Stepping Out
Faith Journey Bible Studies-April Edition
Loving=Serving
By Heather Kreiser
"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,..." Deut. 10:12
Jeff and I have been married for over 20 years and he has been the best example of a servant-leader I have ever met. Serving does not come easily to me, but Jeff has inspired and helped me to include service as a normal and precious part of our family's life. One thing I noticed early in our relationship was the genuine joy released in his life when he prioritized the needs of others over his own! A life of service was foreign to me and not a part of the family I grew up in. In fact, when Jeff chose to wash my feet on our wedding night as a symbolic act of serving me, I was kind of uncomfortable. I had a really hard time receiving this sweet expression, but even more difficult was for me to believe that he actually enjoyed giving in that way!
So, why is service important in our human relationships and in our relationship with God? The verse above reveals a truth that if we LOVE God, we are going to express that love in SERVING Him. Serving is "love in action", and even when that means we have to give up something in order to show the love, the ultimate reward is exponential JOY for the giver.
How are we to serve? Also in this verse, is the admonition to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul- meaning that you are "all in" emotionally (heart) and expressing love in your own unique way & personality (soul). There is such a difference between just showing up to check something off our "being a good citizen" list and instead, choosing to be present, engaged and available to act on behalf of another person's needs. I have felt the difference and I have served in both ways. The latter truly does result in joy!
Where are we to serve? If you are honest with yourself and recognize that serving is as unnatural for you as it has been for me, I encourage you to ask the Lord to reveal His love for you anew. As you receive His love, ask Him to give you new eyes to really see the needs of the closest people in your life and step into that need by serving with a new heart. Or, schedule time in your week to prepare lunch bags with non-perishable food items to hand to homeless members of our community when you are driving around. Finally, join your small group, or a friend and make serving a part of your weekly schedule! We are built to love God and the most precious way to express our love Him is to serve others... it makes His heart happy, and it will make yours happy too!
City Wide Serve Day
Assist Local (a Folsom based ministry that serves our community) is connecting many of the churches in Folsom together to participate in a
city-wide SERVE DAY! Churches from all over the Folsom area will connect as ONE BODY in Christ to serve the community. Projects to help the disadvantaged, elderly, sick, widowed, etc. are being organized. It will be held on the weekend of May 17-18, 2014.
Leaders are currently looking for project managers and service project ideas! Email for details: info@ServeDAY.net
Powerhouse Youth Group
Powerhouse ministries teen youth group is in need of new/used copies of Crazy Love by Francis Chan. They will be following the video series along with reading the books. The teen group is also in need of a new/used flat screen TV that can be mounted to the wall! They would love to have a 50 inch (or bigger) flat screen TV to use for their youth group!
Contact Josh Levine if you or your group would like to help.
Help Twin Lakes Food Drive this Easter!
Easter items will be given out on April 18 to local families who need an Easter blessing from their community:
Donate Premade Easter Baskets
Donate Grocery Store Gift Cards
Donate Easter Ham or Dinner Trimmings
Donate Funds Online at TwinLakesFoodBank.Org- $20 buys an Easter dinner for a local family
Mercy Ministries Dinner
An Evening with Mercy Ministries Friday, May 2, 2014 ,7:00 PM - 8:30pm. Join in blessing the California Mercy Ministries home and bring a friend to they next Mercy Ministries dinner. The evening will include an art auction, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, testimonies from local Mercy graduates, and a tour of the home. This is a great way to introduce your friends and colleagues to Mercy Ministries.
Location: Lincoln Mercy Ministries Home
Ticket price: Your donation towards the "household fund" will act as your ticket.
Sponsor Women Behind Bars at Folsom Prison
We are looking for more sponsors to support women behind bars at Folsom Women's Facility who will be participating in a 16-week Faith Journey Bible Study, Hebrews: The Faithful Woman by gifting them a study guide at a cost of $15.00. This would be a wonderful opportunity to give to these women and have your FJ groups continue to support them by praying for them throughout the study.
If you have questions and or would like to make a donation please contact Barbara Cunningham at barbara_cunningham2@hotmail.com.
Folsom Lake High School Graduation- Looking for donations
Happy Easter from FJBS!
We are praying for each of you as you love and serve women in our communities this Easter season!
Blessings,
Lisa&Heather&Lynn
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. John 3:16-17