2008 - A year of and FOR, New Beginnings...

Last night I could hardly sleep.. I had so much on my mind I knew I needed to write.. (been awhile).. The Lord was showing me things last night about the whole recent merging process our (now former) church has been going thru.


The following is pretty long. But I encourage you to take time to read this - especially if you need encouragement - or, if ya just want to know what I've been up to lately!


Blessings,
Sheri
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This “process” many of us have been going thru with City Church has been very interesting. My personal experience so far has been such and is most certainly, a journey. Of course many “journeys” do include “bumps in the road”, going thru a desert at times […not dessert, the kind you eat!…] as well as finding rest along the way. This is certainly true for me thus far. I am finding also that I am receiving much and I am being fed VERY well (and some of the “meals” have felt like a “dessert”! lol).
Of course this hasn’t been all fun and games because like I said, this is a process. Yes I was a leader, yes I had to “lay it down”, I’ve questioned the Lord about all the visions/dreams & hopes I’ve had for NBC, myself and my husband. Has this process been easy? Not in the beginning. (December was especially tough). Have I grieved about it? OH YEAH.. (hence my reference to the “desert”). Am I done with grieving? Hm. I’m honestly not sure. However, I do believe I have come thru a lot of it and am feeling especially hopeful. So what is helping me feel hopeful? Well there’s a mix of things I believe that are contributing to this & have listed them below:

• Prayer
  We are definitely being prayed for. City Church is without a doubt a church of prayer. Also there is a verse in the bible which says that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father who daily intercedes for us. (Was reminded of that this morning quite frankly). And of course Pastor John, Pastor Rhonda, & many of our NBC family are faithful ones who pray for each other in addition to their own immediate family members & their needs. Well hey, that’s a lot isn’t it! […btw, I sure appreciate & thank anyone who has for me…]. When someone from their church has prayed for me – its never been “weird” for one. If anything, it has been positive and I am encouraged that God has not forgotten me, has not left me by the wayside etc.
  
  
• Membership Seminar
  I was in short, AMAZED. Why?? Well, for those who haven’t been able to attend this yet, perhaps like me you’ll find out just how thorough City Church is. (And very well organized I keep finding..). This is a very insightful and well put together seminar which answered many questions I had. (Am curious to find out what others who went also thought, hint, hint!!). I began feeling something that someone else made a comment to me which was wonderfully surprising (& encouraging). I was glad to know they felt this way & that I wasn’t the only one! Its this - Yes this is a HUGE church – however I don’t feel that way! I don’t feel LOST IN THE CROWD. If you do, may I encourage you to come more often than you are now? Go thru the membership seminar & the classes also.

• Weekly services
  In past emails I have mentioned that Willis & I have attended Bell Town on several occasions & how I felt about it. (Email or call me if you didn’t get those & I’ll gladly tell you about it!). Here’s the thing, I come away from each service feeling very encouraged & loved by the Lord. Not only that, but time & again He shows me how He’s led us to this point, how we’re exactly where we are supposed to be, and there truly are GREAT and MANY wonderful opportunities that lie ahead! I do appreciate those who have been concerned that it might be hard for me to lay things down, because at 1st it really wasn’t easy. Now it is getting easier & I am excited! I was chatting with someone saying how I’m not only smiling at church, I’m smiling even at work! By the way, I have an opportunity to go to a class that Pastor Leon is teaching on Wednesday nights. (For those not familiar who this is, he is the “Creative Arts Pastor – basically, over worship). I am extremely excited about this. This will allow me to hear his heart, his expectations, get his “DNA” if you will, meet other musicians and basically – begin relationship with others who are involved on the many worship teams he has! And I must say, forging & building new relationships are extremely important in this whole process.
  Just this past Sunday I was so blessed to watch what I feel was a historic moment for City Church. Pastor Judah was ordained as an Elder. Those who presided over this of course included both his parents, Pastors Wendell & Gini, with his beautiful wife Pastor Chelsea by his side, and there were others who spoke words God gave them over his & Chelsea’s life. I sat watching this, and was moved to tears. Here’s the youth pastor whom I’ve been so privileged to hear speak at the many youth conferences/youth pastor/leader lunches I’ve been to – and I’m watching God honoring him, exhorting him, reminding him of past promises and being given new ones as well. I was awestruck. Not at people or their positions etc. – but at the Lord’s working in them! At His promises, His faithfulness! I felt this was an incredibly noteworthy moment in time along the road that City Church has been traveling since 1992. Indeed an amazing moment to look back on as God’s promises are fulfilled time & time again. I am also astounded. Of all things, here I am getting to see this most historic moment. Hey, I could’ve been somewhere else. I mean, what if I had given in to the many times I wanted to leave NBC? What if I had given in to bitterness & left, for what ever the reason? […And I am reminded of course that if anyone had good reason to leave, it was Pastor John & Rhonda, but they didn’t & God is & has been rewarding them for their obedience to the Lord…] Redundant as this may sound, it seems that it was good to the Lord to have merged the journey NBC was on and merge it with the journey City Church has been walking. And I am SO HAPPY I am not missing out! (For you “old-timers” – join with me now in the chorus of: “We’ve only just begun…”.. LOL!)
  


• TRAKS (Classes)
  -Encounter Retreat. Willis & I just attended one.
  -Membership seminar is also a TRAK which I mentioned already.
  -Discipleship. We have been to one session so far & not only learned, we enjoyed it as well. (We have a very good teacher!).
  
  These are ways to become connected, meet new people & discover their “treasures”. Let me explain a little. Carey told me of a couple he met (and introduced Willis to the husband). This is a mixed couple just like us (and who are about our age I think). What I found interesting was that they are getting involved with the Foster children ministry, even though they have several grown children, with one left to go before they would be considered “empty nesters”. HM! Willis also met a young man (YP age) who recently graduated from a college in the town where Willis grew up.. Imagine the chances of that?! Too funny. Oh but wait, this gets better! At our Encounter retreat, we each had a prayer partner. The young lady I was paired with is a beautiful latino, newly married - and - is also a musician (wants to get involved with the worship team). Noo.. wait.. there’s even MORE! (I love this, hehe!) Sure, I was excited to find this out – but as she & I were chatting, the thought went thru my mind, “ask her who & where her husband is. He’s Willis’s prayer partner.” I thought, no way, get outta here! But then I thought, wow how funny would that be?! I waited a moment, the thought persisted, so I asked.. She pointed him out to me & sure enough, he was the guy sitting next to Willis & was indeed his prayer partner!! NO KIDDING…!! Hello people?! Cool huh. But that’s SO like God to do that kind of thing!
  


• Resources
  -Books. “Great Faith” by Pastor Wendell – I am almost done reading this book. This is a WONDERFUL resource to know his heart for the church, background of the church and so much more. Do you need encouragement? Read this book. Do you need to be challenged in the area of faith – read this book! Do you need to gain a better understanding of what the church is about? READ THIS BOOK! Haa.. getting the idea yet?
  -The church website is another great resource – also gives some history, as well as other things.
  -Small Groups. There are SO MANY DIFFERENT ones available! Not only that but are in many different locations! (A new catalogue will be available sometime in Feburary).
  -Information desk. Each campus has one where you can go ask questions about the church.
  -The visitor’s reception after service (I think this happens after each service).
  -Bookstore. There is a bookstore at each location. They don’t just sell books written solely by those from City Church, they stock books by many authors – Joyce Meyers is one example (just picked one up the other day).
  
  One thing that bothers me is when people at work don’t use their resources to do their work effectively and correctly. OK that’s a little different from this but I’d really hate for anyone to miss out on what God has for them, y’know? Especially if someone is not getting connected, and feeling discouraged.
  So I exhort each one who has questions – do not let them go unanswered! USE YOUR RESOURCES.. if you can’t get to the church, then don’t let that stop you – to my knowledge, we ALL have phones – so please, be brave & call! If that’s intimidating or is uncomfortable for you to do then call/email me. I am happy to help answer questions! If I can't, then I will certainly find someone who can & relay the information.

The thing is, at some point we have to face our fears, let go of them, LET GO of the past, your hurts, expectations, disappointments. We have ALL HAD them. So whoever this last piece is for – take that step and move forward – God will never let you down!

This pretty much encapsulates my experience thus far in my journey… I pray you find encouragement in reading this. Please leave me a comment (click below) and no, you don't have to be a member of blogger to do so.. just be sure to leave your name so I know who you are at least - thanks, Sheri :-)