On Sunday October 15,
Ridge UMC family heard a powerful testimony from John and Sue Molenaar about
how God has moved through their lives and marriage in an extraordinary way. Thank you John & Sue, for being amazing
servants!
As Jesus wants to do
something extraordinary in your life and mine, Jesus needs to grow our hearts
and thus enlarge your capacity; making us a new creation. Capacity not only is
about having a bigger heart to love more… but capacity is also about having a greater
power to accomplish loving others.
Jesus grows our capacity to
love. How are you giving Jesus your heart to grow your love capacity?
Holding your heart back. Feeling shy, or bruised or timid. Extend
even your broken heart for Jesus to mend and then wait and see how he will grow
into back into your heart with an even greater capacity.
We are also challenged
to stretch our commitment to God in Jesus. If we stretch our commitment to Jesus and his
ways, then our deeper commitment will reap deeper investment. If we
hold back, or limit our investment, we will gain only a little.
The same can be said
about generosity. Generosity begets generosity. Over the past month
as we have watched one hurricane after another impact, Texas, Florida, the
keys, and Puerto Rico- you have responded generously. We delivered over a
dozen health kits, a flood bucket, four boxes of cleaning supplies, and that is
all over and above the $4,542.00 we have sent onto UMCOR! Wow- talk about
stretching our commitment to be people of generosity… and we did that while
giving to our ministries and our Thrive campaign! WOW, well done, Ridge.
We are encouraged to
expand our influence in the lives of others as our God blesses us with an
expanding notion of family and friendships. As Jesus wants to do something
extraordinary in your life and mine, Jesus expands who our neighbors are and
thus grows the next ripple or ring in our sphere of influence. Who
is Jesus nudging you to mentor? Invite to coffee? Invest life or spiritual
advice into? Pour life into? Don’t think you’re too old
or too young or too anything… Jesus has someone in mind for you.
Enlarging
capacity, stretching commitment, expanding influence- imagine what God could do
through you, through me, through us- when we trust Jesus with what we’ve been
blessed with. What if… what if you and I both did something
extraordinary for Jesus? – this is our what if challenge as we lean into
planning and preparing for our ministries in 2018!
See you at Jesus’ possibility
place,
Pastor Michelle
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