It isn’t circumstances that create joy in us – it is our willful, purposeful choice to cultivate the right attitudes in the midst of any and all circumstances. This weekend, I’ll be teaching part two of our new series, Happy, Happy, Happy! It’s based on an ancient letter written from a guy in prison to a church in poverty, and it’s all about joy! Bring somebody that needs encouraging!
On another note, I’ve felt a real stirring in my heart the last few weeks concerning the future of Grace Hills. I believe God is up to some really big things and I’m asking you to spend time in prayer for me, for our leadership, and for our community as we ask God’s direction. As I’ve been praying about what is next, I’ve been asking God to grow us as a church body and to grow our faith as individuals as well. Let me remind you of a few of our core values, which I’ll be writing about in the next few weeks:
#2 – We will attempt big things for a big God. We will go “all in,” choosing to take risks in faith over playing it safe.
#3 – We will do whatever it takes, short of sin, to find people far from God and lead them to life in Jesus.
#9 – We stay fast, fluid, and flexible. There are no sacred cows. We embrace the pain of change for the win of seeing more people meeting Jesus.
You can see all of our core values here, but these three apply particularly to what is on my heart. For us to claim these as values, we have to be willing to live them out for real. And if I could add a bonus, it would be that we celebrate failure when we are able to learn and grow forward from it, so we don’t have to have a perfect performance, just an all-in effort.
Thank you for being Grace Hills in northwest Arkansas this week! I’ll see you Sunday at the theater!
Brandon