Summertime is upon us. Last week it was in full force (even though it is not officially here for another week) with blistering 90-100 degree weather. Today it is pleasantly cool in the morning hours...one last taste of spring I suppose before things get toasty.
I wanted to take this opportunity to offer you 5 challenges for the Summer. These are 5 things I want to challenge everyone in the Skyline family to invest in during the hot summer days.
1.) Invest In Your Family:
Summer is probably my favorite time of the year. There are lots of things to be done in lots of areas of life. I look forward to the pool, playing ball with my boys, camping, fishing, church...summer is for fun and family.
If your family is like mine, you have tons planned from weekend getaways to vacations...bbq's to picnics. I want to encourage you to invest this time in your family because summer is a time where lots of memories can be made for your kids and your marriage.
2.) Invest In Your Faith:
As busy as summer gets, one of the things that can get left behind in the hustle and bustle is your faith. Summer is a great time to invest in your faith. Consider those times when laying around the pool, catching a few rays, enjoying a quiet evening on the porch...these are all great times to invest in your faith. Grab your Bible and spend time with God when in your sun chair. Buy a great book about spiritual growth or ministry. Enjoy the cool of the early morning with prayer and a nice cup of coffee. Listen to a sermon on your ipod while you take a nice jog. Summertime offers tons of opportunities to feed your soul.
3.) Invest In Your Church Family:
Spend time with your church family outside of the Sunday morning context. Invite people over for a bbq to hang out and have some much needed fellowship. Head to the park with other families with children from the church. JOIN A CONNECTION GROUP.
Typically the summer semester of Connection Groups is down in attendance. Mainly because we are bombarded with other activities like vacations and trips, but the summer semester is one of the best times to be part of a group. We have another week or two of sign-ups available to you for the semester. Don't miss out on your opportunity to be part of one this semester.
Summer is also a down time in church attendance. Granted there are family vacations that are planned, which are important and necessary, but there are also times when people simply neglect their worship on the weekends. Keep your attendance a top priority. Be present at church. Serve the church. Invest in the church.
4.) Invest In Your Community:
Opportunities to serve your community during the summer abound. The church will be offering outreach opportunities throughout the summer for you to be part of which offers you the chance to reach out to others in our area and to serve along side of your church family. Keep an eye out for other opportunities as well... Opportunities like kid camps, community service projects, and the occasional neighbor who needs a hand mowing their lawn while away or help fixing the deck in the back yard.
If you recall from the beginning of the year, we have been preparing our soil for growth in the first part of the year and now is the time to plant seeds. Each opportunity that you take advantage of to invest in your community is an opportunity to plant seeds of love in the hearts of those you serve. Theses opportunities plant the name of Skyline in the minds of our community and they plant the heart of God into the people of our area.
5.) Invest In Prayer:
As we have prepared the soil for growth, as we have started planting the seeds for growth...we have been preparing for a harvest. We have already seen this harvest becoming reality. Our average attendance in the month of January was 132....In May our average attendance was 166. So far this year we have seen 23 people come to Christ. We have witnessed 11 people follow Christ in Baptism (with more to come this summer)...God is already moving at Skyline Church in a BIG way and I firmly believe that we have only seen the beginning.
This fall, we will begin seeing that harvest become greater and greater. My challenge is for all of us to utilize this summer in two ways. As I mentioned earlier, we are to continue investing by planting seeds...even more importantly we are challenged to invest in prayer for the harvest which is to come.
I continue to dream God sized dreams for Skyline. Do you? There are soooooo many awesome things around the corner for our church. As we invest in prayer for our friends, our neighbors, our community, our leadership, and our church family, that harvest will become more and more abundant.
My challenge is for you to pray for the seeds we have already planted. Pray for the seeds that we will continue to plant. Pray that the soil will be fertile. Pray that the leadership of Skyline Church will continue to seek God for His direction. Pray that our ministers (everyone who serves in ministry at Skyline) will serve with excellence. And pray that our God sized dreams become God sized miracles.
I can't tell you how pumped I am to be in the middle of God's move. We have only seen a glimpse of what He can do through the people of Skyline. As the song goes, "Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city." These greater things will be done through Skyline Church by the power of His Holy Spirit.
IT CONTINUES THIS SUMMER!!!!
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