I am in charge of a team this year and would really appreciate it if you could take the time to look at a video of what Easter Seals has done for kids in our extended community and a very special video of Luke Young (Sheri’s son- who has benefited from Easter Seals services for years now).

Easter Seals of Central Illinois showcases the milestones some of the children accomplished in 2011: Easter Seals video

Watch how Easter Seals helped Luke reach some important milestones this past year:  Luke’s Progress

If you’d like to support us this year please go to the website below.  ANY donation amount would be so helpful and very much appreciated!!  If you’d like to participate in Walk With Me, there is information on the website as well or you can call or email me at 369-6333 or carrot_cake78@hotmail.com.  If you want to just write a check (instead of donating online), you can give it to me anytime before July 21.

JOIN Team LUKE AND HIS WASHINGTON BUDDIES.

Thanks,
Cara Getz

I was leading worship for the community Good Friday Service a couple years back. Our church was hosting. There was a pretty good turnout from many local churches. Things were going great. My worship team was knocking it out of the park (notice the personal pronouns are already getting out of whack), and I was thinking, “Man, I wonder if my church realizes how lucky they are to have me? We are really making a great impression on the community, and it is largely due to this awesome worship.” That is when I felt God smile, but not for the reason I suspected he was smiling.

We reached the very end of the service. The lights were low, and everything was quite solemn. I was to close the entire service with a stirring acoustic guitar rendition of “The Old Rugged Cross,” a song I had sung literally HUNDREDS of times. I was pretty swept away by the moment and was feeling all warm and fuzzy because God was smiling down on me and the show that I was putting on for him. Then I began to play…

…except the melody, the chord progressions, everything had completely left me for greener pastures. I was a worship leader who could not remember “The Old Rugged Cross.” So I started singing anyway. I figured, “If I launch out, it will come to me.” But it did not. It was a dreadful, meandering, confusing massacre of the classic hymn. It took me fully two verses and a chorus before the melody finally returned. I had never felt so deeply humiliated in my life. I finished respectfully and skulked away.

Afterward, I was talking with my team and they were like, “What an interesting new arrangement of “The Old Rugged Cross,” and one visitor told me it was “very moving,” and I was thinking, “What? You’ve got to be kidding.”

So this is my favorite tale of God humbling me – reminding me that it is NOT about me AT ALL but about him – and that even if I am completely incompetent and fumble my way through everything, God can still use that for his good. Not I but Christ that lives within me…amen?

Have you ever experienced anything like that. If so, share the joy…

Ed

VIDEO

RE: our discussion of God’s “discipline” and how we kinda used it interchangeably with “punishment”…

I used to teach a management class on employee performance.  One topic was the difference between discipline and punishment.  Discipline is usually defined as a “process, method, or study” to correct a deficiency or improper behavior.  It does not have to be punitive.  Kind of like when God redirects us or guides us back to the proper way of doing things.  We have the freedom to choose to accept the discipline (corrections) or not.  When we don’t, we suffer “consequences” which is another word for punishment. 

I just don’t feel comfortable when people use the word discipline when they mean punishment.  Some use punishment as a way to mandate behavior, as in, “do it right or I’ll do such and so.”

Raise your hand if you have ever tried to get something started. Anything. A group. An initiative. A ministry. How did it go? Was it smooth sailing? Did everyone you talked do follow through on their promises? Did everyone who encouraged you stand by you all the way? Was it as easy as it seemed in your head? Did it last?

If you ever tried Amway or something similar, you know how it goes: you catch the vision, you attempt to impart the vision to your friends, you see reality fall short of the vision, and you eventually throw in the towel, recognizing that all of your friends and acquaintances are, like the Israelites, “a stiff-necked people” who will never get it. It is the same in the church. The problem is not the people, per se, it is inertia.

When you know something is a great idea, you know that God is in it, and you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you have been called to leap forward, that’s when inertia kicks in.

INERTIA PREVENTS INVOLVEMENT
People are subject to physics – when at rest, people tend to remain at rest. We are a busy culture. Folks are tugged in every imaginable direction by attractive pursuits – many of which are, shall we say, less than healthy – leaving very little mental or physical energy for “new ideas.” Even with pursuits that people know are in their best interests, physically, emotionally and spiritually – exercise, prayer, family time, continuing education, evangelism, community service, Bible study – people are hesitant to take on anything new.

INERTIA ENABLES FAILURE
Even when people do, in an attempt to better themselves, undertake something new, they are oftentimes easily derailed by “outside forces.” Right when you seem to have a rhythm, right when you begin to recognize momentum, something knocks you off your bike. Have you ever noticed how almost anything seems like a good reason not to go to the gym? Has it ever seemed almost impossible to find time to pray or read your Bible? Does it ever seem like distractions are drawn to your endeavors like moths to flame? Can I get a witness?

So inertia is evil, right? It is the enemy of success and effectiveness and innovation, correct? No. Like most influences in our lives, inertia is neutral. It is a force of nature we need to master. Money is not “the root of all sorts of evil,” but love of money is. Inertia is not evil, but allowing it to prevent you from following God’s clear direction for you life is.

INERTIA ENABLES MOMENTUM
The same force that keeps things stationary allows things to move. Once something is really going, it is hard to stop. Once in awhile, even an Amway distributor is successful. The right combination of vision and leadership and investment can lead to a “movement.”  This is to be encouraged.

INERTIA PREVENTS STAGNATION
If you are really moving, you will be too busy to get bored, too busy to get distracted, and too busy to listen to naysayers. It is in the midst of this kind of inertia that God births revival. This is what Luke was describing in the second chapter of Acts. The Jerusalem church was too busy being the church to get distracted, and in that environment, God “added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

So, if we are to embrace inertia, we must discourage failure and stagnation in favor of involvement and momentum. To do that, we must empower the outside forces that set movements in motion and disable the outside forces that derail them. How do we do that?

FIRST: Step out in faith, take a risk, and trust God.
God blesses faithful risk-taking. No one can promise you an easy run or guaranteed success when you step out, but I will personally guarantee that if you do not step out, nothing will happen.

NEXT: Pray, pray, pray.
Pray for straight, smooth roads with no potholes. Pray for protection from the schemes of the enemy and the distractions of life. Pray for passion, direction and perseverance. And when you face curves, potholes, schemes and distractions, pray them away.

Inertia is good. Inertia is bad. Inertia is inevitable. Recognize it. Embrace it. Ride it out. In other words, go with God.

(published first on The Official QPlace Blog  subscribe for more great posts and visit QPlace Online )

Washington Christian Church and the Washington Ministerial Association will host a Pancake Supper and Bake Sale on Saturday, March 3.  The proceeds from the event will help fund a new, long-term transitional housing facility for single moms and their children.  The facility is called “My Sister’s House” and is located on Walnut Street in Washington.  The pancake supper will be held from 4 pm to 7 pm at Washington Christian Church, 1012 N. Main Street in Washington, the cost is by donation.

CLICK HERE FOR VOLUNTEER MATERIALS

This event is a community effort between multiple Washington-area churches and businesses coordinated through the Washington Ministerial Association.  The event will feature coffee donated by The Blend in Washington and sausage donated by friends of the Herrmanns and the Eureka Locker in Eureka.

My Sister’s House was founded by Mark and Tammy Herrmann, partly to honor the memory of Tammy’s sister, Debbie Wagner, a single mother herself. For some time, the Herrmann’s have felt called to assist struggling young people and are now making it their life’s work.

My Sister’s House’s mission will be to provide mentoring that enables women to provide for themselves and their children. Tammy Hermann explains, “We want to establish a home of tranquility, transformation, and transition for single woman and their children.”

Ed Taylor, Connections Pastor at Washington Christian Church and current president of the Washington Ministerial Association, was captivated by the Herrmann’s mission and passion. His small group caught the vision and decided a pancake supper was just the ticket.

Taylor says, “Many people are convinced that there is no homeless problem in Washington, but I can tell you from experience, this is a huge problem in this area. There are waiting lists at every shelter in the area and there is virtually no transitional housing available outside of Peoria. I applaud the Herrmann’s for recognizing this need and chasing after a solution. We, as pastors and concerned citizens, just want to do whatever we can to help. This fundraise is just a start.”

There will be tours of the facility on the day of the pancake supper and the founders will be available for questions during the meal.

If you would like more information you can contact Ed Taylor at Washington Christian Church, 444-2550 or 712-6493, or Tammy Hermann at 634-1983.  Information is also available on My Sister’s House Facebook page, and the Washington Christian Church’s website www.washingtonchristian.net.

Matt Chandler talks about drawing from wells that quench our thirst for only a moment. Sex, money, respect, what is your well of choice? Check out this article and let us know what you think.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/deeper-walk/features/28174-sex-money-a-other-good-things-gone-bad

Enjoy!

Ed

Check out the video, then check out this commentary on it:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/

I have read a bunch of stuff on this video, but this is the most cogent argument – in favor or against – that I have yet read. What do YOU think?

- Ed