along with a variety of yard games including ladder golf, cornhole, pickleball, skeet shooting, soccer, whiffle ball, frisbee golf, and by popular demand, the addition of axe throwing to this year's lineup of activities. Don't miss out on this exciting event! Mark your calendars and spread the word.As Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are here, the Lord keeps reminding me of what He’s done for me; His faithfulness is overwhelming as I look back over my life. Quick overview: I grew up in an amazing Christian home with parents that faithfully used Proverbs 22:6, “train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” as a parenting guideline. I honestly don’t remember a time that I didn’t know Jesus. I remember praying to be saved when I was super little with my mom, followed by multiple times at Sparks, you know, just to make sure it “stuck”. At 11, I was baptized, started digging into the Word more independently while serving in my church. I married my high school crush 16+ years ago and we’re blessed with four amazing children! I’ve been very blessed, but the truth is, I’m a sinner and need God’s mercy and grace! Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”. I know I fall way short! But you know what? He loved me so much that “…He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Did you catch that? God loved me so much that He didn’t leave me on my own to die in my sin! Instead “… He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) He saved me!! Hallelujah! After saving me, He saw fit to allow an array of trials throughout my life to mold me into the woman He wants me to be. By His strength alone He’s faithfully brought me through sexual assaults, depression with attempting suicide, infertility to late term pregnancy loss, chronic pain, and debilitating illnesses. The verse that the Lord always had rolling around in my head when each new trial hit was Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” At first, I didn’t want to believe what that verse says. How could a loving God allow me, a super-sheltered homeschool Christian girl be assaulted? How was I supposed to glorify God when I was so depressed that I’d rather be dead? How could earnestly praying for a baby then losing them days to weeks later be for my good? How could I serve the Lord when it hurt to just get out of bed? Through His faithfulness again, the Lord lovingly gave me His answer in 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” God had a purpose for each one of those trials. The Lord intentionally used each trial to teach me how to depend on Him alone to get through each day. No amount of striving on my part was ever going to be enough. His strength alone is what carries me through each day. As we prepare our hearts to remember what Jesus did for His children on the cross, I want to share with you one more verse that constantly reminds me of what the Lord’s death daily accomplishes for His children. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” May this beautiful promise that nothing can separate us from Him be the lifeline that carries you through the trials and storms of this world. May you walk in His strength and grace! ~Holly “Oh Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” ~ Psalm 34:8 Sweet fellowship, while sipping tea with scones and tea cookies, made for an amazing morning! It felt as if the Lord gave a small glimpse of what heaven will be like! The room was filled with stories of God's faithfulness, grace and love in. Saying it was uplifting and a respite from the negativity of the world, is putting it mildly. Making this day exceptionally perfect took a tremendous amount of effort... Thank you Melissa, and all the other ladies who organized, baked, set-up, cleaned, and shared their china sets to make this a day to remember! The sun is coming out, the cold is going away, spring is in the air. I don't know about you, but I love springtime. It is during this time that I start doing one of my very favorite things. This is the time of year I start making my garden. In the beginning before the Fall, Adam and Eve walked with God through the Garden of Eden. The Lord had given dominion over the earth to mankind and that garden must have been beautiful. Now, mankind has lost much of what was because of our sin, but because of God's amazing grace he has allowed us to still have some of this. The fact that God has given us the ability to take a bunch of dirt and turn it into something beautiful and sweet and nourishing is a testament of his love for mankind. I am so blessed to have a Heavenly Father who gives me so much in my life. Now gardening might not be your thing but as you go through your day today look for the little gifts that God has given you! Because He has richly blessed us with so much.
-Pastor Josh Satan. Who wants to think about him? Not me! If I’ve learned just one thing over the last couple of years it’s that God is way more fun than I ever realized. And satan? He’s the opposite.
I don’t want to give satan much airtime, but it’s worth mentioning him and the demonic right now because it seems we as a church may have “poked the bear.” How so? As soon as 400+ of us from Grace Church started going through the discipleship book satan took notice and jumped to action. And why wouldn’t he? We’re growing closer to the Lord, we’re fasting more, praying more, memorizing, hearing, obeying, journaling, meeting, uniting. Yeah, he’d be stupid not to notice. But what do we do about that? How do we battle through the yuck that he’s trying to create?
Satan doesn’t win. He came to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But our God? He gave us Jesus that we may have life NOW to the full. (John 10:10) We get to be in communion with our HOLY GOD! We get to hear directly from Him! We get to be filled with Holy Spirit and operate in the Supernatural! Wow! Let’s do this, friends! Onward and upward! “Now to Him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 Ladies: You are cordially invited to join us for High Tea “A Time-Honored Tradition” on March 23rd here at Grace Church. Come for a morning of elegance, fellowship, and discussion about what God is doing in our lives. We will have conversations over steaming cups of tea and an array of delectable treats. To ensure we prepare enough treats for all our guests, kindly RSVP. Date: March 23rd
Start Time: 10:00 am RSVP: By texting "Tea for ...." with the number of ladies attending to 707-289-3934 or call the church office to reserve your spot. Dress: Embrace the spirit of the occasion by donning your best tea outfit! Hats and gloves are not only welcomed but encouraged! Would you like to contribute or volunteer to help? Sign up under the tent on Sunday. We need:
Let's come together to celebrate the timeless tradition of high tea and create cherished memories in the company of wonderful women. We can't wait to share this delightful experience with you! This past Saturday, we had a great time during the Men's Breakfast at Grace Church. 63 guys came out and we were able to eat well, get to know some new guys, and hear a short devotional from Mike Nickel. Men's breakfasts are not just about eating food, but also about getting to know brothers in Christ better. There are many things that a person can choose to do on a Saturday morning, thank you to those who served us and came out for some fellowship. See you next time!Let's chat for a moment about puzzles. I was on vacation recently and a puzzle made it to the table. It had so…many…pieces…. Not only was it a lot of pieces, but the picture was one of those abstract ones that doesn’t even give clear edges or much help for assembling. Sure, I can spend time putting this thing together and I did slowly put a piece or two in place from moment to moment during our trip. I don’t know that I can say this experience was very enjoyable. There was a small sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in each piece, but it honestly felt like a chore, not a joyful light experience. Fast-forward a few weeks later. I'm doing a puzzle with my three-year-old and the thing practically puts itself together just by taking it out of the box. As it required little to no effort with so few obviously shaped and colored pieces to put togetherand, there was no sense of accomplishment at all.
Let's bring this same concept to our discipleship series. Are you drowning in the complexities of the assignment? If yes, take a few steps back and set the goal on being spiritually challenged and growing in what you know about God and how you can best follow Him. Let the person that is walking with you know you are struggling and ask for help. Focus on single elements of growth. Don’t be tempted to settle for laziness or less than spiritual growth and maturity, but also don’t drown in the heaviness of some of the concepts. Here is a quote for you to let your mind rest on for a moment: “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever reaching the bottom.” St. Jerome Don’t drown, but don’t be that awkward adult wading in the kiddie pool either. Be challenged. For those that love the thought of a complex puzzle and are ready to dive off the high-dive into deep waters, take the extra steps. Some of the weeks in your devotional have a “further study” section. Do the further study and dig deeper into the concepts. Reach out to other spiritual theologians and be challenged by their thoughts or insights on the topics at hand. Keep the proper goals in mind. Our goal is that God would bring about spiritual maturity and growth in us. We don’t have to compare ourselves to others in order to grow. If you have never fasted before, engage with this new discipline. If you have fasted many times before, build on what you have already done many times. If you are overwhelmed, say something and adjust something to not be overwhelmed. Don’t give up, just change something about what you are doing. I think if there had been a few less pieces or a more clear picture I may have actually completed the puzzle while on my trip. Find a way to take joy in the process of growing in Christ and make adjustments so that you don’t just quit. This week's challenges:
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