Monday Memo

Here are most of the comments from the weekend Communication Cards: // Loved singing Holy, Holy, Holy. So familiar and so moving. Beautiful. Thank you Worship Team.

// Thank you Henry for a great message. Starting my truck may have just taken on new meaning.

// Closing song of the opening set was moving. Gave me goose bumps and produced tears of joy (really!). Thanks. Love the worship.

// Praise and thanks for the talents of our musicians, that they give them to the glory of God.

// Power of piano on Holy, Holy, Holy was awesome. Great job Harold. Drums, piano and guitar balanced and powerful. Voices perfect. Great congregational singing.

// Nice job ladies on worship team! Also, great worship set.

// Thank you Henry for reminding us consistently and simply every week that deciding to accept the Lord’s grace is THE ONLY THING we really need to do! Everything else is only about growing closer to the Lord and making an impact on others for God during our time in this live on earth.

// Loved the message of Avalanche: “Despite all my pride and foolish ways, caught in your infinite embrace.” Amen.

// I’m excited for the rest of this series. I get so easily distracted. It’s helpful to know others struggle as well. Fantastic delivery – God was truly speaking through you.

// Shine! Was amazing! My daughter brought a friend to church today thanks to Shine. She loved it. I also had another friend who is interested in Five Oaks because of Shine. Other Shine guests also made her feel welcome here at Five Oaks. I’m so proud of my church.

// Thank you for this series. It’s something that I’ve been struggling to do in my life. The lent services are helping with that.

// Thanks for the pens and Bibles in the foyer! Great idea.

One More Thing

Hi Five Oakers, The weekend's coming and there are a few things I want to share with you.

The Weekend

If you are motivated to grow spiritually, but you are struggling to make any progress in loving God more deeply and reflecting Christ more fully, your Rule of Life is either broken or non-existent. You need this 5-week series we kick off this weekend.

On the other hand, if you are a growing believer, you already have a Rule of Life. The term may be new to you, but most of what we talk about in this series will be familiar. Maybe you’ll discover some new avenues for bringing God into everything you do.

And that's what a Rule of Life is all about: it is the systems and structures you put in place that help you keep God in your everything.

FYI

Ed Welch on "Three Relationship Rules"

I am thinking about micro-applications of how faith expresses itself in love (Gal. 5:6). These might not be obvious at first. They accumulate over time. Here are three that have become important to me.

Joshua Reich on "I See You Tried"

In marriage it is easy to focus on the negative things your spouse does. They didn’t pick up their clothes, they don’t pursue you, they don’t cook the food you like, the whine or complain “about everything.” The list goes on and on. Yet, celebrating when your spouse tries is a secret to a strong marriage.

One More Thing

J.I. Packer writes:

“What matters supremely, therefore is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it—the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him, because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters. This is momentous knowledge.”