This Week In The News - May 14, 2014

photo © 2011 Jon S, Flickr

"This Week In The News" is just a bunch of helpful, entertaining, beautiful, or otherwise interesting stuff we've found around the internet. Most of the time it will have something to do with the Church, but not necessarily. Also, just because we posted it here doesn't mean we always agree with or endorse the views and opinions expressed in the content posted below. We hope you enjoy!

500-year-old mystery: Wreck off Haiti may be Columbus' flagship Santa Maria
Is a sunken shipwreck off Haiti the long-lost remains of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus' flagship from his first voyage to the Americas?

How Do You Deal With Feeling Unloved?
Everyone feels the basic needs for love, security, and significance. But we should be wary of these psychological needs.

‘Bring Back Our Girls’
DOZENS of heavily armed terrorists rolled into the sleepy little town one night in a convoy of trucks, buses and vans. They made their way to the girls’ boarding school.

Why do we Abandon Reading Certain Books?
There are many books we all intend on reading someday and even go out of our way to buy, in the hopes we might read them. Sometimes they are a classic like Catch 22, War and Peace or The Republic.In other cases its published recently and we hear about it in the media, such as 50 Shades of Grey, The Casual Vacancy or the Goldfinch. What makes us abandon books after a few pages or never quite get into it?

If It Weren’t for Jesus, I Might be Pro-Death Too
Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler wrote a piece this week defending the death penalty. In his 1200 word argument for why Christians should support the death penalty, he does not mention Jesus a single time.

MIT Secular Students Successfully Lead Charge for Non-Religious Invocations at Graduation
On Friday, students at MIT received an email letting them know that their graduation ceremonies would no longer have a religious invocation.

Weekly Devotional - A Joyful Solution

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matthew 5:6

When I first read this verse, I imagined a straight laced, uptight, Bible-toting church boy. That kid who never let anyone see him do something wrong, and was always ready to call out sin when he saw it.  But I don't know if that's an accurate picture.

This is the girl who has lost a loved one to cancer. This is the boy who's father beats him every single day, for no real reason. This is for the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing, who wonder why someone would hate them so much. This is for those of us who have been oversees to third world countries, and seen the most abject poverty, and wonder who these people can still smile. These are the people who have come face to face with the brokenness of the world, and can't deny it. And they thirst for this brokenness to be fixed.

Enter the Gospel.

Jesus promises that one day they will. On the cross, Jesus dealt the death blow to Satan, sin, and death. And we look forward to the consummation of that victory at his second coming. Until then, He invites us into the joyful solution. Jesus has come to save the world, and as his Church, we're called to be his hands and feet. If you call yourself a Christian, you need to know that we're his plan.

So, echoing the words of Jesus, I invite you today to look out into the world, find something touched by unrighteousness, and do something to fix it. However small your action, it doesn't matter. Choose today to go be the Church.

Sit Down And Shut Up

Our culture is obsessed with talking. We love to hear the sound of our own voices. We love to tell the best stories; we enjoy having our opinions heard; we love being asked for advice. And those aren't always bad things. But sometimes we talk too much.

Matthew 5:5 says this, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." But the word meek doesn't mean much to us these days. It's just not a common word. So let’s look at another place in scripture where the word "meek" is used.

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." - James 1: 19-21

Here we have this example of a person who is a good listener, he thinks before he speaks or becomes angry. And then James sums up these characteristics by using the word meek.

Are you a better listener than you are a speaker? Next time you're hanging out with your friends, try listening instead of speaking. Don't think about what you're going to say as soon as they stop talking. Listen. Next time you're hanging out with one of your best friends, ask about their life. And again, really listen.

Why? Because the meek shall inherit the earth.

Weekly Devotional - The Teacher Speaks

"Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." - (Matthew 5:1-4, ESV)

Picture it. Set the scene in your head.

Jesus has just started his ministry. People are just starting to listen. He's gained the ear of the Jews. And the crowds have started to amass, to come and hear this new, courageous teacher of Scriptures. He climbs a hill, followed by his disciples. He sits. His disciples sit around him, waiting. The people gathered around fall silent, waiting as well. The teacher speaks...

And so begins the Sermon on the mount - an epic collection of Jesus' teachings in which he shows us what it means to live in the Kingdom of Heaven.

He begins with a seemingly contradictory statement.

"'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

How is it the poor end up inheriting a kingdom? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Do I have to be poor in spirit to gain the kingdom of heaven? It sounds like being poor in spirit means I can't own a flat screen TV or a swimming pool.

Here are five short devotional thoughts from these two verses.

This Is An Invitation
Jesus isn't writing pithy one-liners to put on bumper stickers or hallmark cards. He's giving us an invitation. He's asking us to become poor in spirit. He wants us to inherit the kingdom of God.

Being Poor In Spirit Has To Do With How We See Ourselves
It's that beautiful moment when we're relieved of the burden of self-reliance. It's understanding we're broken. It's realizing our own inability. It's knowing we're powerless, and unworthy of the love and affection of a God who is the opposite of all that. Poor in spirit means we see how deeply we're screwed - which is something that's easy to see when we look at humanity as a whole, but it's a hard thing to own up to personally.

God Cares For Those Who Turn To Him
Some might say it's unhealthy to look at ourselves as fundamentally flawed creatures. But I would simply ask which is more unhealthy, being sick and refusing to acknowledge it, or being sick and calling a doctor? Jesus says those who mourn shall be comforted. The only comfort which has any meaning is the Gospel. The only comfort which lasts is the love of Christ - that tangible, self-sacrificial, never-ending love which was the impetus of Christ's death on the cross. It's the only kind of love which comforts those who mourn.

We Must Live In A Contradictory Manner
Just like Jesus' first statement, we who seek to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth must live in a contradictory manner. This goes beyond not using swear words, smoking, or watching R-Rated movies. It means loving people in a radical (and tangible) way. It's understanding the self-sacrificial and never-ending love of Christ which drives us to love others with that same kind of tangible love. If you want to read a practical book about learning to love people in our day and age, go pick up Bob Goff's book "Love Does." It's a short and easy read packed with awesomeness based on the idea that love is a verb. These are the kind of people who inherit the kingdom of heaven - the ones who love like Jesus loved.

Being Poor In Spirit Ultimately Looks Like Humility
All of this combines to give us an attitude of humility - the poor in spirit are humble. They know they need help. They know it's not all about them, it's about Christ. And they want to help others in any and every way possible.

How can you seek to be poor in spirit this week? How can you show others a tangible and self-sacrificing love?

Weekly Devotional - Remaining Faithful, Even Through Hard Times

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.  

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:2-6, ESV)

Paul, the author of the book of Colossians, was a man well acquainted with suffering. He was beaten, whipped, betrayed, and was even shipwrecked. The book of Colossians was written from a prison cell. Paul was imprisoned for spreading the Gospel.

And yet Paul's main concern was still spreading the Gospel! He asks the Colossians to pray for him, that he would be able to leverage his current imprisonment to share the Gospel.

Often, when we face hard times, our first instinct can be to blame God. Maybe not directly, but we ask questions like, "God, why would you let this happen to me?" But to Paul, the answer to that question is clear. God let him be put in prison so he could share the Gospel. 

Paul goes on to ask for prayer, that he would be able to make the Gospel clear. And then he exhorts the Colossians to do as he does. To leverage their current situations to share the Gospel clearly.

Our circumstances, good or bad, are opportunities to speak of Christ's saving work on the cross. Your ability to remain faithful to Christ through hard times may be the strongest testimony of all.

What Would Kanye Do?

photo © 2009 editrixie, Flickr

Today I watched an interview in which Kanye was wearing one of those old WWJD bracelets popular when I was in 3rd grade. Kanye West has listed Jesus Christ as one of his biggest inspirations on more than one occasion. And it got me thinking. It's not like I can fault the rap artist for finding inspiration in the historical Jesus. Christ was an inspirational person with a radical message who changed the world. But it's telling when Kanye West is more inspired by Jesus Christ than many Christians I know.

Reading the gospels, the stories of Christ, it's captivating. The way he spoke, the way he taught, the stories and parables - I can't tear my eyes from the page. The way he loved people, the poor and the rich, the marginalized and those in power, it makes me nervous. It makes me think maybe the world doesn't revolve around me, and that's scary (I guess Kanye missed that part). It's like I become torn between wanting to keep reading and this desire to go out and BE like Jesus.

I mean, it's not always like that. There are a million distractions just waiting to stifle inspiration. I'm a nerd, so I'm always catching myself reading the Bible from an academic point of view rather than an awe-inspired point of view. Or I get busy with life, and simply fail to pay attention to who and Jesus actually is, and what he did and is doing.

So maybe we Christians need more a little more inspiration. Maybe we could spend a little less time discussing doctrine, political parties, and gay rights. Maybe instead of slinging verses at our opponents like fiery darts we could take a new look at Christ. A good look. One which moves us.

I think sometimes its easy to say we "Love Jesus." But isn't the lover of someone a person which has been deeply inspired by another? Kanye's bracelet was a reminder to me, today, to find inspiration in Jesus again.

This Week In The News - February 28, 2014

photo © 2011 Jon S, Flickr

"This Week In The News" is just a bunch of interesting, entertaining, or otherwise awesome stuff we've found around the internet. Most of the time it will have something to do with the Church, but not necessarily. Also, just because we posted it here doesn't mean we always agree with or endorse everything posted below. We hope you enjoy!

5 Things Christians Should Know About Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety tend to be some of those touchy subjects that are tough to tackle from a Christian perspective. It's not complicated just because the illnesses themselves are so complex, manifesting themselves in myriad ways, but also because perspectives about mental disorders vary greatly throughout the Church.

4 Reasons To Ban Solitary Confinement

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) touched on a controversial topic at its annual annual meeting this month — solitary confinement. University of Pittsburgh law professor Jules Lobel spoke at the conference about his role as lead counsel in a proposed class action lawsuit against Pelican Bay State Prison in California. Lobel is seeking to represent more than 1,000 prisoners there who spent at least a decade in solitary confinement.

Kerry slams N. Korea as 'an evil, evil place'

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called for global attention on North Korea, denouncing the isolated Asian nation as "an evil, evil place." "North Korea is one of the most closed and cruel places on earth. There's no question about it. There's evil that is taking place there that all of us ought to be deeply and are deeply concerned about," the top US diplomat said.

I'm In It To End It: #EndItMovement

Around the world, there are presently almost 30 million people in slavery—a truly staggering number, quite possibly the largest number of slaves the world has ever known. You can see where they are held right at this Washington Post article.

Egypt’s Miracle AIDS Cure is Probably A Hoax

By hoax, we mean it looks like a complete sham. We don’t know what the Egyptian military is thinking with their latest attempt at making the people of the country, pro-armed forces. According to the military’s leader, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, engineers have created the perfect cure for AIDS and hepatitis C.

Lip Sync Battle With Paul Rudd

Weekly Devotional - Seek The Things That Are Above

If then, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above not on things that are on earth. - Colossians 3:1-2

Chapter 3 of Colossians begins a section of encouragements, though not the type of encouragements you see on Hallmark cards. These are encouragements to live in a more Christlike way - an exhortation. Paul is showing us how to become better Christians. He has a big list. But don't miss the first thing he says, "IF THEN, you have been raised with Christ." If you are a Christian, then seek to do these things.

See, it's not that do's and don'ts are necessarily bad. It's that do's and don'ts aren't the starting point of the Christian Faith. We can't hold non-Christians to these standards we can't keep ourselves.

Because here's the thing, I've never once gone an entire day without falling short of those lists. This list includes things like anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk and lying. That's why Paul uses the word, "seek" in verse 1. It's a journey of persistence. One in which we, as Christ-followers, daily seek to put to death those things in the first list while simultaneously trying to emulate the things in the following list. Things like compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. A list which sounds an awful lot like characteristics of Christ.

So be persistent and take heart. This whole "seeking" thing is a process. We're going to mess up. They'll be days where we make more progress, and days where we make less. But it's not like God loves us any less because we haven't gotten very far yet.

Set your minds on Christ. He is the goal. 

This Week In The News... February 20th, 2014

photo © 2011 Jon S, Flickr

Here are some of the more interesting articles around the internet which have caught my eye. Most of them have to do with religion and the church, but won't always.

'Sports Chaplains' Bring The Gospel To Olympic Village

There are probably fewer American fans in Sochi than at previous Winter Games, partly because of concerns about security, and partly because of the time and expense it takes to get to the Russian resort town on the Black Sea. But Americans are represented there, with gusto, by a group of evangelical Christians who call themselves the International Sports Chaplains. Members of the group have been going to the Olympic Games since 1988.

Australian missionary reportedly detained in North Korea

 A 75-year-old Australian missionary who traveled to North Korea as part of a tour group has been detained there, his wife said. John Short had with him some Gospel tracts in Korean "which seem to be at the core of the detention," his wife said in a statement Wednesday.

84-Year-Old Nun Jailed For Breaking Into High-Security Nuclear Facility

An elderly nun who broke into what was supposed to be one of the most carefully guarded nuclear facilities in the United States was sentenced to nearly three years in prison, local media reported.

A faithful death: Why a snake handler refused treatment

The trouble at Full Gospel Tabernacle began on Saturday night, when Pastor Jamie Coots, whose serpent-handling religious rituals made him a reality TV star, died after a rattlesnake sunk its fangs into his right hand.

I Don’t Worship God by Singing. I Connect With Him Elsewhere.

I’ve a confession. I don’t connect with God by singing to Him. Not at all. I know I’m nearly alone in this but it’s true. I was finally able to admit this recently when I attended a church service that had, perhaps, the most talented worship team I’ve ever heard. I loved the music. But I loved it more for the music than the worship. As far as connecting with God goes, I wasn’t feeling much of anything.

Weekly Devotional - This Is Disicipleship

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. - Col 2:6-7

Jesus was a unique man. Besides the obvious, the whole equally God and equally man hypostatic union... thing... we see a man who was fearless but humble, fierce but gentle, and a man who turned every expectation upside down. He cut through the insincere practices of religion, getting to the heart of God. He healed sickness and disease, fed thousands, and preached mercy and forgiveness. He loved with a radical and overwhelming love and was killed for it.

And we are told to walk in him. 

What does that even mean?

Everyone has a different answer to that question. Super-Conservatives will tell you exactly what it means. They have endless lists with subpoints, charts and graphs. Super-Liberals will give you a wishy-washy answer that has something to do with feelings and fair trade coffee.

But it simply comes down to imitating the life of Jesus. I don't mean wearing a tunic and sandals and walking all over the desert preaching against the religious and political leaders. I mean being the type of person that Jesus was.

But to do that, you have to build a solid foundation - a solid root. You need to know who he was before you can imitate him. And the only reliable way to do that is to constantly be reading the gospels, asking yourself, "Who is this Jesus?"

This is discipleship.

As you continue to do this, you will find yourself being built up. You'll start to see your life change. You'll start acting like Jesus.

So do you know what Jesus was like? How can you start acting more like him?

Weekly Devotional - Living A Kingdom Focused Life

A few days ago, my friend Toby found himself being dragged to a McDonald's parking lot. This was obviously strange and terrible, as McDonald's food is nasty. But as it turned out they weren't there to buy food.

Earlier that week, Toby had his cell phone stolen. And to make matters worse, in his attempt to retrieve his phone from the thieves, he dropped his car keys in their car while they were making their get-away. As a phone-less, key-less, broke college kid, Toby was understandably upset. After hours of trying to think of a solution to his unfortunate predicament, he realized there was nothing he could do. He was powerless to fix his situation.

But in an act of Christ-like generosity, Toby's friends conspired together to replace his phone.

Like Toby, they are also poor college students. But they figured they could make a little bit of a sacrifice, and help a friend out. Which is what Christ did, albeit on a much larger scale. This lifestyle of sacrifice is what we, as Christians are supposed to be doing with our lives. We're supposed to be kingdom-focused.

The Christians in Colossae were apparently pretty good at this.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. (Colossians 1:3-8, ESV)

The Christians in Colossae loved each other, just like Jesus commanded us. But why? Paul says its because they were looking at the big picture. They were looking forward to Heaven. They knew how their story ended, and it gave them hope. They were kingdom-minded.

Kingdom-minded means suffering is temporary. Which frees you up to sacrifice - like Toby's friends. It frees you up to spend less time on yourself, and more time on other people. It means when times are tough, we can grit our teeth and take the pain because our story ends well.

Kingdom-minded means looking to God. Later in Chapter 1 it says this, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (1:15-16). Paul writes with absolute clarity - Jesus IS God. He made the world. He is over and above all rulers and authorities. Jesus is in control. He's God, and everything is for his glory. We can worship him in the difficult times by resting in the truth of his being in control of everything. 

Kingdom-minded means loving people. It's just one of those things. If you truly love God, you will love people. If you don't love people, maybe you don't love God. When Paul talks about the Gospel, "bearing fruit," this is what he means. They heard the Gospel. They heard about Jesus - God coming into human history as a man, living the life we couldn't live, paying the price we couldn't pay, and dying the death we all deserved to die - and, "understood the grace of God" (1:6). And it led them to love each other with the same type of self-sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated, and the same type of self-sacrificial love that Toby's friends demonstrated. Mother Teresa said this, " I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."

So how can you shift your perspective to be a bit more kingdom focused this week?

Bill Nye Vs. Ken Ham: Who Won?

Tuesday night Bill Nye (The Science Guy) debated Ken Ham, founder and CEO of Answers In Genesis (AIG) and President of the Creation Museum. The debate was highly publicized and live streamed on CNN. It focused on the question, "Is creation a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era?" Unsurprisingly, many peoples opinions on who won had more to do with their beliefs before the debate than the actual debate.

That said, the debate is below for your viewing pleasure. Additionally, here are some links to articles covering the debate from both sides of the table.

This is AIG's post debate coverage: http://bit.ly/1l0SZse
Here's an article written from Bill's perspective: http://bit.ly/1fz85Sh
Here's an article that thinks both sides are wrong: http://bit.ly/1byZKP3
Here's another interesting article from a Christian with a slightly different take: http://thebea.st/1eBWPXa

"Poison Tree" - From Depravity To Life

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." - Luke 6:43-45 ESV

Last week at Love City Church we did a song during worship called Poison Tree. One of the reasons I love the song is because of the striking and powerful lyrics.

The song begins with a profound description of our own depravity - one which pierces to the soul. But then the Chorus takes a turn from the macabre and swells into a beautiful declaration of our hope in the blood of Christ. The whole song reminds me of a quote from Jack Miller, "Cheer up! You’re a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you’re more loved than you ever dared hope."



Here are the lyrics:

Verse 1:
This tree bears strange fruit
There’s blood on the leaves, it’s dead at the roots
The cracked grey branches are decaying within
Just like the black poison that hangs from its limbs

Pre-Chorus:
Come and dig me up
Reach down to the root
Rip the deadness out
And plant something new

Chorus:
I am alive, I will abide
In the life giving blood of Christ
I’m grafted in, You’ve killed my sin
Now I will live, I’ll live in him.

Verse 2:
I tried to tie good fruit
To a tree that had poison all the way through
It rotted and fell off
It was dead to the core
It even killed the ground I was worse than before

There Are Two Kinds of Funerals

            I haven’t been to many funerals but I’ve been to enough to notice a difference between a few of these.

            When I was going into my freshman year of high school I lost a close relative of mine. I was heartbroken. We all knew it was coming but none of us were truly prepared to deal with the loss. When it was time for the viewing there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Before the service began there were a few sniffles with boxes of tissues being passed around and there was arguing in front of the casket. Once the preacher began to speak sobbing ensued.

            With the tears being shed it was almost as if there was no real peace in the room, no peace in our family or in our hearts. The preacher had to speak loudly for everyone to hear. I can’t remember too much about what was said, but I remember the theme of the message matching the tone of my family’s tears: They are forever gone. Now there will always be something missing in our lives and there is nothing that can mend our hearts. We should just take our loss and try to find a way to cope and move on.

At this time I was not in Christ. All I knew up until then was that there is no life after death.

Since then I have been to more Christ centered funerals. Recently I went to a funeral to support a friend who lost a loved one. I’ve never heard such laughter, felt such love and seen so many embraces being passed around by the family who where rejoicing in the lives once lived by the recently passed. Of course there were tears but these tears were not the same as the tears I’ve seen being shed in the past. These tears had more life and love in them. These tears were uplifting, merciful, and in worship to God.

The difference between these funerals was God. God was invited and he was praised.

In this funeral the Pastor had a greater message that summed up what our attitudes about life and death should be. He read the passage Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”. What a perfect verse to speak on at a funeral. If we truly give ourselves up to God there is no real deep sorrow but a great joy. We rejoice because death is not the end of us. We don’t simply live and die. We are given a life so that we might know Christ and to have the ability to proclaim his name. Death should not be feared because Christ has taken away its sting. It is now something we should readily accept because it brings us back to Christ. We live our lives on earth for the gospel of Jesus Christ and whenever we do pass we are reunited with our savior!

We are so thankful that you have joined us on this journey to become and make disciples of Jesus. We have enjoyed the blessings of the Lord this past year and a half. It has been an incredible journey so far full of ups and downs, but we have seen God move in ways we could have never imagined. We hope and pray that you have experienced God’s presence in your time with us.

As great as the past year has been we are expectant and eagerly looking forward to what we believe God is leading us to in the next year. We wanted to take a moment to get you up to speed.

We will be kicking of “Groups” at the beginning of the year. This is a place for the whole family to plug into a deeper community environment throughout the week. While there will be one structured meeting time during the week, our hope is that you will develop relationship that will overflow into daily interaction with one-another.

We also want to get you more involved. As a result there will be more opportunities for you to serve on various “servant” teams and once a quarter we as a church will be partnering in love with an outside organization with our giving and/or volunteering.

Lastly, many of you have asked or been curious and the answer is yes, we are actively pursuing a building of our own. Right now it doesn’t make sense for us to purchase so we are looking for a place to lease. By obtaining a space of our own we will be able to better accommodate families, do more outreach in the community, and (drum roll please) have a later start time for our Sunday gathering.

There is more, but we know that you are thrilled with excitement and currently can’t contain your joy so we will allow you to express yourself and will share the rest with you when you have calmed down a bit. We look forward to this next year with you and hope you continue to partner with us on this journey to pursue Jesus. We love you.

Jimmy Rodriguez