Can I tell you one of my pet peeves?

Can I tell you one of my pet peeves? Since I didn't hear anyone say "no", I'll continue. I hate it when you're watching previews at the movie theater and they run a preview for what looks like a hilarious movie. For thirty to sixty seconds, the trailer itself has you rolling on the floor. Then, you fork out the money to see the movie months later and you discover that EVERY funny line in the movie was used in the trailer. In fact, you didn't have to watch the movie. The rest of the thing wasn't worth the film it was recorded on. (Do they still use any film since everything is digital these days?) I digress. It frustrates me to know that the best is over and done.

Not so with Christ. In fact, all the way through Scripture, we see the story of a God who keeps saying to us, "The best is yet to come. Just watch, just wait." I see that with Him. The deeper God is taking me in my personal relationship with Him, the more I realize that I haven't even come close to unraveling it all. There is more and more love, more and more grace, more and more power. The "trailer" is good, but the best is truly yet to come.

I feel that way with Ridgeview these days as well. We kind of coasted through the first weeks of summer with a few key events and great moments but the last several weeks have been amazing. And I see even greater weeks ahead. This new series on discovering God's will for your life coupled with our return back to our "home" school makes for a killer tandem. I'm expecting a packed house this week and, most important of all, I have great expectations for what God is going to do as we worship together.

I also have great expectations about my future with an amazing wife. Lisa's birthday is this weekend. I'm thankful for the special gift God gave me 2+ years ago. I'm thankful for the way God has redeemed the broken parts of both of our lives for His glory. I'm thankful that, in Christ Jesus, in every area of our lives, the best is yet to come.

Shouldn't we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! 2 Corinthians 3:8-11 NLT