Sunday reflections

I never get tired of watching God do His thing at RCC. Yesterday was no exception. For those of you who missed it, you missed a great day. It started when Satan started his junk. I mean from the moment we walked in the door, he was throwing up obstacles left and right. That's when you know it's going to be good.

We had a great time of worship capped off by two baptisms (their video testimonies were incredible. If you haven't seen them, check them out on our website: www.rccfranklin.com. They will be posted later this week. ) I can't ever get enough of watching God change people's lives...young and old(er). Then, as we were wrapping up our time together, God proved he wasn't finished yet. I had the privilege of leading one of our elementary age kids to Christ right there in the hallway of the school with his mom and dad. What an incredible privilege that is to watch a young man trust Christ with his life! He'll be added to the baptisms coming up (three more in the next two weeks). Please continue to pray and invite others as God is moving in our congregation and in our community.

A special thanks to all of those who showed up and gave their time Saturday to help out with flood relief in Franklin. We'll keep you posted on more opportunities as they arrive. I love being your pastor at Ridgeview. Thanks for making Sundays awesome!!

Quick note for RCC family

We've got an opportunity to serve our community through Flood Relief again on Saturday, May 15th. We are meeting in the Ewingville neighborhood (across from Pinkerton Park in Franklin) at 142. There are opportunities for demolition and general cleaning. So make an effort to be there.

Or, if working in a sheltered setting is more your thing, Graceworks in Franklin is still looking for volunteers to help with sorting of donated items. Contact them at volunteers@graceworksministries.com.net

This week we are in part two of our Family series. Hope you'll join us at 10:30 a.m. at Freedom Intermediate. Our next series begins June 13th with Angels and Demons....a look at spiritual warfare.

Worship

We are commanded to worship. Our lives were meant to bring worship to God. But it's such an uncomfortable thing for some of us that we just don't know how to go about doing it. I've seen some of you at church on Sunday morning...your hands jammed in your pockets, your mouths shut, nervously scanning the room to see who is watching you. Relax! This isn't what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about singing or praying or acting a certain way in a gathering time on Sunday morning. I'm talking about lifestyle. Carol Cymbala says this in her book He's Been Faithful:

We know, too, that the deepest worship happens not when we raise our hands and shout "Alleluia" or sing a hand-clapping chorus. That's easy. The deepest worship happens as we surrender ourselves over and over to God. Jesus, while on earth, was the perfect example of this kind of worship.

After reading that quote, this thought struck my mind. We know Jesus worshipped His Father. We know that He was the model for our lives. But never once do we read any specifics about Jesus' worship "practices" while at the synagogue. Why? Because they didn't matter! They still don't. Regardless of what some might lead you to believe, worship begins with your decision every single day to live a surrendered life before God. It means choosing--in what you eat (yes, what you eat), what you say, what you do, how you spend your time--to submit your plan to His direction. God desires this far more than any particular action on Sunday morning. He is looking for you and I to worship Him hard...with everything we do. May that thought change how you and I approach this day...and every day that follows.

Questions

I believe that questions are as much a part of faith as are prayers and doctrinal statements. Consider this. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1: Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. NLT

The writer is talking about confidence and assurance in the unknowns. One of the things I have learned in my faith journey--particularly in those darkest days after my wife and son died--is that God is not afraid of my questions. He can handle them.

The difference between the questioning believer and the cynic who refuses to believe is where you place your focus. I can choose to focus on questions that seemingly have no answers. Many of those are simply questions that will not be answered this side of heaven. Others are answered only by the supreme wisdom of God. But such a focus only leads to cynicism that destroys.

On the other hand, I can focus on what I know to be real: that the evidence is overwhelming that the Bible is real (from archaeology and historical documents), that a resurrected Jesus appeared to over 500 witnesses, that science continues to prove the necessity of an Intelligent Designer for creation. The questions are not what keeps me from believing in God. On the contrary, they are the things that remind me that He is God...I am not.

Don't be afraid to ask your questions. And, don't be afraid when all the answers are not readily available. "Seeing is believing" may be good for some things but, when it comes to faith, Hebrews reminds us that the unseen things are constant reminders of a God who is bigger than all of life.

I am blessed.

I have the great fortune of working with an amazing and talented group of people. I hope the Ridgeview family recognizes that as well. We just spent the day together praying through and working on the sermon series for the rest of this year.

MAN! It's gonna be good! God is positioning RCC for some really good stuff. We've got another 90 day reading plan coming up soon (don't panic, it's not the whole Bible this time around). We're also going to take a look at a wide range of topics and the Bible's perspective on each...from families to spiritual warfare, from the book of Philippians to what it means to be a real church. I'm inviting you to pray with us each week. I don't want one single word to be spoken or sung that doesn't honor God.

God is up to some really good stuff. I can't wait to share this journey with you.